Word for the Day Archive

Initialize

Very similar in meaning to a hard reset. It is basically a procedure that puts an electronic device into a default state and removes, resets, or "initializes" any user data or parameters that may have been changed by its operation. Technically the word initialize pertains to the first time the device is operated, where it will run through a routine to set itself up and put all settings to their default values. After this the same procedure is known as "reinitialize." A true reinitialization will fully return a device to its default initial state, however not all reinitialization procedures actually do this in practice. Sometimes the software for the machine has to be reinstalled from scratch to fully reinitialize it.