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174 Glossary
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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.
system board — The main circuit board in your computer.
Also known as the motherboard.
system setup — A utility that serves as an interface
between the computer hardware and the operating system.
System setup allows you to configure user-selectable
options in the BIOS, such as date and time or system
password. Unless you understand what effect the settings
have on the computer, do not change the settings for this
program.
T
TAPI — telephony application programming interface —
Enables Windows programs to operate with a wide variety
of telephony devices, including voice, data, fax, and video.
text editor — A program used to create and edit files that
contain only text; for example, Windows Notepad uses a
text editor. Text editors do not usually provide word wrap or
formatting functionality (the option to underline, change
fonts, and so on).
TPM — trusted platform module — A hardware-based
security feature that when combined with security software
enhances network and computer security by enabling
features such as file and e-mail protection.
travel module — A plastic device designed to fit inside the
module bay of a portable computer to reduce the weight of
the computer.