User’s Manual
Glossary-7
Glossary
F
fast infrared
: An industry standard that enables cableless infrared serial
data transfer at speeds of up to 4 Mbps.
file:
A collection of related information; a file can contain data, programs,
or both.
firmware:
A set of instructions built into the hardware which controls and
directs a microprocessor’s activities.
floppy disk:
A removable disk that stores magnetically encoded data.
floppy disk drive (FDD):
An electromechanical device that reads and
writes to floppy disks.
Fn-esse:
A TOSHIBA utility that lets you assign functions to hot keys.
folder:
An icon in Windows used to store documents or other folders.
format:
The process of readying a blank disk for its first use. Formatting
establishes the structure of the disk that the operating system
expects before it writes files or programs onto the disk.
function keys:
The keys labeled
F1
through
F12
that tell the computer to
perform certain functions.
G
gigabyte (GB):
A unit of data storage equal to 1024 megabytes.
See also
megabyte.
graphics:
Drawings, pictures, or other images, such as charts or graphs, to
present information.
H
hard disk:
A non-removable disk usually referred to as drive C. The
factory installs this disk and only a trained engineer can remove it
for servicing. Also called fixed disk.
hard disk drive (HDD):
An electromechanical device that reads and writes
a hard disk.
See also
hard disk.
hardware:
The physical electronic and mechanical components of a
computer system: typically, the computer itself, external disk drives,
etc.
See also
software and firmware.
hertz:
A unit of wave frequency that equals one cycle per second.
hexadecimal:
The base 16 numbering system composed of the digits 0
through 9 and the letters A, B, C, D, E, and F.
host computer:
The computer that controls, regulates, and transmits
information to a device or another computer.
hot key:
The computer’s feature in which certain keys in combination with
the extended function key,
Fn
, can be used to set system
parameters, such as speaker volume.
