Partition - A division of a hard drive that can hold a volume. Using the MBR system, Windows can support up to four partitions on one hard drive.
Pull automation - A Windows installation that requires the local user to start the process.
Client/server - Two computers communicating using a local network or the Internet. One computer takes on the role of making requests from the other computer. A computer making the request from another is called the client and the one answering the request is called the server.
Local account - A Windows user account that applies only to the local computer and cannot be used to access resources from other computers on the network.
Setup Bios - Used to change motherboard settings. For example, you can use it to enable and disable a device on the motherboard, change the date and time that is later passed to the OS, and select the order of boot devices for startup BIOS to search when looking for an operating system to load.
Clean install - Used to overwrite the existing operating system and applications when installing Windows on a hard drive.
File System - The overall structure that an OS uses to name, store, and organize files on a disk. Examples of file systems are NTFS and FAT32. Windows is always installed on a volume that uses the NTFS file system.
OEM license - A software license that only manufacturers or builders of personal computers can purchase to be installed only on a computer intended for sale.
Startup BIOS - Part of system BIOS that is responsible for controlling the computer when it is first turned on. Startup BIOS gives control over to the OS once it is loaded.
Dual boot - The ability to boot using either of two difference OSs, such as Windows XP and Windows 7. Also called multiboot.
Virtual machine(VM) - One or more logical machines created within one physical machine.
Push automation - An installation where a server automatically pushes the installation to a computer when a user is not likely to be sitting at the computer.
Remote network Installation - An automated installation where no user intervention is required.
Drive imaging - Making an exact image of a hard drive, including partition information, boot sectors, operating system installation, and application software to replicate the hard drive on another system or recover from a hard drive crash. Also called disk cloning or disk imaging.
Domain - In Windows, a logical group of networked computers, such as those on a college campus, that share a centralized directory database of user account information and security for the entire domain.
Standard image - An image that includes Windows 7, drivers, and applications that are standard to all computers that might use the image.
Unattended installation - A Windows installation that is done by storing the answers to installation questions in a text file or script that Windows calls an answer file so that the answers do not have to be typed in during the installation.
Boot loader menu - A startup menu that gives the user the choice of which operating system to load, such as Windows XP or Windows 7, which are both installed on the same system, creating a dual boot.
Volume - A primary partition that has been assigned a drive letter and can be formatted with a file system such as NTFS.
Product activation - The process that Microsoft uses to prevent software privacy. For example, once Windows 7 is activated for a particular computer, it cannot be legally installed on another computer.