Dell OptiPlex GX260 - Manual (Page 211)

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Glossary
Dell™ OptiPlex™ GX260 Systems User's Guide
A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W X Z
A
AC — alternating current — The form of electricity that powers your computer when you plug the AC adapter power cable into
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 conserve the amount of electrical power
allocated to each device attached to the computer.
AGP — accelerated graphics port — A dedicated graphics port that allows system memory to be used for video-related tasks.
AGP delivers a smooth, true-color video image because of the faster interface between the video circuitry and the system
memory.
Antivirus software — A program designed to identify, quarantine, and/or delete a virus from your computer.
ASF — alert standards format — A standard to define a mechanism for reporting hardware and software alerts to a
management console. ASF is designed to be platform and operating system independent.
B
Backup — A copy of a program or data file on a floppy disk, tape, CD, or hard drive. As a precaution, back up the data files
from your hard drive regularly.
BIOS — basic input/output system — A program (or utility) that serves as an interface between the computer hardware and
the operating system. Unless you understand what effect the settings have on the computer, do not change the settings for
this program. Also referred to as the system setup program.
Bit — The smallest unit of data interpreted by your computer.
Boot sequence — Specifies the order of the devices from which the computer attempts to boot.
Bootable CD — A CD 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 bootable disk available. Your ResourceCD is a bootable CD.
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 disk or bootable CD 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 information.
Byte — The basic data unit used by your computer. A byte is usually equal to 8 bits.
C
C — Celsius — A temperature measurement system where 0° is the freezing point and 100° is the boiling point of water.
Cache — An area where data or instructions are stored for quick retrieval. The cache enhances the efficiency of many
microprocessor operations.
L1 cache — Fast, primary cache stored inside the microprocessor.