Parity
Data signals sent during communications to detect errors in
transmitting or receiving data.
Partition
The area defined on a hard disk for use by an operating system;
to divide a hard disk into separate sections or logical drives.
Pathname
The list of directories and subdirectories you need to specify to
locate a file. For example, the pathname for the file SALES
which is located in the subdirectory BUSINESS of the root
directory (\) is \BUSINESS\SALES.
Peripheral
A device (such as a printer or a modem) connected to a
computer that depends on the computer for its operation.
Port
A physical input/output socket on a computer where you can
connect a peripheral device.
Power-on diagnostics
The system tests the computer runs to check its internal
circuitry and configuration each time you turn it on.
Primary partition
The MS-DOS partition from which the operating system starts.
Program
A disk file that contains coded instructions and tells a
computer what to do and how to do it.
12 Glossary