Dell Insp 640 M Manual

Glossary171
Glossary
Terms in this Glossary are provided for 
informational purposes only and may or may not 
describe features included with your particular 
computer.
A
AC — alternating current — The form of electricity that 
powers your computer when you plug the AC adapter 
power cable in to an electrical outlet.
ACPI — advanced configuration and power interface — 
A power management specification that enables 
Microsoft
® Windows® operating systems to put a 
computer in standby or hibernate mode to...

172Glossary
bootable disk — A disk that you can use to start your 
computer. In case your hard drive is damaged or your 
computer has a virus, ensure that you always have a 
bootable CD or floppy disk available.
bps — bits per second — The standard unit for measuring 
data transmission speed.
BTU — British thermal unit — A measurement of heat 
output.
bus — A communication pathway between the 
components in your computer.
bus speed — The speed, given in MHz, that indicates how 
fast a bus can transfer...

Glossary173
DDR2 SDRAM — double-data-rate 2 SDRAM — A type 
of DDR SDRAM that uses a 4-bit prefetch and other 
architectural changes to boost memory speed to over 
400 MHz.
device — Hardware such as a disk drive, printer, or 
keyboard that is installed in or connected to your 
computer.
device driver — See driver.
DIN connector — A round, six-pin connector that 
conforms to DIN (Deutsche Industrie-Norm) standards; 
it is typically used to connect PS/2 keyboard or mouse 
cable connectors.
disk striping —...

174Glossary
ENERGY STAR® — Environmental Protection Agency 
requirements that decrease the overall consumption of 
electricity.
EPP — enhanced parallel port — A parallel connector 
design that provides bidirectional data transmission.
ESD — electrostatic discharge — A rapid discharge of 
static electricity. ESD can damage integrated circuits 
found in computer and communications equipment.
expansion card — A circuit board that installs in an 
expansion slot on the system board in some computers,...

Glossary175
heat sink — A metal plate on some processors that helps 
dissipate heat.
help file — A file that contains descriptive or 
instructional information about a product. Some help 
files are associated with a particular program, such as Help 
in Microsoft Word. Other help files function as stand-
alone reference sources. Help files typically have a 
filename extension of .hlp or .chm.
hibernate mode — A power management mode that saves 
everything in memory to a reserved space on the hard 
drive...

176Glossary
L
LAN — local area network — A computer network 
covering a small area. A LAN usually is confined to a 
building or a few nearby buildings. A LAN can be 
connected to another LAN over any distance through 
telephone lines and radio waves to form a wide area 
network (WAN).
LCD — liquid crystal display — The technology used by 
portable computer and flat-panel displays.
LED — light-emitting diode — An electronic component 
that emits light to indicate the status of the computer.
local bus — A...

Glossary177
NVRAM — nonvolatile random access memory — A type 
of memory that stores data when the computer is turned 
off or loses its external power source. NVRAM is used for 
maintaining computer configuration information such as 
date, time, and other system setup options that you 
can set.
O
optical drive — A drive that uses optical technology to 
read or write data from CDs, DVDs, or DVD+RWs. 
Example of optical drives include CD drives, DVD drives, 
CD-RW drives, and CD-RW/DVD combo drives. 
P...

178Glossary
readme file — A text file included with a software package 
or hardware product. Typically, readme files provide 
installation information and describe new product 
enhancements or corrections that have not yet been 
documented.
read-only — Data and/or files you can view but cannot 
edit or delete. A file can have read-only status if:
 It resides on a physically write-protected floppy disk, 
CD, or DVD.
 It is located on a network in a directory and the 
system administrator has assigned...

Glossary179
software — Anything that can be stored electronically, 
such as computer files or programs.
S/PDIF — Sony/Philips Digital Interface — An audio 
transfer file format that allows the transfer of audio from 
one file to another without converting it to and from an 
analog format, which could degrade the quality of the file.
standby mode — A power management mode that shuts 
down all unnecessary computer operations to save energy.
Strike Zone™ — Reinforced area of the platform base 
that protects...

180Glossary
UTP — unshielded twisted pair — Describes a type of 
cable used in most telephone networks and some 
computer networks. Pairs of unshielded wires are twisted 
to protect against electromagnetic interference, rather 
than relying on a metal sheath around each pair of wires to 
protect against interference.
UXGA — ultra extended graphics array — A video 
standard for video cards and controllers that supports 
resolutions up to 1600 x 1200.
V
video controller — The circuitry on a video card or...