Prompt
A message on the screen that requests information or tells you
the action you need to perform next. See also Command
prompt.
RAM
Random Access Memory. The portion of the computer’s
memory that runs programs and temporarily stores data while
you work. All data stored in RAM is temporarily maintained
while the computer is in Suspend mode, but erased when you
turn off the computer. You must save any data you want to
keep on a diskette or hard disk. See also
ROM.
Read
To copy data from one area to another. For example, when you
open a text file stored on disk, the computer reads the data
from the disk and displays it on the screen.
Read/write head
The physical device inside a disk drive that reads and records
data on the magnetic surface of a disk.
Reul-time clock
A battery-powered clock in the computer that keeps track of
the current time and date even when the computer’s power is
off.
Reset
To reload a computer’s operating system so you can retry a
task or begin using a different operating system. Resetting
erases any information stored in RAM.
16 Glossary
