CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [488]
CD-R (compact disc recordable) CD technology that accepts a single “burn” but cannot be erased after that one burn.
CD-ROM (compact disc/read only memory) Read-only compact storage disk for audio or video data. Recordable devices, such as CD-Rs, are updated versions of the older CD-ROM players. CD-ROMs are read by using CD-ROM drives.
CD-RW (compact disc rewritable) CD technology that accepts multiple reads/writes like a hard drive.
Celeron Lower-cost brand of Intel CPUs.
Cellular WAN Technology that allows laptops and other mobile devices to access the Internet over a cell phone network.
cellular wireless networks Networks that enable cell phones, PDAs, and other mobile devices to connect to the Internet.
Centrino Marketing name for an Intel laptop solution including the mobile processor, support chips and wireless networking.
Centronics connector Connector used with older printers.
certification License that demonstrates competency in some specialized skill.
Certified Cisco Network Associate (CCNA) One of the certifications demonstrating a knowledge of Cisco networking products.
CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol) Common remote access protocol; serving system challenges the remote client, usually by means of asking for a password.
chassis intrusion detection Feature offered in some chassis that trips a switch when the chassis is opened.
chipset Electronic chips, specially designed to work together, that handle all of the low-level functions of a PC. In the original PC, the chipset consisted of close to 30 different chips; today, chipsets usually consist of one, two, or three separate chips embedded into a motherboard.
CHKDSK (Checkdisk) Hard drive error detection and, to a certain extent, correction utility in Windows. Originally a DOS command (CHKDSK.EXE); also the executable for the graphical Error-checking tool.
clean installation Operating system installed on a fresh drive, following a reformat of that drive. Often the only way to correct a problem with a system when many of the crucial operating system files have become corrupted.
client Computer program that uses the services of another computer program. Software that extracts information from a server; your auto-dial phone is a client, and the phone company is its server. Also, a machine that accesses shared resources on a server.
client/server Relationship in which client software obtains services from a server on behalf of a person.
client/server network Network that has dedicated server machines and client machines.
clock cycle Single charge to the clock wire of a CPU.
clock-multiplying CPU CPU that takes the incoming clock signal and multiples it inside the CPU to let the internal circuitry of the CPU run faster.
clock speed Speed at which a CPU executes instructions, measured in MHz or GHz. In modern CPUs, the internal speed is a multiple of the external speed. (See also clock-multiplying CPU.)
clock (CLK) wire Charge on the CLK wire to tell the CPU that another piece of information is waiting to be processed.
cluster Basic unit of storage on a floppy or hard disk. Multiple sectors are contained in a cluster. When Windows stores a file on a disk, it writes those files into dozens or even hundreds of contiguous clusters. If there aren’t enough contiguous open clusters available, the operating system finds the next open cluster and writes there, continuing this process until the entire file is saved. The FAT or MFT tracks how the files are distributed among the clusters on the disk.
CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) Originally, the type of non-volatile RAM that held information about the most basic parts of your PC, such as hard drives, floppies, and amount of DRAM. Today, actual CMOS chips have been replaced by Flash-type non-volatile RAM. The information is the same, however, and is still called CMOS