Term | Description |
FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions. Lists of questions on a certain topic and their answers. Often found on the Internet, they can be a good source of information, but not always reliable. |
FAT | File Allocation Table. A chart or index on a hard drive used by the operating system to keep track of files. DOS searches the FAT for a file's starting cluster and gathers file information from that and associated clusters. FAT (or FAT16) uses 16 bits to address each cluster on a drive and can only recognize drives up to 512 Mb. The size of each cluster on a 512 Mb drive would be 32 Kb. This means that a 33 Kb file would take up 2 clusters or 64 Kb of drive space. |
FAT32 | A 32-bit version of the File Allocation Table which first shipped with Windows95 SR2. FAT32 uses 32 bits to address each cluster and can support drives as big as two Terabytes. The older FAT used 16-bits to address each cluster and was limited to drive sizes of 512 Mb. Each cluster in a FAT32 system is only 4 Kb which also helps to save space on your hard drive. |
FDD | See Floppy Disk Drive. |
FDISK | A DOS utility used to configure and partition hard drives and prepare them for DOS use. |
Field Replaceable Unit | See FRU. |
File Allocation Table | See FAT. |
File Extension | Under DOS naming conventions, the file extension is the three character portion that follows the file name and identifies the type of file. |
File Transfer Protocol | See FTP. |
Firewall | Software or hardware, used on networks, that prevents outside or undesired access. |
Firmware | Software or programming code that is permanently burned onto a ROM chip. |
Flash ROM | A type of ROM chip that can be reprogrammed electronically while in circuit using a specific flash program. |
Form Factor | The physical size and shape of a device. In motherboards it pertains to the size and shape of the board, but it also describes the physical layout of the different components and devices on the motherboard. With system cases, it describes certain specific features and what kind of motherboard fits inside. |
FPM | Fast Page Mode. A type of DRAM that accesses several addresses at once ( a page ). The CPU selects the info needed from that page and processes it, then asks for another page from memory. |
Fragmented File | The distribution of a file on disk so that it's written in non-contiguous clusters or spread over different portions of the disk. Tracking down all associated clusters can slow down read/write operations. |
Freenet | Freenet is the name often given to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides a specific group of people or a specific area with free Internet access. Often this access is very basic, time limited and used mostly for e-mail. |
Freeware | Software application programs that are free to use and distribute. Often, these programs are written by home programmers and distributed via the Internet at no cost and no future obligation to buy. |
FRU | Field Replaceable Unit. A component or device in a computer that can be repaired or replaced without sending the unit back to the manufacturer. |
FTP | File Transfer Protocol. A standard way to transfer many types of files between computers or over the Internet. The protocol has built in error checking. |