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| Backup | Made by copying files under a different name or by copying them to another directory, another drive, or a different storage media. They are used to replace or restore files if they should become lost or corrupted. |
| Bandwidth | A range of frequencies that a communication cable or channel can carry. In the computer world, it generally refers to the amount of data that can be carried by a specific cable or bus. |
| Binary Numbering System | In our everyday lives we use a decimal numbering system containing 10 digits, 0 through 9. Computers use this numbering system which contains only 2 numbers, 0 and 1, called binary digits or bits. |
| Bootable Disk | A floppy disk that contains the necessary system files that will complete the computers boot up sequence and load a basic Operating System. |
| Cache | An area of high speed memory set aside to store frequently accessed data. |
| Cable | Wires or a bundle of wires in a protective plastic or rubber covering, with connectors used to join the different components, peripherals and resources associated with your computer system. |
| Card | Refers to a printed circuit board (adapter board or expansion card) that installs into one of the expansion slots in your computer, expanding the capabilities of your system, allowing it to communicate with external devices such as monitors or speakers |
| Central Processing Unit | An integrated circuit chip (IC) that controls and directs the activities of the computer. Considered the 'brain' of your computer, it is identified by manufacturer, model, and processing speed in megahertz (MHz). Major manufacturers include Intel, Motorola, Cyrix, AMD(Advanced Micro Devices), and IBM. Intel is considered to be the #1 manufacturer and sets the standards for processors. |
| Circuit Board | Boards used in electronic devices that are made from an insulating material and contain electronic components that are interconnected to form a circuit or group of circuits that perform a specific function. |
| CMOS- Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor | This is one of two technologies used to produce or manufacture microchips. Although it is a little slower and much more susceptible to ESD or static electricity, it uses less power and generates a lot less heat and has replaced the bulkier chips in PCs. All of today's CPUs and memory chips are this type of chips. |
| Cold Boot | Starting the computer from a power-off status. If your computer is off, and you turn the switch on, you're performing this activity. |
| Device Driver | Most devices are shipped with small programs that are loaded onto your hard drive and tell the computer how to communicate with that specific input/output device whether it be a modem, printer, video card, etc.. These small software programs are called __________ and are specific to each make and model of the device it comes with. |
| DIMM - Dual Inline Memory Module | A small printed circuit board with memory chips on it. These modules clip into sockets on the motherboard to make up your system RAM. They come in denominations of 16, 32, 64, and 128 MB. |
| Dual Boot | The ability to boot your computer using one of two different operating systems. |
| Expansion Slot | A connector or slot on your computers motherboard that allows for the insertion of an expansion card, connecting it to the systems bus or electronic pathways. |
| Expansion Card | An electronic circuit board that fits into a slot on your motherboard expanding the capabilities of your computer. ie video card |
| GUI- Graphical User Interface | An operating system (such as Windows) with an interface or working environment that uses graphics and icons on the screen for running programs or entering information. |
| File Extension | Under DOS naming conventions, the file extension is the three character portion that follows the file name and identifies the type of file. |
| Grounding Mat | An antistatic mat that helps prevent electrostatic discharge from damaging your computer when your working inside the case. These mats often have a cord that attaches to an electric outlet making contact only with the ground receptacle. |
| Hard Drive | A high capacity disk storage device. It is the main secondary storage device in PCs. Information is stored on magnetic platters that spin at high speed inside a sealed case. Read/write heads transfer the data to and from the computer. |
| Icon | A small graphical image or picture used to represent a program, folder, or function. Operating Systems that use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) allow you to start a program or perform file navigation and manipulation by clicking or double-clicking on these ______. |
| Keyboard | The most important input device. __________ are used to type commands, data, and other information into your computers memory for processing. |
| Megahertz | A system's clock speed is measured in __________ or millions of cycles per second. The speed of computer devices or chips associated or synchronized with the system clock will be measured in MHz. e.g.: CPUs and system Bus. |
| Memory Address | The computer assigns numbers or addresses to physical memory locations on boot up to keep track of the information that the CPU has access to. This process is referred to as Memory Mapping. |
| Modem | __________ convert analog data into digital data and vice-versa so that computers can communicate over phone lines. |
