Bios – Dell OptiPlex GX240 User Manual
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API
Application Program Interface. The interface through which an application
program accesses the
and other services.
APIC
Advanced programmable interrupt controller. Prioritizes and manages
for the various devices in a
. Without an APIC, the microprocessor must
control IRQs.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The basis of character
sets used in many present-day computers. ASCII can be used to convey some
, the space character, numbers, most basic punctuation, and
unaccented lower- and upper-case letters.
AT
introduced in 1984 that has an Intel
80286
, 16-bit
, and 1.2
floppy drive.
ATA
Advanced Technology Attachment. A specification for drive interface. See
ATAPI
Advanced Technology Attachment Packet Interface. An interface used to
, tape, and other drives with a computer.
Binary
A system of numbers having 2 as its base and using 0 and 1 for its notation.
Binary code is used by computers because it works well with digital electronics
and logic.
BIOS
Basic input/output system. Composed of software and data stored on a
chip. The BIOS initializes communication between the
such as the keyboard and video adapter. The BIOS also controls
system functions such as error messages and beep codes. The BIOS can be
updated, or “flashed,” which can correct errors, support new hardware, and
so on.
allows you to configure certain options in the BIOS.
Bit
digit. A bit is the smallest unit of storage and
represents a quantity that can have only one of two possible values, such as
true or false, or 0 or 1.