Refers to making a peripheral device or an expansion board immediately operational by simply plugging it into a port or an expansion slot.

Plug and play refers to ease of installation. Plug and play installation means that the user does not have to manage and configure hardware settings, and that installation of the device is simple and automated.

An Intel-developed hardware standard created to automate the setup and configuration of hardware devices connected to a computer. In theory, it allows you to “plug” a device into the computer and “play” it without going through a complicated setup process.

The ability of the computer to automatically configure devices. Plug and Play provides automatic installation, configuration, and compatibility with existing hardware if the BIOS, operating system, and all devices are Plug and Play compliant.

Plug and Play (PnP) is a capability developed by Microsoft for its Windows 95 and later operating systems that gives users the ability to plug a device into a computer and have the computer recognize that the device is there.

Features that provide for automatic configuration of add-ons and peripheral devices such as wireless PC Cards, printers, scanners and multimedia devices. (See PC Card). close

A given computer system or peripheral device that is ready to use upon its removal from the box.

(PnP) A hardware and software specification developed by Intel that allows a PnP system and a PnP adapter to configure automatically . PnP cards generally have no switches or jumpers, but are configured via the PnP system's BIOS or with supplied software for non-PnP computers.

(General) when new components can be added to a (running) environment without an extensive system configuration effort or integration effort.

Refers to the ability of a computer system to automatically configure expansion boards and other devices. You should be able to plug in a device and play with it, without worrying about setting DIP switches, jumpers, and other configuration elements.

This was designed to simplify the installation of hardware. Plug and Play devices can communicate their requirements and functions with the operating system. Then, once the device has been recognized by the system, it will configure as part of the system. For monitors, it enables the user to change the display resolutions and refresh rates without needing to reboot the computer.

A configuration standard that allows a newly installed device to set itself up in an operating system automatically.

The ability to install peripheral cards or devices without requiring manual configuration by the user.

Plug-and-Play (PnP) was developed by Microsoft for its Windows 95 and later operating systems to facilitate the process of adding hardware to a system. With PnP, an individual is supposed to be able to plug a PnP capable device into their motherboard and have it be immediately recognized by the system without having to configure anything.

Facility allowing to plug a peripheral to the computer without previous powering it off. PCMCIA devices work this way. Beyond that, some operating systems allow the peripheral to be used without explicit configuration throughout a configuration utility. Windows95 aims to reach this goal (neither DOS nor Windows provide this facility).

A feature of some peripheral devices that allows them to be automatically installed by operating systems such as Windows.

See PnP

Plug and Play (PnP) is a computer feature that allows the addition of a new device, normally a peripheral, without requiring reconfiguration or manual installation of device drivers. PnP is a process the computer runs through when it is first turned on, involving the boot process and power-on self-test. Therefore, the computer must be turned off before installing a PnP device into an expansion slot.