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ASUS A7M266 User’s Manual102
7. APPENDIX
7. APPENDIX
Glossary
Boot
Boot means to start the computer operating system by loading it into system memory.
When the manual instructs you to “boot” your system (or computer), it means to
turn ON your computer. “Reboot” means to restart your computer. When using Win-
dows 95 or later, selecting “Restart” from “Start | Shut Down...” will reboot your
computer.
Bus Master IDE
PIO (Programmable I/O) IDE requires that the CPU be involved in IDE access and
waiting for mechanical events. Bus master IDE transfers data to/from the memory
without interrupting the CPU. Bus master IDE driver and bus master IDE hard disk
drives are required to support bus master IDE mode.
Byte (Binary Term)
One byte is a group of eight contiguous bits. A byte is used to represent a single
alphanumeric character, punctuation mark, or other symbol.
COM Port
COM is a logical device name used by to designate the computer serial ports. Point-
ing devices, modems, and infrared modules can be connected to COM ports. Each
COM port is configured to use a different IRQ and address assignment.
Concurrent PCI
Concurrent PCI maximizes system performance with simultaneous CPU, PCI and
ISA bus activities. It includes multi-transaction timing, enhanced write performance,
a passive release mechanism and support for PCI 2.1 compliant delayed transac-
tions. Concurrent PCI provides increased bandwidth, reduced system latencies, im-
proves video and audio performance, and improves processing of host based appli-
cations.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The CPU, sometimes called “Processor,” actually functions as the “brain” of the
computer. It interprets and executes program commands and processes data stored
in memory. Currently, there are socket 370 (for Pentium III FC-PGA and Celeron-
PPGA), socket 7 (for Pentium, AMD, Cyrix, IBM), slot 1 (for Pentium II and III),
slot 2 (for Xeon), and slot A (for AMD) processors.
Device Driver
A device driver is a special set of instructions that allows the computer’s operating
system to communicate with devices such as VGA, audio, printer, or modem.
DOS (Disk Operating System)
DOS is the foundation on which all other programs and software applications oper-
ate, including Windows. DOS is responsible for allocating system resources such as
memory, CPU time, disk space, and access to peripheral devices. For this reason,
DOS constitutes the basic interface between you and your computer.
DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)
There are several different types of DRAM such as, EDO DRAM (Extended Data
Output DRAM), SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM), and RDRAM (Rambus DRAM).
Flash ROM
The flash ROM is designed to be a resident program and can be updated by a spe-
cific programming method. Normally, the flash ROM is used for system BIOS which
initiates hardware devices and sets up necessary parameters for the OS. Since the
contents of flash ROM can be modified, users are able to update the BIOS by them-
selves.
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)
IDE devices integrate the drive control circuitry directly on the drive itself, elimi-
nating the need for a separate adapter card (in the case for SCSI devices). UltraDMA/
33 IDE devices can achieve up to 33MB/Sec transfer.