Load may refer to any of the following:

  1. Load refers to the beginning or executing a program by moving (loading) the necessary information from a drive (e.g., hard drive), into a computer’s memory. Depending on the information being loaded, the speed of the hardware, and how other programs are running determines the load time. If a program or command shows a load average or progress indicator, it’s an average of how long it takes to load or execute.

  2. With a web page or online service, load time is the total time it takes for the user to view the page or use the service. As more file requests are required and file sizes are increased, the longer it takes to load.

  • How to install software.
  • How to run a computer software program.
  • Why won’t my computer turn on?
  1. With performance, load describes the complexity or requirements it takes the software, hardware, or computer to perform an action. For example, earlier games with basic graphics environments do not require as much load as today’s more advanced games. The environment in today’s games could have blades of grass, leafs on trees, more textures, and other objects that require more of a load on the computer and graphics card.
  • How to test and check a web page for errors.
  1. When referring to electronics, a load is any circuit or device opposing electrical current.

Download, Initialize, Operating system terms, Progress indicator, Start, Upload