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Glossary
IRQ Interrupt Request. A signal that,
when received by the processor, halts
the current process and allows a
different task to be undertaken.
ISA Industry Standard Architecture.
Standard for computer bus
architecture.
Jumper An electrically-conductive
part that is used to connect two or
more points on a circuit board.
Commonly used to select
configuration options.
K Computing Kilo. The upper-case K
is used to mean the number 1024,
which is two to the power ten (2
This is the unit that is implied in words
such as Kilobyte.
Mass storage Any device used to
store large amounts of data external to
the internal memory used by the
processor. Usually refers to hard disks
and tape backup units.
MB Megabyte. An amount of
computer memory equal to two to the
20
power twenty (2
1,024 kilobytes. One megabyte can
store more than one million characters.
Memory modules Miniature boards
containing memory chips. Used for
increasing the amount of memory
available in the computer.
MIDI Musical Instrument Digital
Interface. An international hardware/
software standard that specifies the
cable and hardware interface that
allows several devices, instruments and
computers to interchange music codes
10
and events.
).
MPEG Motion Picture Expert Group.
A standard for video sequence
compression. You can play back MPEG
files from the WEB or a video CD-ROM.
Non-Volatile Random Access
Memory (NVRAM) A memory
device that preserves memory contents
when the power is off.
Parallel port Input/output channel
for connecting peripheral devices to
) = 1,048,576 bytes =
computers. Parallel ports allow
connections to printers or other
parallel interface devices.
Parameter A numeric modifier
required by some commands.
PC Personal Computer. A computer
designed to be used by one person,
either in a business environment or at
home.
PCI Peripheral Component
Interconnect. Standard for computer
bus architecture.
Plug and Play Industry standard for
dynamically configuring system
resources for the computer and its
accessories.
POST Power-on self test. A series of
tests your computer performs when
you turn on the power.
Processor The component of the
computer that computes. The power of
your processor partly determines the
speed at which your computer works.
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