Dell XPS M2010 Owner's Manual

Also see for XPS M2010: Setup guide Setup guide Service manual Service manual Owner's manual

Contents

Glossary 185PCI — peripheral component interconnect — PCI is alocal bus that supports 32-and 64-bit data paths,providing a high-speed data path between the processorand devices such as video, drives, and networks.PCI Express — A modification to the PCI interface thatboosts the data transfer rate between the processor andthe devices attached to it. PCI Express can transfer data atspeeds from 250 MB/sec to 4 GB/sec. If the PCI Expresschip set and the device are capable of different speeds,they will operate at the slower speed.PCMCIA — Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association — The organization thatestablishes standards for PC Cards.PIO — programmed input/output — A method oftransferring data between two devices through theprocessor as part of the data path.pixel — A single point on a display screen. Pixels arearranged in rows and columns to create an image. A videoresolution, such as 800 x 600, is expressed as the numberof pixels across by the number of pixels up and down.Plug-and-Play — The ability of the computer toautomatically configure devices. Plug-and-Play providesautomatic installation, configuration, and compatibilitywith existing hardware if the BIOS, operating system, andall devices are Plug-and-Play compliant.POST — power-on self-test — Diagnostics programs,loaded automatically by the BIOS, that perform basictests on the major computer components, such asmemory, hard drives, and video. If no problems aredetected during POST, the computer continues thestart-up.processor — A computer chip that interprets and executesprogram instructions. Sometimes the processor is referredto as the CPU (central processing unit).PS/2 — personal system/2 — A type of connector forattaching a PS/2-compatible keyboard, mouse, or keypad.PXE — pre-boot execution environment — A WfM(Wired for Management) standard that allows networkedcomputers that do not have an operating system to beconfigured and started remotely.RRAID — redundant array of independent disks — Amethod of providing data redundancy. Some commonimplementations of RAID include RAID 0, RAID 1,RAID 5, RAID 10, and RAID 50.RAM — random-access memory — The primarytemporary storage area for program instructions and data.Any information stored in RAM is lost when you shutdown your computer.readme file — A text file included with a software packageor hardware product. Typically, readme files provideinstallation information and describe new productenhancements or corrections that have not yet beendocumented.read-only — Data and/or files you can view but cannotedit or delete. A file can have read-only status if:• It resides on a physically write-protected floppy disk,CD, DVD, or BD.• It is located on a network in a directory and thesystem administrator has assigned rights only tospecific individuals.refresh rate — The frequency, measured in Hz, at whichyour screen's horizontal lines are recharged (sometimesalso referred to as its vertical frequency). The higher therefresh rate, the less video flicker can be seen by thehuman eye.resolution — The sharpness and clarity of an imageproduced by a printer or displayed on a monitor. Thehigher the resolution, the sharper the image.RFI — 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.