Toshiba Satellite A50, User Manual

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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.