User's Manual

Glossary
Operating system
Operating systems are currently the most important piece of
software on a computer. No computer can run without an
operating system. The operating system processes the data
entered by the user, manages the saved files and controls all
connected devices such as printers and hard disks. At the
same time, it serves as the basis for applications such as word
and image processing programs, which could not run without
the framework of the operating system. The development of
MS-DOS and Windows allowed Microsoft to assume a
dominant position on the computer market. While DOS is
largely limited to command line operations using a keyboard,
Windows allows the user to control a graphical user interface
with the mouse.
Paging file
A (frequently temporary) file that modern operating systems
such as Windows and OS/2 create on the hard disk to
temporarily save information that is located in the main
memory but that is not needed at present. A paging file (also
called a swap file) is necessary when all of the data to be
processed cannot fit in the main memory of the computer.
Parallel interface
A port on the computer that supports data transmission over
eight channels (and therefore the simultaneous transmission
of eight bits), unlike a serial port. Parallel ports are also called
“Centronics ports”. A parallel port is normally used to
connect a printer to the computer.
Partition
A defined section of a hard disk that can be accessed and
handled as a separate drive.
Password
An individual string of characters that allows a user to access
a computer system or network.
Path
A path indicates where a file is saved on a drive. For example,
the name of a picture file is “logo.bmp”, and this file is
120 TuneUp Utilities 2004