Operating instructions

44 MIKE MEYERS’ A+ CERTIFICATION PASSPORT
Passport / Mike Meyers‘ A+ Certification Passport / Meyers / 226308-3 / Glossary
processing. Introduced with the Pentium CPU, these instructions are now used
on all ×86 CPUs.
mobile CPU A CPU designed for use in portable computers that uses much
less power than a normal, desktop CPU.
modem (modulator/demodulator) A device that converts a digital bit stream
into an analog signal (modulation) and converts incoming analog signals back
into digital signals (demodulation). The analog communications channel is
typically a telephone line, and the analog signals are typically sounds.
Molex connector A type of computer power connector. CD-ROM drives,
hard drives, and case fans all use this type of connector. A Molex connector is
keyed to prevent it from being inserted into a power port improperly.
motherboard A flat piece of circuit board that resides inside your computer
case. The motherboard has a number of connectors on it; you can use these con-
nectors to attach a variety of devices to your system, including hard drives,
CD-ROM drives, floppy disk drives, and sound cards.
motherboard book A valuable resource when installing a new motherboard.
The motherboard book normally lists all the specifications about a mother-
board, including the type of memory and type of CPU that should be used with
the motherboard.
mount point A drive that functions like a folder mounted into another drive.
mouse An input device that enables a user to manipulate a cursor on the
screen in order to select items.
MP3 Short for MPEG, Layer 3. MP3 is a type of compression used specifically
for turning high-quality digital audio files into much smaller, yet similar sound
-
ing, files.
MPA (Microsoft Product Activation) Introduced by Microsoft with the re
-
lease on Windows XP, Microsoft Product Activation prevents unauthorized use
of Microsoft’s software by requiring a user to activate the software.
MSCONFIG The executable file that runs the System Configuration Utility, a
utility found in Windows that enables a user to configure a system’s boot files
and critical system files. Often used for the name of the utility, as in “just run
MSCONFIG.”
P:\010Comp\Passport\308-3\gloss.vp
Monday, April 09, 2007 10:24:45 PM
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