K
Kb — kilobit — A unit of data that equals 1024 bits. A measurement of the capacity of memory integrated circuits.
KB — kilobyte — A unit of data that equals 1024 bytes but is often referred to as 1000 bytes.
key combination — A command requiring you to press multiple keys at the same time.
kHz — kilohertz — A measurement of frequency that equals 1000 Hz.
L
LAN — Local Area Network — A computer network covering a small area. A LAN usually is confined to a building or a few
nearby buildings. A LAN can be connected to another LAN over any distance through
telephone lines and radio waves to
form a wide area network (WAN).
LCD — Liquid Crystal Display — The technology used by portable computer and flat-panel displays.
LED — Light-Emitting Diode — An electronic component that emits light to indicate the status of the computer.
local bus — A data bus that provides a fast throughput for devices to the processor.
LPT — Line Print Terminal — The designation for a parallel connection to a printer or other parallel device.
M
Mb — Megabit — A measurement of memory chip capacity that equals 1024 Kb.
Mbps — Megabits per second — One million bits per second. This measurement is typically used for transmission speeds
for networks and modems.
MB — megabyte — A measurement of data storage that equals 1,048,576 bytes. 1 MB equals 1024 KB. When used to
refer to hard drive storage, the term is often rounded to 1,000,000 bytes.
MB/sec — megabytes per second — One million bytes per second. This measurement is typically used for data transfer
ratings.
Media bay — See XBay.
memory — A temporary data storage area inside your computer. Because the data in memory is not permanent, it is
recommended that you frequently save your files while you are working on them, and always save your files before you
shut down the computer. Your computer can contain several different forms of memory, such as RAM, ROM, and video
memory. Frequently, the word memory is used as a synonym for RAM.
memory address — A specific location where data is temporarily stored in RAM.
memory mapping — The process by which the computer assigns memory addresses to physical locations at start-up.
Devices and software can then identify information that the processor can access.
memory module — A small circuit board containing memory chips, which connects to the system board.
MHz — megahertz — A measure of frequency that equals 1 million cycles per second. The speeds for computer processors,
buses, and interfaces are often measured in MHz.
Mini PCI — A standard for integrated peripheral devices with an emphasis on communications such as modems and NICs.
A Mini PCI card is a small external card that is functionally equivalent to a standard PCI expansion card.
Mini-Card — A small card designed for integrated peripherals, such as communication NICs. The Mini-
Card is functionally equivalent to a standard PCI expansion card.
modem — A device that allows your computer to communicate with other computers over analog telephone lines. Three
types of modems include: external, PC Card, and internal. You typically use your modem to connect to the Internet and
exchange e-mail.
module bay — See XBay.
MP — megapixel — A measure of image resolution used for digital cameras.
ms — millisecond — A measure of time that equals one thousandth of a second. Access times of storage devices are often
measured in ms.
N
network adapter — A chip that provides network capabilities. A computer may include a network adapter on its system
board, or it may contain a PC Card with an adapter on it. A network adapter is also referred to as a NIC (network
