Dell Precision 420 - Manual (Page 51)

A value or option that you specify to a program. A parameter is sometimes called a switch or an argument.
partition
You can divide a hard-disk drive into multiple physical sections called partitions with the fdisk command. Each partition can contain multiple
logical drives.
After partitioning the hard-disk drive, you must format each logical drive with the format command.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. A standard for local-bus implementation developed by Intel Corporation.
peripheral device
An internal or external device —such as a printer, a disk drive, or a keyboard—connected to a computer.
PGA
pin grid array. A type of microprocessor socket that allows you to remove the microprocessor chip.
pixel
A single point on a video display. Pixels are arranged in rows and columns to create an image. A video resolution, such as 640 x 480, is
expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
Plug and Play
An industry-standard specification that makes it easier to add hardware devices to personal computers. Plug and Play provides automatic
installation and configuration, compatibility with existing hardware, and dynamic support of mobile computing environments.
POST
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
pages per minute
PQFP
plastic quad flat pack. A type of microprocessor socket in which the microprocessor chip is permanently mounted.
Program Diskette Maker
The Program Diskette Maker allows you to create program diskette sets, or master copies, of software that Dell installed on your computer
system. It is essential that you create these diskette sets as soon as possible. You may need a set of master diskettes if you ever experience
problems with your hard-disk drive and need to reinstall your Dell-installed software. If your system includes Dell-installed software, you can select
this program from the Dell Accessories program folder.
program diskette set
The set of diskettes from which you can perform a complete installation of an operating system or 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:
l A memory address space of 16 MB (80286 microprocessor) to 4 GB (Intel386 or higher microprocessor)
l Multitasking
l
Virtual memory, a method for increasing addressable memory by using the hard-disk drive
The Windows NT, OS/2, and UNIX ® 32-bit operating systems run in protected mode. MS-DOS cannot run in protected mode; however, some
programs that you can start from MS-DOS, such as the Windows operating system, are able to put the computer into protected mode.
PS/2
Personal System/2