| Monitor | The most commonly used output device for displaying text and graphics from a computer. CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes) are the most common. LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) are used on laptops and are available for desktop systems. |
| Motherboard | The printed circuit board in a computer that contains the CPU, Chipset, expansion slots, memory and device controllers. Sometimes called the System Board, Main Board, Planar Board or Logic Board. |
| NIC - Netword Interface Card | An expansion card that fits into a computer and connects via the network cable to the ______ installed in other computers on the network. It works with the network operating system to send and receive information over the network |
| Node | In networking and communications, a node is any computer or device attached to the network. |
| OCR - Optical Character Recognition | Optical Character Recognition. When you scan a document, it's like taking a picture that results in an image. The letters and sentences in that image can't be changed or manipulated. _____ is software that attempts to recognize the individual characters and transform the image back into a document that can be edited. |
| OEM- Original Equipment Manufacturer | The original manufacturer of a hardware component or sub-component. |
| On-board | Actually located on a circuit board. Often refers to components or devices that are usually connected to the computer through expansion slots or ports, that are integrated onto the motherboard such as video adapters, sound cards or network cards. A motherboard that has integrated video can be said to have Video On-board. |
| Operating System | The software on your computer that is responsible for allocating the computers resources, such as memory, disk space and processor time, and for accessing different peripheral devices such as the monitor or printer. Your computer can do nothing without an ___________ and it's the first piece of software loaded at bootup. |
| Path Name | The filing system on a computer is a hierarchical system. The __________ for a certain file indicates to the computer, or the user, the drive and list of directories (folders) that must be followed to find that file. This is the path needed to access, retrieve or save the file. |
| Peripheral | Any device or piece of equipment that is attached to and used by a computer, such as a monitor, tape drive, printer, modem, speakers, etc.. |
| Pixel | ______ is a contraction for Picture Element. Everything on your computer screen is made up of thousands of tiny little dots. Each dot is called a ______. The more _______ used to draw your screen, the higher the resolution. A resolution of 1024x768 means that your monitor is using 1024 ______s across your screen and 768 ______s down. This is a total of 786,432 ________s used to display the image. |
| Plug and Play | _____________ is a technology that can reduce conflicts between computer devices by automatically configuring them at startup. However, for it to work properly your BIOS and your Operating System both must support PnP, and the device being configured must be a ____________ device. The technology actually works pretty good but there can be problems when you mix legacy devices with PnP. |
| Port | A _____ is a socket or plug-in on your computer that allows you to attach an external device by connecting its cable. |
| Power Suppy | The box inside your computer that supplies it with the electricity that it needs. The _____________ converts the house AC current to voltages the computer can use, 3.3, 5, and 12 volts DC. |
| RAM - Random Access Memory | ______________ is the workspace of your computer. It's the area that stores the information and data for processing by the computer's CPU. Retrieving data from the hard drive is much slower, but once the data is loaded into ____, it can be accessed instantly and randomly. _____ is volatile, which means that once you turn off the power, all data in memory disappears. _____ is stored in chips on small circuit boards called SIMMs or DIMMs, that attach to the motherboard. |
| Registry | The __________ is a database used by Windows95, 98 and NT to store user preferences, setup, device, and system configuration. The _________ files are vital to the proper execution of the Operating Systems. |
| Resolution | The image on your computer's monitor is made up of tiny dots called pixels (picture elements). The total number of pixels used to draw the image on the screen determines the ___________ and is defined by the number of pixels across and the number of pixels down. i.e. 640x480 |
| Safe Mode | A diagnostic mode that Windows can start in, with minimal configuration and generic drivers so that system errors can possibly be corrected. You can access this mode by pressing F5 or F8 when you see the words "Starting Windows" on the screen at startup. |
| Server | A computer that allows access to it's resources and files by other computers over a network. |
| Software | A set of instructions or programming code that is written to instruct a computer to do a certain task or function |
| Warm Boot | Resetting or restarting a computer that is already on without turning off the power. It restarts the computer without going through the entire POST. This is accomplished by pushing CTRL+ALT+DEL, using restart on the shut down menu, or pushing the restart button on the front of the computer. |
