Toshiba Satellite 110 Series User Manual page 409

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B
backup: A copy of a file, usually on a diskette, kept in case the original
is lost or damaged. It's a good idea to keep backup copies of all
your important files.
base memory: See conventional memory.
basic input/output system (BIOS): A set of basic computer instructions.
The BIOS, in a ROM chip, contains the information the computer
needs to perform such tasks as determine the amount of memory,
check the presence of the keyboard and other devices, and load the
operating system.
batch file: A file, ending with a .BAT extension, containing commands
that you can perform together, rather than typing them one at a
time. Batch files are useful if you have a series of commands that
you need to type fairly often. For example, you could use a batch
file that contains all the commands needed to log onto a network.
See also AUTOEXEC.BAT.
baud (baud rate): The speed at which communications devices such as
printers, terminals, and modems transmit information. Information
travels as a series of electronic signals. The baud rate measures the
rate of change in these signals. This is not necessarily the same as
bits per second, although the two are related. It is named for Emil
Baudot, a pioneer in printing telegraphy. See also bits per second.
binary: The base two number system, in which the only digits are 0
and 1. This system is used in computers since it can be imple-
mented as a series of electronic signals that are either off (0) or on
(1). While it's possible to convert numbers from binary to decimal
manually, many calculators and calculator programs can do the
work for you. See also decimal.
bit: The basic unit of information used by the computer, a bit may be
either one or zero. This represents electronic signals in the com-
puter that may be either on (1) or off (0). While an individual bit
cannot contain a significant amount of information, by combining
bits into larger units, such as bytes (a group of eight connected
bits), your computer can deal with huge blocks of data. See also
byte.
Part III: Appendixes