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Toshiba Portege M800 User Manual

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User’s Manual

Glossary-12

Glossary

Random Access Memory (RAM): Volatile memory that can be written to

as well as read. Volatile here means that information in RAM is lost

when you turn off your computer. This type of memory is used for

your computer’s main memory. See also memory. Compare ROM.

resolution: A measure of the sharpness of the images that can be

produced by a printer or displayed on a screen. For a printer,

resolution is expressed in dots per inch (dpi). For a screen, it is

expressed as the number of pixels available horizontally and

vertically

restart: Resetting a computer without turning it off (also called "warm boot",

"soft reset" or "reboot"). See also boot.

RGB: Red, green, and blue. A device that uses three input signals, each

activating an electron gun for a primary additive color (red, green,

and blue) or port for using such a device. See also CRT.

RJ45: A modular LAN jack.
Read Only Memory (ROM): Non-volatile memory that can be read but not

written to. Non-volatile here means that information in ROM remains

whether or not the computer is receiving power. This type of

memory is used to store your computer’s BIOS, which is essential

instructions the computer reads when you start it up. See also

BIOS, memory. Compare RAM.

S

S/P DIF: A standard of digital interface for audio.
SCSI: Small Computer System Interface is an industry standard interface

for connection of a variety of peripheral devices.

SD/SDHC Card: Secure Digital cards are flash memory widely used in a

variety of digital devices such as digital cameras and Personal

Digital Assistants.

serial: Processes that occur one at a time. In communications, it means

the transmission of one bit at a time sequentially over a single

channel. On your computer, the serial port provides a serial

interface between the computer and an appropriate device.

Compare parallel.

SIO: Serial Input/Output. The electronic methodology used in serial data

transmission.

soft key: Key combinations that emulate keys on the IBM keyboard,

change some configuration options, stop program execution, and

access the numeric keypad overlay.

software: The set of programs, procedures and related documentation

associated with a computer system. Specifically refers to computer

programs that direct and control the computer system’s activities.

See also hardware.

stop bit: One or more bits of a byte that follow the transmitted character or

group codes in asynchronous serial communications.