| Patch |
A piece of programming that is
added to an existing program to fix a problem or bug. Usually accessed
via the Internet, downloaded onto your computer and then installed. |
| Partition |
A portion of hard disk that
acts as a separate unit. A single hard drive may be divided into several
partitions, where each partition acts as a separate disk |
| Parallel Port |
Also known as a printer port. A port
connected to the mainboard that allows communication through more than
one wire at one time - hence the parallel. Generally used for printers.
It is a 25 pin socket, with one row of 13 holes and a second row of 12
holes. The plastic in the socket is purple in colour in all workstations
sold by Landau Technologies since 2000. |
|
| PC Card
PCMCIA Card
|
An add-in circuit
board that is roughly the size and shape of a credit card. Usually used
in laptops for networking. |
|
| Pedestal |
As in Pedestal
case. A large tower case, usually used by servers. |
|
| Plug and Play |
An
industry standard that allows a computer peripheral to be plugged in and
automatically set up by the operating system. Sometimes works, sometimes
doesn't; therefore also known as "Plug-and-Pray". |
| Port (s) |
A connecting point, generally either on the
back of a computer or a network hub/switch, which acts as a socket for a
mouse, printer, keyboard or data cable. Since 2000, all workstations
sold by Landau have had colour coded ports as follows:
Mouse PS/2 Port . Light green circle.
Keyboard PS/2 ... Purple circle.
Serial Ports .... Black/dark green, 9 pins.
USB Ports ....... Black rectangles.
Printer Port .... Purple, 25 holes.
Video/VGA ....... Dark blue, 15 holes.
|
|
| Power Supply |
The part of the computer that transforms
240 volt power down to a series of 5.5 and 3.3 volt attachments. Often
the cause of most computer troubles. As the power supply has a fan in
the back, one way of telling if the power supply has failed is to check
and see if any air is blown out the back of the tower, where the power
supply sits. |
|
| Processor |
Also known as the Central Processor Unit -
CPU. The basic part that performs all the mathematical operations and thinking.
Known by names such as Athlon, Duron, Pentium, Celeron and measured in
speed by megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz). It is not the tower, it is
a part inside the tower. |
|
| Protocol |
A set of rules that enable
computers to exchange data. Examples include the network protocol
TCP/IP. |
