Term
| Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) |
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Definition
| A 32-bit wide bus standard developed specifically for video cards that includes AGP 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, and 8x standards. AGP has been replaced by the PCI Express standards. |
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Term
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Definition
| The primary partition on the hard drive that boots the OS. Windows 2000/XP/Vista calls the active partition the system partition. |
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Term
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Definition
| A specification for a small slot on a motherboard to accommodate an audio or modem riser card. A controller on the motherboard contains some of the logic for the audio or modem functionality. |
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Term
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Definition
| An operating system program responsible for managing the process of loading the OS during the boot. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first sector of a floppy disk or hard drive volume; it contains information about the disk or volume. On a hard drive, if the boot record is in the active partition, then it can be used to boot the OS. Also called boot sector. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process of starting up a computer and loading an operating system. |
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Definition
| The Vista program file responsible for beginning the process of loading and starting Vista. The program file has no file extension and is stored in the root directory of the system partition (which, most likely, is drive C:). |
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Term
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Definition
| The battery on the motherboard used to power the CMOS chip when the computer is unplugged. |
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Term
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Definition
| See hard boot. Restart the computer by turning off the power or by pressing the Reset button. Also called a cold boot. |
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Term
communication and networking
riser (CNR) |
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Definition
| A specification for a small expansion slot on a motherboard that accommodates a small audio, modem, or network riser card. |
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Term
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Definition
| A technology by ATI Technologies that allows for multiple video cards to be installed in the same system. Compare to SLI (Scalable Link Interface). |
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Term
| dual inline package (DIP) switch |
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Definition
| See DIP (dual inline package) switch. A switch on a circuit board or other device that can be set to on or off to hold configuration or setup information. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of pins on a motherboard that connect to wires that are connected to the front panel of the computer case. |
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Term
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Definition
| Restart the computer by turning off the power or by pressing the Reset button. Also called a cold boot. |
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Definition
| A plate installed on the rear of a computer case that provides holes for I/O ports coming off the motherboard. |
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Term
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Definition
| Two wires that stick up side by side on the motherboard or other device and are used to hold configuration information. The jumper is considered closed if a cover is over the wires, and open if the cover is missing. |
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Term
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Definition
| A feature of a CPU socket whereby pads, called lands, are used to make contact in uniform rows over the socket. Compare to pin grid array (PGA). |
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Term
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Definition
| The first sector on a hard drive, which contains the partition table and a program the BIOS uses to boot an OS from the drive. |
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Term
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Definition
| That portion of the chipset hub that connects faster I/O buses (for example, AGP buses) to the system bus. Compare to South Bridge. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP, the OS loader used on Intel systems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Ports that are directly on the motherboard, such as a built-in keyboard port or on-board network port. |
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Term
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Definition
| A table at the beginning of the hard drive that contains information about each partition on the drive. The partition table is contained in the Master Boot Record. |
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Term
| PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus |
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Definition
| A bus common to desktop computers that uses a 32-bitwide or a 64-bit data path. Several variations of PCI exist. One or more notches on a PCI slot keep the wrong PCI cards from being inserted in the PCI slot. |
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Term
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Definition
| The latest evolution of PCI, which is not backward-compatible with earlier PCI slots and cards. PCIe slots come in several sizes including PCIe x1, PCIe x4, PCIe x8, and PCIe x16. |
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Term
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Definition
| A feature of a CPU socket whereby the pins are aligned in uniform rows around the socket. |
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Term
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Definition
| A password that a computer uses to control access during the boot process. |
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Term
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Definition
| A file that contains instructions designed to be executed by the CPU. |
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Term
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Definition
| A card that plugs into a motherboard and allows for expansion cards to be mounted parallel to the motherboard. Expansion cards are plugged into slots on the riser card. |
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Term
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Definition
| On a disk surface one segment of a track, which almost always contains 512 bytes of data. |
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Term
| SLI (Scalable Link Interface |
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Definition
| A technology by NVIDIA that allows for multiple video cards to be installed in the same system. Compare to CrossFire. |
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Term
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Definition
| To restart a PC without turning off the power, for example, in Windows XP, by clicking Start, Turn Off Computer, and Restart. Also called warm boot. |
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Term
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Definition
| That portion of the chipset hub that connects slower I/O buses (for example, a PCI bus) to the system bus. Compare to North Bridge. |
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Term
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Definition
| See standoffs. Round plastic or metal pegs that separate the motherboard from the case, so that components on the back of the motherboard do not touch the case. |
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Term
| staggered pin grid array (SPGA) |
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Definition
| A feature of a CPU socket whereby the pins are staggered over the socket in order to squeeze more pins into a small space. |
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Term
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Definition
| Round plastic or metal pegs that separate the motherboard from the case, so that components on the back of the motherboard do not touch the case. |
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Term
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Definition
| See power-on password. A password that a computer uses to control access during the boot process. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of many concentric circles on the surface of a hard drive or floppy disk. |
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Term
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Definition
| A power-on password required to view or edit BIOS setup or use the computer. The password is set on a BIOS setup screen. |
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Term
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Definition
| A clock tick in which nothing happens, used to ensure that the microprocessor isn't getting ahead of slower components. A 0-wait state is preferable to a 1-wait state. Too many wait states can slow down a system. |
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Term
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Definition
| See soft boot. To restart a PC without turning off the power, for example, in Windows XP, by clicking Start, Turn Off Computer, and Restart. Also called warm boot. |
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Term
| zero insertion force (ZIF) sockets |
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Definition
| A socket that uses a small lever to apply even force when you install the microchip into the socket. |
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