byte
—
The basic data
unit
used by your computer.
A byte
is usually equal
to 8 bits.
C
C —
Celsius
— A
temperature measurement
scale
wher
e
0° is
the
freezing
point
and 100° is
the boiling point of
water.
cache
— A
special high-speed storage mechanism
which
can be either a reserved section
of main
memory
or an
independent high-speed storage device.
The cache
enhances
the
efficiency
of
many processor
operations.
L1
cache
—
Primary cache stored inside
the processor.
L2
cache
—
Secondary cache which can either be
e
xternal
to the
processor
or
incorporated
into the processor
architectur
e
.
carnet
— An
international customs document
that
facilitates temporary
imports into
foreign countries.
Also
known as a merchandise
passport.
CD-R — CD
recordable
— A
recordable version
of
a
CD.
Data can be recorded only once
onto
a
CD-R. Once
recorded,
the
data cannot be erased
or written over.
CD-RW — CD
rewritable
— A
rewritable version
of
a
CD.
Data can be
written to
a
CD-RW
disc, and
then
erased and
written
over
(r
ewritten).
CD-RW
drive
— A
drive
that
can read
CDs
and
write
to
CD-RW
(rewritable
CDs)
and
CD-R
(recordable
CDs)
discs. You can
write to CD-RW
discs
multiple
times,
but
you can
write to CD-R
discs only
once.
CD-RW/DVD
drive
— A
drive, sometimes referred
to
as
a
combo drive,
that
can read
CDs
and
DVDs
and
write
to
CD-RW
(rewritable
CDs)
and
CD-R
(recordable
CDs)
discs. You can
write to CD-RW
discs
multiple
times,
but
you can
write to CD-R
discs only
once.
clock speed
— The
speed, given
in MHz, that indicates
how fast computer components
that
are connected
to the
system bus
operate.
CMOS — A
type
of
electronic
circuit.
Computers use a
small amount
of
battery-powered
CMOS
memory
to hold
date,
time,
and system setup
options.
COA — Certificate of Authenticity — The Windows
alpha-numeric code located
on
a sticker
on your
computer. Also referred
to
as
the
Pr
o
d
u
c
t
Key
or
Product
ID
.
Control
Panel
— A Windows utility that
allows you
to
modify
operating system and hardware settings, such as
display
settings.
controller — A chip that
controls
the
transfer
of data
between
the
processor and memory
or
between
the
processor and
devices.
CRIMM
— continuity
rambus
in-line
memory
module
— A
special module
that
has no memory chips and is
used
to fill
unused
RIMM slots.
cursor
— The
marker
on
a display
or
screen
that shows
where
the next
keyboard,
touch
pad,
or
mouse action
will
occur.
It often
is a
blinking
solid
line,
an
underline
character,
or
a small
arrow.
D
DDR SDRAM —
double-data-rate
SDRAM — A
type
of
SDRAM that
doubles
the
data burst cycle,
improving
system
performance.
DDR2 SDRAM —
double-data-rate
2 SDRAM — A type
of DDR SDRAM that
uses a
4-bit
prefetch and
other
architectural
changes
to
boost memory speed
to
over
400
MHz.
device
—
Hardware such
as a disk drive,
printer, or
keyboard
that
is installed
in or
connected
to your
computer.
device
driver —
See
driver.
DIMM
—
dual
in-line
memory module
— A circuit board
with
memory chips
that
connects
to
a memory module
on
the
system
board.
DIN
connector
— A
round, six-pin connector
that
conforms
to DIN
(Deutsche
Industrie-Norm)
standar
d
s;
it
is typically used
to
c
onnec
t
PS/2 keyboard
or
mo
us
e
cable
connectors.
disk striping — A
technique
for
spreading data
over
multiple
disk drives. Disk striping can speed
up
operations
that
retrieve data
from
disk storage. Computers
that use
disk
striping
generally allow
the
user
to
select
the data
150
Glossary
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