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Glossary 147
Glossary
Terms in this Glossary are provided for
informational purposes only and may or may not
describe features included with your particular
computer.
A
AC — alternating current — The form of electricity that
powers your computer when you plug the AC adapter
power cable in to 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 computer memory.
ALS — ambient light sensor — The ALS detects available
environmental light and automatically increases or
decreases the display backlighting to compensate for low-
light and high-light environments.
antivirus software — A program designed to identify,
quarantine, and/or delete viruses from your computer.
APR — advanced port replicator — A docking device that
allows you to conveniently use an external monitor,
keyboard, mouse, and other devices with your portable
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.
All-Terrain Grade
— Dell™ ATG™ refers to the All-Terrain
Grade computer designed by Dell to provide increased
protection in demanding environments.
B
backup — A copy of a program or data file on a floppy,
CD, DVD, or hard drive. As a precaution, back up the
data files from your hard drive regularly.
battery — A rechargeable internal power source used to
operate portable computers when not connected to an AC
adapter and an electrical outlet.
battery life span — The length of time (years) during
which a portable computer battery is able to be depleted
and recharged.
battery operating time — The length of time (minutes or
hours) that a portable computer battery holds a charge
while powering the computer.
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 these settings have on the
computer, do not change them. 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.