A reference point, normally associated with system performance.
A physical disk that can be accessed by MS-DOS and all Windows-based operating systems. Basic disks can contain up to four primary partitions or three primary partitions and an extended partition with multiple logical drives. If you want to create partitions that span multiple disks, you must first convert the basic disk to a dynamic disk using Disk Management or the Diskpart.exe command-line utility.
Permissions that allow users to perform the tasks that are most commonly required.
A short-range, wireless radio technology designed to coordinate communications between network devices.
The disk partition that possesses the system files required to load the operating system into memory.
The volume that contains the Windows operating system and supporting files.
A special hidden boot-loader menu file used by the NTLDR during the boot-up process to generate the Boot Loader menu that is displayed on the screen. If no selection is made from this menu after a given time, the default value is selected.
The process of loading the first set of instructions into a computer.
A Windows XP file used to load operating systems other than Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. If an entry from the Boot Loader menu indicates an operating system other than Windows NT is to be loaded, the NTLDR program loads the Bootsect.dos file from the root directory of the system partition and passes control to it. From this point the BOOTSECT file is responsible for loading the desired operating system.
Contains code that begins the process of loading the operating system.
A type of modem used for broadband Internet connectivity.
See Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)
A type of optical disk storage technology. It is used to store approximately 680 MB and comes in various formats. CD-R permits writing to the media, while CD-RW permits rewriting to the media.
A type of semiconductor that requires little power to retain information.
Folders that can be created on any FAT, FAT32, or NTFS volume, including floppy disks. Any files copied into them will be compressed.
The computer name is a unique name given to a computer. It can be up to 63 characters in length. If you are connected to a network, the computer name must be unique.
Controls the display of sites based on rating levels defined by the Recreational Software Advisory Council on the Internet (RSACi).
A section of the Registry that contains Windows configuration information.
A small text file that a Web site creates and stores on your computer. Cookies detail what users’ preferences are, what they purchased, and any personal information offered by the user.
A storage area on the system board that is used to determine what types of options were installed in the system. Sometimes referred to as CMOS Setup.
The process of starting the computer from an OFF condition.