Users Guide

Abbreviation for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. See also PC Card.
PDC
Acronym for primary domain controller.
peripheral device
An internal or external device—such as a printer, a disk drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
Abbreviation for pin grid array, a type of microprocessor socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
pixel
Arranged in rows and columns, a pixel is a single point on a video display. Video resolution—640 x 480, for example—
is expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
POST
Acronym for power-on self-test. Before the operating system loads when you turn on your computer, the POST tests
various system components such as RAM, the disk drives, and the keyboard.
ppm
Abbreviation for pages per minute.
PQFP
Abbreviation for plastic quad flat pack, a type of microprocessor socket in which the microprocessor chip is
permanently mounted.
program diskette set
The set of diskettes from which you can perform a complete installation of an application program. When you
reconfigure a program, you often need its program diskette set.
protected mode
An operating mode supported by 80286 or higher microprocessors, protected mode allows operating systems to
implement:
A memory address space of 16 MB (80286 microprocessor) to 4 GB (Intel386 or higher microprocessor)
Multitasking
Virtual memory, a method for increasing addressable memory by using the hard-disk drive
The Windows NT 32-bit operating system runs in protected mode. MS-DOS cannot run in protected mode; however,
some programs that you can start from MS-DOS—such as Windows—are able to put the computer into protected
mode.
PS/2
Abbreviation for Personal System/2.
PSPB