PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, an international standards body and trade association based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1989, PCMCIA aimed to create a standard for connecting peripherals to portable computers. PCMCIA developed the PC Card. PC Card or PCMCIA Card PC Cards are credit card sized removable devices designed …
A key concept in data storage is that it is linear, logical, and systematic in nature. When someone ‘saves’ data to the hard disk, the disk will follow a logical system. A hard disk can be compared to a large, square piece of graphing paper composed of squares, a thousand long and a thousand wide. …
PROM stands for Programmable Read-Only Memory. It was invented by Wen Tsing Chow in 1956. Unlike a ROM chip, a PROM chip comes from the manufacturers devoid of any programming. Programming is done by the end user or the makers of electronic devices which require a permanent data storage device. Since it is cheaper than …
A laptop’s fan speed can influence the computer’s consistency and reliability. A laptop’s fan can be slowed down or sped up based on specific circumstances such as the amount of times the laptop is used. Slowing down the fan’s speed can be useful for reserving processes if the computer is not used often. On the …
A lightning/surge arrester is a device that protects structures from electrical damage by intercepting lightning surges and diverting them to the ground. Lightning arresters are connected directly to the ground via low resistance cables, although they are generally mounted on high buildings or other structures in order to attract electricity. They can be used on …
Bluetooth is a wireless communication protocol which is used to exchange information or data over short distances, with the help of fixed or mobile devices. Bluetooth wireless technology is integrated into these kinds of electronic devices to enable users to exchange information such as music, videos, and pictures wirelessly. Bluetooth technology was created in 1994 …
ATX (Advanced Technology xTended) is a specification for motherboards created by Intel in 1995. It has replaced the AT standard and it is now incorporated into a wide variety of computer systems as the default motherboard layout. Although ATX is still very popular today, the microATX, FlexATX, and mini-ITX motherboard specifications have replaced it. The …
The MBR is the Master Boot Record. The MBR is a small program which runs whenever a computer boots up. The MBR is stored in the first sector of the boot disk. The boot disk may be a hard drive, a floppy drive, or even a CD or DVD drive. The Task of the MBR …
One of the more interesting pieces of technology that has been released for the laptop computer is the fingerprint reader, which makes logging into a computer so much easier. The software that HP laptops use is Bioscrypt’s VeriSoft Access Manager. By sliding one’s finger across a small metallic sensor, the software is able to read …