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Dell Latitude D430 (Mid 2007) User Manual

Page 146

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146

Glossary

for troubleshooting problems.

S

SAS — serial attached SCSI — A faster, serial version of

the SCSI interface (as opposed to the original SCSI

parallel 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 runs

when you restart the computer after it has stopped

responding.
SCSI — small computer system interface — A high-speed

interface used to connect devices to a computer, such as

hard drives, CD drives, printers, and scanners. The SCSI

can connect many devices using a single controller. Each

device is accessed by an individual identification number

on the SCSI controller bus.
SDRAM — synchronous dynamic random-access memory

— A type of DRAM that is synchronized with the optimal

clock speed of the processor.
serial connector — An I/O port often used to connect

devices such as a handheld digital device or digital camera

to your computer.
Service Tag — A bar code label on your computer that

identifies your computer when you access Dell Support at

support.dell.com or when you call Dell for customer

service or technical support.
setup program — A program that is used to install and

configure hardware and software. The setup.exe or

install.exe program comes with most Windows software

packages. Setup program differs from system setup.
shortcut — An icon that provides quick access to

frequently used programs, files, folders, and drives. When

you place a shortcut on your Windows desktop and

double-click the icon, you can open its corresponding

folder or file without having to find it first. Shortcut icons

do not change the location of files. If you delete a

shortcut, the original file is not affected. Also, you can

rename a shortcut icon.
SIM — Subscriber Identity Module — A SIM card

contains a microchip that encrypts voice and data

transmissions. SIM cards can be used in phones or

portable computers.
Smart Card — A card that is embedded with a processor

and a memory chip. Smart cards can be used to

authenticate a user on computers equipped for smart

cards.
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 the hard drive by acting as a dampening

device when a computer experiences resonating shock or

is dropped (whether the computer is on or off).
surge protectors — Prevent voltage spikes, such as those

that may occur during an electrical storm, from entering

the computer through the electrical outlet. Surge

protectors do not protect against lightning strikes or

against brownouts, which occur when the voltage drops

more than 20 percent below the normal AC-line voltage

level.
Network connections cannot be protected by surge

protectors. Always disconnect the network cable from the

network connector during electrical storms.
SVGA — super-video graphics array — A video standard

for video cards and controllers. Typical SVGA resolutions

are 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768.
The number of colors and resolution that a program

displays depends on the capabilities of the monitor, the

video controller and its drivers, and the amount of video

memory installed in the computer.
S-video TV-out — A connector used to attach a TV or

digital audio device to the computer.
SXGA — super-extended graphics array — A video

standard for video cards and controllers that supports

resolutions up to 1280 x 1024.
SXGA+ — super-extended graphics array plus — A video

standard for video cards and controllers that supports

resolutions up to 1400 x 1050.