User guide

2 User’s Guide

Synonym for conventional memory.

Acronym for Beginner's All-Purpose Sym-
bolic Instruction Code, a programming
language. MS-DOS includes a version of
BASIC.

An ASCII text file containing a list of com-
mands that run in sequence. Batch files
must have a filename extension of .bat.

Data transmission speed. For example,
modems are designed to transmit data at
one or more specified baud rate(s)
through the COM (serial) port of a
computer.

Abbreviation for bulletin board service. A
computer system that serves as a central
location for accessing data or relaying
messages by modem. For example, Dell's
TechConnect BBS contains the latest ver-
sion of software such as video drivers and
the Dell Directory. If your system has a
modem, you can access the BBS and
download the most recent version of this
software.

A diagnostic system message in the form
of a series of beeps from your computer's
speaker. See your
Installation and Trou-
bleshooting Guide
for a complete
discussion of system beep codes.
 
Acronym for basic input/output system.
Your computer's BIOS contains programs
stored on a ROM chip. The BIOS controls
the following functions:
 Communications between the
microprocessor and peripheral
devices such as the keyboard and
the video adapter
 Miscellaneous functions, such as
system messages

The smallest unit of information interpret-
ed by your computer.

A typical unit of disk storage consisting of
a small number of sectors. This term usu-
ally refers to the fundamental unit of
storage provided by an operating system.
See also block size and striping.
!
The size of a block. See also block and
striping.

When you start your computer, it clears
all memory, initializes devices, and loads
the operating system. Unless the operat-
ing system fails to respond, you can
reboot (also called warm boot) your com-
puter by pressing <Ctrl><Alt><Del>;
otherwise, you must perform a cold boot
by pressing the reset button (if your com-
puter has one) or by turning the computer
off and then back on.

You can start your computer from a dis-
kette in drive A. To make a bootable
diskette, insert a diskette in drive A, type-
sys a: at the command line prompt and
then press <Enter>. Use this bootable
diskette if your computer will not boot
from the hard-disk drive.

Abbreviation for bits per inch.

Abbreviation for bits per second.
"#
Abbreviation for British thermal unit.

A bus forms an information pathway be-
tween the components of a computer.
Your computer contains an expansion bus
that allows the microprocessor to com-
municate with controllers for all the
various peripheral devices connected to
the computer. Your computer also con-
tains an address bus and a data bus for