Real mode, also called real address mode, is an operating mode of all x86-compatible CPUs Real mode is characterized by a 20 bit segmented memory address space (giving exactly 1 MiB of addressable memory) and unlimited direct software access to all memory, I/O addresses and peripheral hardware. Real mode provides no support for memory protection, multitasking, or code privilege levels. Before the release of the 80286, which introduced Protected mode, real mode was the only available mode for x86 CPUs. In the interests of backwards compatibility, all x86 CPUs start in real mode when reset.
Read more about Real Mode: History, Addressing Capacity, A20 Line, Switching To Real Mode
Famous quotes containing the words real and/or mode:
“It’s the boxers who attract the real women, after all, with their raw primeval strength, beautifully toned bodies and just a touch of vulnerability.”
—Eamonn McCabe (b. 1948)
“The love of their country is with them only a mode of flattering its master; as soon as they think that master can no longer hear, they speak of everything with a frankness which is the more startling because those who listen to it become responsible.”
—Marquis De Custine (1790–1857)