| A | B |
|---|
| IDE | 2) (Integrated Development Environment) A set of programs run from a single user interface. For example, programming languages often include a text editor, compiler and debugger, which are all activated and function from a common menu. |
| Enhanced IDE (EIDE) | (Enhanced IDE) An extension to the IDE interface that supports the ATA-2 and ATAPI standards. ATA-2 (Fast ATA) provides faster transfer rates (see IDE for details) and allows for multiple channels, each connecting two devices. ATAPI supports non-hard disk devices such as CD-ROMs and tape drives. It also specifies a new BIOS for supporting hard disks greater than 504MB. Since mid-1994, PCs have shipped with EIDE interfaces, and most motherboards provide a primary and secondary channel for a total of four devices. In practice, the terms EIDE and IDE are synonymous. See IDE and LBA. |
| AT Attachment (ATA) | (AT Attachment) The specification for IDE drives |
| ATA-33 | An enhanced version of the IDE interface that transfers data at 33, 66 or 100 Mbytes/sec. These enhancements are also called "Ultra DMA," "UDMA," "ATA-33," "ATA-66," "ATA-100," "DMA-33," "DMA-66" and "DMA-100." See IDE for all the ATA types and speeds. |
| SCSI | (Small Computer System Interface) Pronounced "scuzzy." SCSI is a hardware interface that allows for the connection of up to 15 peripheral devices to a single board called a "SCSI host adapter" that plugs into the motherboard, typically using a PCI slot. SCSI peripherals are daisy chained together. They all have a second port used to connect the next device in line. SCSI host adapters are also available with two controllers that support up to 30 peripherals. |
| Millisecond | One thousandth of a second. |
| System Hang | When a program fails it has a oppurtunity to display a diagnostic message |
| Post | (1) (Power On Self Test) A series of built-in diagnostics performed by the BIOS in a PC when the computer is first started. |
| Cold Boot | Starting the computer by turning power on. Turning power off and then back on again clears memory and many internal settings. Some program failures will lock up the computer and require a cold boot to use the computer again. In other cases, only a warm boot is required |
| Warm Boot | Restarting the computer by performing a reset operation (pressing reset, Ctrl-Alt-Del, etc.) |
| Boot Disk | A disk that contains the operating system in a form ready to load into the computer. It usually refers to a floppy disk that contains the operating system in its boot sectors; however, increasingly, CD-ROMs are being made bootable. Desktop computers are usually configured to look for a bootable floppy in the primary floppy drive at startup (A: in a PC). If it is not found, it boots from the hard disk. |
| Boot Sector | Reserved sectors on disk that are used to load the operating system. On startup, the computer looks for the master book record (MBR) or something similarly named, which is typically the first sector in the first partition of the disk. |
| Safe Mode | The troubleshooting mode in Windows 95/98/2000. It allows the system to boot when it otherwise may not, often due to conflicts from newly installed hardware. |
| Scanner | A device that reads a printed page and converts it into a graphics image for the computer. The scanner does not recognize the content of the printed material it is scanning. Everything on the page (text and graphics objects) is converted into one bitmapped graphics image (bitmap), which is a pattern of dots. |
| LPT1 | In a PC, the logical name assigned to parallel port #1. The parallel port is typically used for the printer. A second parallel port, if installed, is assigned to LPT2 |
| COM1 | In a PC, the logical name assigned to the first serial port. Two serial ports, or COM ports, are provided on a PC to connect a mouse and modem. Typically the mouse is on COM1, and the modem on COM2, but this is not mandatory. Any serial device can be connected to either serial port. |
| MTBF | (Mean Time Between Failure) The average time a component works without failure. It is the number of failures divided by the hours under observation. |
| Drive interface | (2) A hardware device (typically a transistor) that provides signals or electrical current to activate a transmission line or display screen pixel |
| LUN | (Logical Unit Number) The physical number of a device in a daisy chain of drives |
| Display Adapter | An expansion board that plugs into a desktop computer that converts the images created in the computer to the electronic signals required by the monitor. It determines the maximum resolution, maximum refresh rate and the number of colors that can be sent to the monitor. |
| VGA | Video Graphics Array) The minimum standard for PC video display, which originated with IBM's PS/2 models in 1987. It supports earlier CGA and EGA modes and requires an analog monitor. |
| AT commands | Advanced Technology) IBM's first 286-based PC, introduced in 1984. It was the most advanced machine in the PC line and featured a new keyboard, a higher-capacity 5.25" floppy (1.2MB) and a 16-bit data bus. AT-class machines ran considerably faster than the 8088-based XT PCs). |
| Asychronous | Refers to events that are not synchronized, or coordinated, in time. The following are considered asynchronous operations. The interval between transmitting A and B is not the same as between B and C. The ability to initiate a transmission at either end. The ability to store and forward messages. Starting the next operation before the current one is completed |
