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Glossary 7
P
parallel port
The connector on the back of your computer that allows the transfer of data
between the computer and a parallel device, such as a parallel printer.
partition
The process of dividing the storage space on a hard disk into separate areas so that
the operating system treats them as separate disk drives.
password
A security feature that prevents an unauthorized user from operating your
computer. See also EEPROM.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. PCI is a high-performance peripherals I/O bus
supporting data transfers of up to 132MB per second.
Pentium
A type of microprocessor, with a built-in math coprocessor, cache memory, and
memory and bus controllers, that processes and communicates 32 bits of data at a
time. This microprocessor also contains power management capabilities.
peripheral
A device connected to and controlled by the computer, such as an external disk
drive or a printer.
pixel
The smallest element that is visible on a video display. The resolution of a video
display system is measured in pixels.
PnP
(Plug-n-Play) Plug-and-play is the ability to plug a device into a computer and have
the computer recognize that the device is there. The user doesn't have to tell the
computer.
POST
Power-On-Self-Test.
R
RAM
(Random-Access Memory) A temporary storage area for data and programs. This
type of memory must be periodically refreshed to maintain valid data, and is lost
when the computer is powered off. See also NVRAM and SRAM.
real-time clock
The IC in your computer that maintains the time and date.