Dell LATITUDE D630 PP24L User Manual page 170

functionally equivalent to a standard PCI expansion card.
Mini-Card — A small card designed for integrated
peripherals, such as communication NICs. The Mini-Card is
functionally equivalent to a standard PCI expansion card.
modem — A device that allows your computer to
communicate with other computers over analog telephone
lines. Three types of modems include: external, PC Card,
and internal. You typically use your modem to connect to
the Internet and exchange e-mail.
module bay — See media bay.
MP — megapixel — A measure of image resolution used
for digital cameras.
ms — millisecond — A measure of time that equals one
thousandth of a second. Access times of storage devices are
often measured in ms.
N
network adapter — A chip that provides network
capabilities. A computer may include a network adapter on
its system board, or it may contain a PC Card with an
adapter on it. A network adapter is also referred to as a NIC
(network interface controller).
NIC — See network adapter.
notification area — The section of the Windows taskbar
that contains icons for providing quick access to programs
and computer functions, such as the clock, volume control,
and print status. Also referred to as system tray.
ns — nanosecond — A measure of time that equals one
billionth of a second.
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
Glossary
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drives, and CD-RW/DVD combo drives.
P
parallel connector — An I/O port often used to connect a
parallel printer to your computer. Also referred to as an LPT
port.
partition — A physical storage area on a hard drive that is
assigned to one or more logical storage areas known as
logical drives. Each partition can contain multiple logical
drives.
PC Card — A removable I/O card adhering to the
PCMCIA standard. Modems and network adapters are
common types of PC Cards.
PCI — peripheral component interconnect — PCI is a local
bus that supports 32-and 64-bit data paths, providing a high-
speed data path between the processor and devices such as
video, drives, and networks.
PCI Express — A modification to the PCI interface that
boosts the data transfer rate between the processor and the
devices attached to it. PCI Express can transfer data at
speeds from 250 MB/sec to 4 GB/sec. If the PCI Express
chip set and the device are capable of different speeds, they
will operate at the slower speed.
PCMCIA — Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association — The organization that
establishes standards for PC Cards.
PIO — programmed input/output — A method of
transferring data between two devices through the processor
as part of the data path.
pixel — A single point on a display screen. Pixels are
arranged in rows and columns to create an image. A video
resolution, such as 800 x 600, is expressed as the number of
pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.
Plug-and-Play — 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.
POST — power-on self-test — Diagnostics programs,
loaded automatically by the BIOS, that perform basic tests
on the major computer components, such as memory, hard