Dell XPS M1210 Owner's Manual

Also see for XPS M1210: Service manual

Contents

184 GlossaryRFI — radio frequency interference — Interference thatis generated at typical radio frequencies, in the range of10 kHz to 100,000 MHz. Radio frequencies are at thelower end of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum andare more likely to have interference than the higherfrequency radiations, such as infrared and light.ROM — read-only memory — Memory that stores dataand programs that cannot be deleted or written to by thecomputer. ROM, unlike RAM, retains its contents afteryou shut down your computer. Some programs essential tothe operation of your computer reside in ROM.RPM — revolutions per minute — The number ofrotations that occur per minute. Hard drive speed is oftenmeasured in rpm.RTC — real time clock — Battery-powered clock on thesystem board that keeps the date and time after you shutdown the computer.RTCRST — real-time clock reset — A jumper on thesystem board of some computers that can often be usedfor troubleshooting problems.SSAS — serial attached SCSI — A faster, serial version ofthe SCSI interface (as opposed to the original SCSIparallel architecture).SATA — serial ATA — A faster, serial version of the ATA(IDE) interface.ScanDisk — A Microsoft utility that checks files, folders,and the hard disk’s surface for errors. ScanDisk often runswhen you restart the computer after it has stoppedresponding.SCSI — small computer system interface — A high-speedinterface used to connect devices to a computer, such ashard drives, CD drives, printers, and scanners. The SCSIcan connect many devices using a single controller. Eachdevice is accessed by an individual identification numberon the SCSI controller bus.SDRAM — synchronous dynamic random-access memory— A type of DRAM that is synchronized with the optimalclock speed of the processor.serial connector — An I/O port often used to connectdevices such as a handheld digital device or digital camerato your computer.Service Tag — A bar code label on your computer thatidentifies your computer when you access Dell Support atsupport.dell.com or when you call Dell for customerservice or technical support.setup program — A program that is used to install andconfigure hardware and software. The setup.exe orinstall.exe program comes with most Windows softwarepackages. Setup program differs from system setup.shortcut — An icon that provides quick access tofrequently used programs, files, folders, and drives. Whenyou place a shortcut on your Windows desktop anddouble-click the icon, you can open its correspondingfolder or file without having to find it first. Shortcut iconsdo not change the location of files. If you delete ashortcut, the original file is not affected. Also, you canrename a shortcut icon.SIM — Subscriber Identity Module — A SIM cardcontains a microchip that encrypts voice and datatransmissions. SIM cards can be used in phones orportable computers.smart card — A card that is embedded with a processor anda memory chip. Smart cards can be used to authenticate auser on computers equipped for smart cards.S/PDIF — Sony/Philips Digital Interface — An audiotransfer file format that allows the transfer of audio fromone file to another without converting it to and from ananalog format, which could degrade the quality of the file.standby mode — A power management mode that shutsdown all unnecessary computer operations to save energy.Strike Zone™ — Reinforced area of the platform basethat protects the hard drive by acting as a dampeningdevice when a computer experiences resonating shock oris dropped (whether the computer is on or off).surge protectors — Prevent voltage spikes, such as thosethat may occur during an electrical storm, from enteringthe computer through the electrical outlet. Surgeprotectors do not protect against lightning strikes or againstbrownouts, which occur when the voltage drops more than20 percent below the normal AC-line voltage level.