A Glossary of Terms that Phoenix Technologies Uses

• BIOS – This is an acronym for basic in and out system, also known as “firmware.” The BIOS is the first program to run when you turn on your computer. It performs the following functions: 1) initializing and testing the hardware in your computer; 2) loading and running your operating system; 3) managing setup for making changes in your computer; 4) helping operating systems and application programs manage your PC hardware by means of a set of routines called BIOS Run-Time Services.
  
  
• Bloat (software) – Almost every new application that you load onto a PC automatically adds some code to the boot process. This additional code – often called “bloatware” – not only increases the boot time for the computer, it uses up system memory. The more that memory fills up, the slower your PC will run.
  
  
• BSOD – This is the acronym for “Blue Screen of Death” - what appears on your PC’s display when it stops working (crashes or freezes).
  
  
• CAB file – A cabinet (.cab) file is a library of compressed files stored as a single file. Cabinet files are used to organize installation files that are copied to the user's system. A large compressed file can be spread over several .cab files.
  
  
• CMOS – This is an acronym for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.
  
  
• CSS – This is an acronym for core system software.
  
  
• Driver – A driver is the software that PCs need in order to communicate with attached devices like printers.
  
  
• EFI – This is the acronym for extensible firmware interface.
  
  
• INF file – A Windows file that contains installation information. The SETUP.INF file is used to install Windows itself, and other INF files are used for installing other programs and hardware devices.
  
  
• Instant-on – The concept of “instant-on” is that your PC will boot up quickly, giving you nearly immediate access to the Web and other non-Windows features.
  
  
• ODM – This is the acronym for original design manufacturer.
  
  
• OEM – This is the acronym for original equipment manufacturer.
  
  
• Operating System (OS) – manages the activities and sharing of the resources of a computer.
  
  
• Optimization – improving or enhancing a PC so that it runs faster, smoother, with few technical issues and uses less resources (memory and power).
  
  
• PC 3.0™ – This is a Phoenix Technologies initiative to bring personal computers to the same performance level as mobile phones – instantly on, always on, all-day usage without battery failure, and more security.
  
  
• UEFI – This is the acronym for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and refers both to the UEFI Forum, Inc. as well as one of the specifications produced to manage the interaction between a PC’s platform firmware and its operating system.
  
  
• WHQL – This is the acronym for Windows Hardware Quality Laboratories, which is the part of Microsoft that tests hardware and drivers for compatibility issues with the Windows operating system.
  
  
• ZIP file – A file that contains one or more files that have been compressed into the ZIP format. Also called a "ZIP archive," "zipped file" or "zipped archive," the ZIP algorithm is the most popular compression method in use.