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What's Really Going On?
What Other Batteries Does the Computer Have?
What Other Batteries Does the Computer Have?
In addition to the main battery that powers your system when
you're away from an AC outlet, your computer has two other
batteries:
The backup battery supports Resume Mode. When you turn
the computer off in Resume Mode, a special memory powered
by the backup battery keeps track of everything for the next
time you turn the computer on. The backup battery gets its
charge from the main battery. It maintains its charge for
approximately four hours after the main battery discharges.
The RTC (real-time clock) battery stores the computer's con-
figuration information, which is stored in the RTC memory.
When you make changes in TSETUP or Hardware Setup, this
memory keeps track of those settings. The RTC battery also
operates the computer's internal clock. It is charged by the
main battery.
How Does a Disk Store Information?
Like a tape recorder, a disk drive reads and writes magnetically
encoded information on magnetic media. The drive positions a
read/write head above the surface of the disk when it records and
retrieves information.
Before a drive can read from or write to a disk, the disk must have
a specific structure. Formatting a disk creates this structure.
Part I: Getting To Know Your Computer
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