Sequence of events that occurs between the time you turn on a computer and the time it becomes ready to accept commands

• Purposes:

Runs a diagnostic test to make sure everything is working

Loading the operating system, so the computer can carry out basic operations

• Power up
• Star boot program
• Power-on self-test
• Identify peripheral devices
• Load operation system
• Check configuration and customization

The path from one component of a computer to another that data uses to travel 

• Circuits run between

RAM and the microprocessor

RAM and various storage devices

Silicon is melted sand

What the circuits are embedded into to keep them together

A measurement used to describe the speed of the system clock

A megahertz is equal to one million cycles (or pulses) per second

1.3 GHz means that the microprocessor's clock operates at a speed of 1.3 million cycles per second

Name of the CPU

Pentium is the 5th generation of the Intel processor

• Other generations were called
• 80-88/286/386/486

"Random Access Memory"

The ability of a storage device to go directly to a specific storage location without having to search sequentially from a beginning location

• Very volatile
• Cannot hold data when the power is off
• Looses all data when power is lost

"Read Only Memory"

Drives can read data from disks, but cannot store new data on them

One or more integrated circuits that contain permanent instructions that the computer uses during the boot process

A method for representing letters or numbers using only two digits, 0 and 1

• Bit
• Each 0 or 1
• Byte
• 8 bits

Also referred to as Base 2 Binary Code

Storage Devices

Used to keep data when the power to the computer is turned off

Medium/media

• Location where data is stored

Usually mounted inside the computer's system unit

Can store billions of characters of data

Stated in forms of bytes:

Mega bytes or gigabytes

Recording of data onto disks or tape by magnetizing particles of an oxide based surface coating

• A fairly permanent type of storage that can be modified

Round piece of flexible Mylar plastic covered with a thin layer of magnetic oxide and sealed inside a protective covering

May be referred to as a "floppy"

3 1/2 disk capacity is 1.44 MB or 1,440,000 bytes

Floppy Disk Options

Formatted

Preparing the disk for use by the computer

Floppy Disk Options

Write-protected

Floppy disk technology manufactured by lomega

• Available in 100 MB and 250 MB versions

Means of recording data as light and dark spots on CD or DVD

Reading is done through a low-power laser light

Pits

• Dark spots

Lands

• Lighter, non-spotted surface areas

"CD-Read Only Memory"

Also called CD-R

CD-Read

•  Storage device that uses laser technology to read data that is permanently stored on compact disks, cannot be used to write data to a disk

"CD-Read Write"

A storage device that reads data from CD's and also can write data to CD's

• Similar to a CD-ROM, but has the ability to write to CD

"Digital Video Disks   -Read Only Memory"

Reads data from CD's (audio and data) and DVD's (data or movie)

Cannot be used to write data to a disk