Dell PowerEdge 500SC - Manual (Page 36)

previous standards.
To display a program at a specific resolution, you must install the appropriate video drivers and your monitor must support the resolution. Similarly, the number
of colors that a program can display depends on the capabilities of the monitor, the video driver, and the amount of video memory installed for the video
adapter.
VGA feature connector
On some systems with a built-in VGA video adapter, a VGA feature connector allows you to add an enhancement adapter, such as a video accelerator, to your
system. A VGA feature connector can also be called a VGA pass-through connector.
video adapter
The logical circuitry that provides—in combination with the monitor—your system's video capabilities. A video adapter may support more or fewer features than
a specific monitor offers. Typically, a video adapter comes with video drivers for displaying popular application programs and operating systems in a variety of
video modes.
On some systems, a video adapter is integrated into the system board. Also available are many video adapter cards that plug into an expansion-card
connector.
Video adapters often include memory separate from RAM on the system board. The amount of video memory, along with the adapter's video drivers, may
affect the number of colors that can be simultaneously displayed. Video adapters can also include their own coprocessor for faster graphics rendering.
video driver
A program that allows graphics-mode application programs and operating systems to display at a chosen resolution with the desired number of colors. A
software package may include some "generic" video drivers. Any additional video drivers may need to match the video adapter installed in the system.
video memory
Most VGA and SVGA video adapters include memory chips in addition to your system's RAM. The amount of video memory installed primarily influences the
number of colors that a program can display (with the appropriate video drivers and monitor capabilities).
video mode
Video adapters normally support multiple text and graphics display modes. Character-based software displays in text modes that can be defined as x columns
by y rows of characters. Graphics-based software displays in graphics modes that can be defined as x horizontal by y vertical pixels by z colors.
video resolution
Video resolution—800 x 600, for example—is expressed as the number of pixels across by the number of pixels up and down. To display a program at a
specific graphics resolution, you must install the appropriate video drivers and your monitor must support the resolution.
virtual memory
A method for increasing addressable RAM by using the hard-disk drive. For example, in a system with 16 MB of RAM and 16 MB of virtual memory set up on the
hard-disk drive, the operating system would manage the system as though it had 32 MB of physical RAM.
virus
A self-starting program designed to inconvenience you. Virus programs have been known to corrupt the files stored on a hard-disk drive or to replicate
themselves until a system or network runs out of memory.
The most common way that virus programs move from one system to another is via "infected" diskettes, from which they copy themselves to the hard-disk
drive. To guard against virus programs, you should do the following:
l Periodically run a virus-checking utility on your system's hard-disk drive
l Always run a virus-checking utility on any diskettes (including commercially sold software) before using them
VRAM
Abbreviation for video random-access memory. Some video adapters use VRAM chips (or a combination of VRAM and DRAM) to improve video performance.
VRAM is dual-ported, allowing the video adapter to update the screen and receive new image data at the same time.
W
Abbreviation for watt(s).
WH
Abbreviation for watt-hour(s).
write-protected
Read-only files are said to be write-protected. You can write-protect a 3.5-inch diskette by sliding its write-protect tab to the open position or by setting the
write-protect feature in the System Setup program.
XMM
Abbreviation for extended memory manager, a utility that allows application programs and operating systems to use extended memory in accordance with the
XMS.
XMS