User's Manual

to the system bus.
Express Service Code — A numeric code located on a sticker on your Dell™ computer. Use the Express Service Code when
contacting Dell for assistance. Express Service Code service may not be available in some countries.
extended display mode — A display setting that allows you to use a second monitor as an extension of your display. Also
referred to as dual display mode.
NOTE: If your computer has two PC Card connectors, always install extended PC Cards in the top connector.
extended PC Card — A PC Card that extends beyond the edge of the PC Card slot when installed.
NOTICE: Always remove an extended PC Card before packing the computer or traveling. If something strikes the
exposed end of the PC Card, the system board may be damaged.
F
Fahrenheit — A temperature measurement system where 32° is the freezing point and 212° is the boiling point of water.
FCC — Federal Communications Commission — A U.S. agency responsible for enforcing communications-related regulations
that state how much radiation computers and other electronic equipment can emit.
floppy drive — A disk drive that can read and write to floppy disks.
folder — A term used to describe space on a disk or drive where files are organized and grouped. Files in a folder can be
viewed and ordered in various ways, such as alphabetically, by date, and by size.
format — The process that prepares a drive or disk for file storage. When a drive or disk is formatted, the existing
information on it is lost.
FSB — front side bus — The data path and physical interface between the microprocessor and RAM.
FTP — file transfer protocol — A standard Internet protocol used to exchange files between computers connected to the
Internet.
G
G — gravity — A measurement of weight and force.
GB — gigabyte — A measurement of data storage that equals 1024 MB (1,073,741,824 bytes). When used to refer to hard
drive storage, the term is often rounded to 1,000,000,000 bytes.
GHz — gigahertz — A measurement of frequency that equals one thousand million Hz, or one thousand MHz. The speeds for
computer microprocessors, buses, and interfaces are often measured in GHz.
graphics mode — A video mode that can be defined as x horizontal pixels by y vertical pixels by z colors. Graphics modes
can display an unlimited variety of shapes and fonts.
GUI — graphical user interface — Software that interacts with the user by means of menus, windows, and icons. Most
programs that operate on the Windows operating systems are GUIs.
H
hard drive — A drive that reads and writes data on a hard disk. The terms hard drive and hard disk are often used
interchangeably.
heat sink — A metal plate on some microprocessors that helps dissipate heat.
help file — A file that contains descriptive or instructional information about a product. Some help files are associated with a
particular program, such as Help in Microsoft Word. Other help files function as stand-alone reference sources. Help files
typically have a filename extension of .hlp or .chm.
hibernate mode — A power management mode that saves everything in memory to a reserved space on the hard drive and