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active

Describes the window or icon that you are currently using or that is currently selected. The operating system always applies the next keystroke or command you choose to the active window. Windows or icons on the desktop that are not selected are inactive.

active content

Dynamic content, such as a stock ticker, a weather map, or news, that is usually updated from the World Wide Web or a channel.

Active Directory

The directory service that stores information about objects on a network and makes this information available to users and network administrators. Active Directory gives network users access to permitted resources anywhere on the network using a single logon process. It provides network administrators with an intuitive, hierarchical view of the network and a single point of administration for all network objects.

Active Directory Users and Computers

An administrative tool designed to perform day-to-day Active Directory administration tasks. These tasks include creating, deleting, modifying, moving, and setting permissions on objects stored in the directory. These objects include organizational units, users, contacts, groups, computers, printers, and shared file objects.
A partition from which an x86-based computer starts up. The active partition must be a primary partition on a basic disk. If you use Windows exclusively, the active partition can be the same as the system volume.

active volume

The volume from which the computer starts up. The active volume must be a simple volume on a dynamic disk. You cannot mark an existing dynamic volume as the active volume, but you can upgrade a basic disk containing the active partition to a dynamic disk. Once the disk is upgraded to dynamic, the partition becomes a simple volume that is active.

ActiveX

A set of technologies that allows software components to interact with one another in a networked environment, regardless of the language in which the components were created.

administrator

For Windows XP Professional, a person responsible for setting up and managing domain controllers or local computers and their user and group accounts, assigning passwords and permissions, and helping users with networking problems. Administrators are members of the Administrators group and have full control over the domain or computer. For Windows XP Home Edition, a person who can make system-wide changes to the computer, install software, and who has access to all files on the computer. A person with a computer administrator account has full access to other user accounts on the computer.

Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)

An open industry specification that defines power management on a wide range of mobile, desktop, and server computers and peripherals. ACPI is the foundation for the OnNow industry initiative that allows system manufacturers to deliver computers that will start at the touch of a keyboard. ACPI design is essential to take full advantage of power management and Plug and Play.

Advanced Program-to-Program Communication File Transfer Protocol (AFTP)

A file transfer protocol used in IBM host systems, the IBM Advanced Program-to-Program Communications equivalent to the TCP/IP File Transfer Protocol.

allocation unit

The smallest amount of disk space that can be allocated to hold a file. All file systems used by Windows organize hard disks based on allocation units. The smaller the allocation unit size, the more efficiently a disk stores information. If you do not specify an allocation unit size when formatting the disk, Windows picks default sizes based on the size of the volume. These default sizes are selected to reduce the amount of space that is lost and the amount of fragmentation on the volume. An allocation unit is also called a cluster.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

A standard single-byte character encoding scheme used for text-based data. ASCII uses designated 7-bit or 8-bit number combinations to represent either 128 or 256 possible characters. Standard ASCII uses 7 bits to represent all uppercase and lowercase letters, the numbers 0 through 9, punctuation marks, and special control characters used in U.S. English. Most current x86-based systems support the use of extended (or "high") ASCII. Extended ASCII allows the eighth bit of each character to identify an additional 128 special symbol characters, foreign-language letters, and graphic symbols.

AppleTalk

The Apple Computer network architecture and network protocols. A network that has Macintosh clients and a computer running Windows 2000 Server or Windows NT Server with Services for Macintosh functions as an AppleTalk network.

attribute

For files, information that indicates whether a file is read-only, hidden, ready for archiving (backing up), compressed, or encrypted, and whether the file contents should be indexed for fast file searching. In Active Directory, characteristics of an object and the type of information an object can hold. For each object class, the schema defines what attributes an instance of the class must have and what additional attributes it might have.

audio input device

An audio input device records music and voice input into your computer. Examples of audio input devices are CD-ROM players and microphones.

authentication

The process for verifying that an entity or object is who or what it claims to be. Examples include confirming the source and integrity of information, such as verifying a digital signature or verifying the identity of a user or computer.

authorization

The process that determines what a user is permitted to do on a computer system or network.