Toshiba Satellite P25-S676 Toshiba Online Users Guide for Satellite P25-S676 - Page 259

basic input/output system BIOS, baud rate, BIOS basic input/output system, bits per second bps

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259 Glossary basic input/output system (BIOS) - See BIOS. baud rate - The speed at which a communication device, such as a printer or modem, transmits information. Baud rate is the number of signal changes per second (not necessarily the same as bits per second). See also bits per second. BIOS (basic input/output system) - Basic instructions, stored in readonly memory (ROM), containing the information the computer needs in order to check hardware and load the operating system when you start up the computer. bit: - Short for "binary digit." A bit is the smallest unit of information used by a computer. A group of eight bits is a byte. See also byte. bits per second (bps) - A way of measuring the speed at which information is passed between two devices. The basic measure used in modem communications, bps is similar, but not identical, to the baud rate. See also baud rate. boot - To start the computer. The term "boot" originates from bootstrap program (as in "pulling itself up by its bootstraps"), a program that loads and initializes the operating system. See also reboot. boot disk - See system disk. boot priority (startup sequence) - The order in which the computer accesses its disk drives to locate the startup files. Under the default startup sequence, the computer looks for the startup files in the diskette drive before checking the hard disk. bus - An electrical circuit that connects the central processing unit (CPU) with other parts of the computer, such as the video adapter, disk drives, and ports. It is the pathway through which data flows from one device to another. See also bus speed, frontside bus. bus speed - The speed at which the central processing unit (CPU) communicates with the other parts of the computer. byte - A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the smallest addressable unit of data. See also bit, gigabyte, kilobyte, megabyte. C cache - A section of very fast memory in which frequently used information is duplicated for quick access. Accessing data from cache is faster than accessing it from the computer's main memory. See also CPU cache, L1 cache, L2 cache.

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Glossary
259
basic input/output system (BIOS)
— See
BIOS.
baud rate
— The speed at which a communication device, such as a
printer or modem, transmits information. Baud rate is the number of
signal changes per second (not necessarily the same as bits per
second). See also
bits per second
.
BIOS (basic input/output system)
— Basic instructions, stored in read-
only memory (ROM), containing the information the computer
needs in order to check hardware and load the operating system
when you start up the computer.
bit:
— Short for “binary digit.” A bit is the smallest unit of information
used by a computer. A group of eight bits is a byte. See also
byte
.
bits per second (bps)
— A way of measuring the speed at which
information is passed between two devices. The basic measure used
in modem communications, bps is similar, but not identical, to the
baud rate. See also
baud rate
.
boot
— To start the computer. The term “boot” originates from bootstrap
program (as in “pulling itself up by its bootstraps”), a program that
loads and initializes the operating system. See also
reboot.
boot disk
— See
system disk.
boot priority (startup sequence)
— The order in which the computer
accesses its disk drives to locate the startup files. Under the default
startup sequence, the computer looks for the startup files in the
diskette drive before checking the hard disk.
bus
— An electrical circuit that connects the central processing unit
(CPU) with other parts of the computer, such as the video adapter,
disk drives, and ports. It is the pathway through which data flows
from one device to another. See also
bus speed
,
frontside bus
.
bus speed
— The speed at which the central processing unit (CPU)
communicates with the other parts of the computer.
byte
— A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the smallest addressable unit
of data. See also
bit, gigabyte, kilobyte
,
megabyte
.
C
cache
— A section of very fast memory in which frequently used
information is duplicated for quick access. Accessing data from
cache is faster than accessing it from the computer’s main memory.
See also
CPU cache, L1 cache, L2 cache.