Question | Answer |
Ntldr | The OS boot record program for Windows XP. |
Onboard ports | Ports that are directly on the motherboard, such as a built-in keyboard port or on board ports. |
partition table | This table tells BIOS how many partitions the drive has, where each partition table begins and ends, and which partition is used for booting (called the active partition). |
PCI | Buses have been improved several times. There are currently three major categories and within each category, several variations of PCI. |
PCI Express | PCI Express uses a serial bus, which is faster than a parallel bus because it transmits data in packets similar to how an Ethernet network, USB, and FireWire transmit data. |
pga | Sockets aligned with pins aligned in uniform rows around the socket. Used in earlier Pentiums. |
password | A password that a computer uses to control access during the boot process. |
program file | A program file contains a list of instructions stored in a file |
riser card | A card that plugs into a motherboard and allows for expansion cards to be mounted parallel to the motherboard. Expansion cards are plugged into slots on the riser card. |
SLI | NVIDIA’s technology for installing two video cards on a motherboard. |
soft boot | A soft boot, or warm boot, involves using the operating system to reboot. |
South Bridge | The slower hub in the Accelerated Hub Architecture. |
spga | Having the pins staggered over the socket to squeeze more pins into a small space |
standoffs | Round plastic or metal pegs that separate the motherboard from the case, so that components on the back of the motherboard do not touch the case. |
track | Concentric circles on a hard drive. Each track is divided into segments called sectors, and each sector can hold 512 bytes of data. |
password | A password enabling you to logon to the operating system. |
wait state | clock tick in which nothing happens. Used to ensure that the microprocessor is not getting ahead of slower components. A 0-wait state is preferable to a 1-wait state. |
zif | Square or nearly square sockets so that even force is applied when inserting the processor in the socket, all current processor sockets have a lever on the side of the socket. |