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Basic Input/Output System. Routines in ROM (Read Only
Memory) that handle the transfer of information among
various hardware components, and between the hardware and
your operating system and other software.
Bit
A binary digit (0 or 1). The smallest unit of information a
computer can process and store. The value of a bit represents a
single electrical pulse through a circuit, or a small spot on a
disk, that contains either a 0 or a 1.
Boot
The process a computer performs to start itself up, check its
components, and then load the operating system into its
memory.
B u s
A wire or group of wires that sends information from
component to component in the computer. The speed of a bus
increases by the number and width of the channels the bus uses
to move data.
A sequence of eight bits of data that represent one character.
See also Bit
Cache
A high-speed type of memory buffer that stores frequently
used data where your microprocessor can access it faster.
Your computer includes 8KB of internal cache as well as
virtualcache. See also virtualCache.
and Character.
Glossary 3
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