User guide

support.dell.com Glossary 15

System Setup program options allow you
to configure your computer's hardware.
Some options in the System Setup pro-
gram require that you reboot the
computer to effect a hardware-
configuration change. Because the Sys-
tem Setup program is stored in NVRAM,
any options that you set remain in effect
until you change them again.
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When you start Windows, it consults the
system.ini
file to determine a variety of
options for the Windows operating envi-
ronment. Among other things, the
system.ini
file records which video,
mouse, and keyboard drivers are installed
for Windows.
Revising the
Control Panel
settings or
running the Windows Setup program may
change options in the
system.ini
file. On
other occasions, you may need to change
or add options to the
system.ini
file man
"/
Abbreviation for Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol.

Some devices, especially disk drives, con-
tain a terminator to absorb and dissipate
excess current. When more than one
such device is connected in a series, you
may need to remove the terminator—or
change a jumper setting to disable it—
unless it is the last device in the series.
However, some devices have terminators
that should never be removed or disabled.

An application program for editing text
files consisting exclusively of ASCII char-
acters. MS-DOS Editor and Notepad (in
Windows) are text editors, for example.
Most word processors use proprietary file
formats containing binary characters, al-
though some can read and write text files.

See video mode.
"&"
Abbreviation for thin film transistor. A flat-
panel display for notebook computers
where each pixel is controlled by one to
four transistors.

Abbreviation for tracks per inch.
"'
Abbreviation for terminate-and-stay-
resident. A TSR program runs "in the
background." Most TSR programs imple-
ment a predefined key combination
(sometimes referred to as a "hot key") that
allows you to activate the TSR program's
interface while running another MS-DOS
program. When you finish using the TSR
program, you can return to the other ap-
plication program and leave the TSR
program resident in memory for later use.
Because MS-DOS is not designed to
support multiple programs running simul-
taneously, TSR programs can sometimes
cause memory conflicts. When trouble-
shooting, rule out the possibility of such a
conflict by rebooting your computer with-
out starting any TSR programs.
#6
Abbreviation for Underwriters
Laboratories.
#(
Abbreviation for upper memory blocks.
See also conventional memory, HMA,
memory manager, and upper memory
area.

The 384 KB of RAM located between
640 KB and 1 MB. If the computer has an
Intel386 or higher microprocessor, a soft-
ware utility called a memory manager can
create UMBs in the upper memory area,
in which you can load device drivers and
memory-resident programs. See also
conventional memory, HMA, and memo-
ry manager.
#
Abbreviation for uninterruptible power
supply. A battery-powered unit that auto-
matically supplies power to your