Sony PCV-RXG408, User Manual

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Sony V
A
IO
Desktop User
Guide
Glossary
93
n N
Operating system The operating system is software that manages all the other programs in a computer. It
defines how the computer reads and writes information to its disks (and other hardware).
Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP Professional and Windows XP
Home Edition are examples of operating systems found on VAIOs.
Partition A partition is a logical division of a computer’s hard disk. A two-partition hard drive would
typically contain C: and D: drives. Partitioning is particularly useful if you run more than one
operating system or to clearly separate your data files from your installed software.
PBX A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is a private telephone network within an enterprise. Under
this system, the calls between the enterprise members are local and the phone numbers are
made up of 3 or 4 digits. Companies generally choose this phone system for internal
communication because it is less expensive than the regular network. The users can still
share a number of outside lines for making calls external to the PBX.
PC Card A PCMCIA card. The term PC Card is more widely used than PCMCIA. See PCMCIA.
PCMCIA PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is the name of the
group that produced the specification for the credit card-sized plug-in boards for laptop
computers. The cards used to be called PCMCIA cards, but as this was rather
unpronounceable, these cards are now termed PC cards. An example of a PC card is a credit
card-sized modem.
Pixel A pixel (Picture Element) is a part of your screen. Your screen is made up of thousands of
pixels, enabling you to see colours and pictures on it. The more pixels, the higher the
resolution and the better the image quality.
Processor The processor is the brains of the computer; it processes the instructions of your system’s
programs. The processor is also known as the CPU or microprocessor and can be found on
the motherboard (see this word) of your computer.
Product recovery CD-ROM The product recovery CD-ROMs include the application recovery CD-ROM and the system
recovery CD-ROM(s)
PS/2 A type of mouse or keyboard port.