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configuration
Last modified: Tuesday, October 30, 2001
The way a system is set up, or the assortment of components that make up the system. Configuration can refer to either hardware or software, or the combination of both. For instance, a typical configuration for a PC consists of 32MB (megabytes) main memory, a floppy drive, a hard disk, a modem, a CD-ROM drive, a VGAmonitor, and the Windowsoperating system.
Many software products require that the computer have a certain minimum configuration. For example, the software might require a graphics display monitor and a video adapter, a particular microprocessor, and a minimum amount of main memory.
When you install a new device or program, you sometimes need to configure it, which means to set various switches and jumpers (for hardware) and to define values of parameters (for software). For example, the device or program may need to know what type of video adapter you have and what type of printer is connected to the computer. Thanks to new technologies, such as plug-and-play, much of this configuration is performed automatically.
PC system resources reference guide Covers IRQs, DMAs, I/O, and memory addresses, as well as system configuration, resource conflicts, and plug and play.
Configuration Procedures Covers procedures that relate to the configuration of the PC. Includes both physical configuration procedures and configuration procedures related to system hardware settings. This page is from "The PC Guide."
Ontrack JumperViewer A graphical, interactive Java applet that allows you to select a hard drive and configuration, and instantly displays an image of the appropriate jumper settings.
System Configuration notes Describes the assignment of resources to devices, problems with changing default resource assignments, and a device resource usage summary. This page is from "The PC Guide".
