ROM

Stands for "Read-Only Memory." Please do not confuse this with RAM or a hard drive. Way too many people already do. ROM is a storage chip containing hardwired instructions that the computer uses when it boots up (before the system software loads). In PCs, the instructions are read from a small program called the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). After the BIOS's work is done, the operating system gets loaded while that cheesy Windows screen sits there for what seems like an endless amount of time.