Toshiba Portege 4005 User Guide - Page 262

262 Glossary Terms executable file - A computer program that is ready to run. Application programs and batch files are examples of executable files. Names of executable files usually end with a .bat or .exe extension. expansion device - A device that connects to a computer to expand its capabilities. Other names for an expansion device are port expander, port replicator, or network adapter. extension - See file extension. external device - See device. F file - A collection of related information, saved on disk with a unique name. A file may be a program, information used by a program, or a document. See also document. file allocation table (FAT) - The section of a disk that keeps track of the location of files stored on the disk. file name - A set of characters that uniquely identifies a file within a particular folder. It consists of two parts: the actual name and the file name extension. See also file extension. file extension - The three characters following the period (pronounced "dot") at the end of a file name. The extension indicates the type of file. Examples are .exe for program files and .hlp for help files. See also file name. folder - Also called directory. A container for organizing files saved to a disk. A folder is symbolized on screen by a graphical image (icon) of a file folder. A folder can contain files and other folders. format - (verb) To prepare a blank disk for use with the computer's operating system. Formatting creates a structure on the disk so the operating system can write information to the disk or read information from it. frontside bus - The primary pathway (bus) between the CPU and the computer's main memory. Also called "system bus." See also bus. function keys - The keys labeled F1 through F12, typically located on the keyboard. Their function is determined by the operating system and/or individual programs. G gigabyte (GB) - A unit of data equal to 1,073,741,824 bytes (1024 x 1024 x 1024 bytes). See also byte.