Computer Terminology
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1.Application - a program in which you do your work.
2.Bit - the smallest piece of information used by the computer. In computer language, it is either a one (1) or a zero (0).
3.Backup - a copy of a file or disk you make for archiving purposes.
4.Boot - to start up a computer.
5.Bug - a programming error that causes a program to behave in an unexpected way.
6.Byte - a piece of computer information made up of eight bits.
7.Card or Expansion Card – a printed circuit board that adds some feature to a computer.
8.CD-ROM - an acronym for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory.
9.Control panel - a program that allows you to change settings in a program or change the way a computer looks and/or behaves.
10.CPU – Central Processing Unit. The processing chip that is the “brain” of a computer.
11.Crash - a system malfunction in which the computer stops working and has to be restarted.
12.Cursor - The pointer, usually an arrow or cross-shaped, controlled by the mouse.
13.Desktop - The shaded or colored backdrop of the screen.
14.Dialog box - an on-screen message box that appears when additional information is required before completing a command.
15.Disk - a spinning platter made of magnetic or optically etched material on which data can be stored.
16.Disk Drive - the machinery that reads the data from a disk and/or writes data to a disk.
17.Document - a file you create, as opposed to the application that created it.
18.Download - to transfer data from one computer to another. (If you are on the receiving end, you are downloading. If you are on the sending end, you are uploading).
19.Driver - a program on a computer that tells it how to communicate with an add-on piece of equipment (like a printer).
20.Expansion slot - a connector inside the computer that allows one to plug in a printed circuit board that provides new or enhanced features.
21.File - the generic word for an application, document, control panel, or other computer data.
22.Floppy Disk - a 3.5-inch square rigid disk that holds data. (Named for the earlier disks that were flexible).
23.Gigabyte (GB) - 1024 megabytes.
24.Hard Drive - a large capacity storage device made of multiple disks housed in a rigid case.
25.Icon - a graphic symbol for an application, file or folder.
26.Kilobyte (K) - 1024 bytes.
27.Launch - start an application.
28.Megabyte (MB) - 1024 kilobytes.
29.Memory - the temporary holding area where data is stored while it is being used or changed; the amount of RAM a computer has installed.
30.Menu - a list of program commands listed by topic.
31.Menu Bar - the horizontal bar across the top of the
screen that lists the menus.
32.Operating System - the system software that controls the computer.
33.PC - acronym for personal computer.
34.RAM - acronym for Random-Access Memory.
35.Save - to write a file onto a disk.
36.Save as - (a File menu item) to save a previously saved file in a new location and/or with a new name.
37.Scroll bar - a bar at the bottom or right side of a window that contains the scroll box and allows scrolling.
38.Server - a central computer dedicated to sending and receiving data from other computers (on a network).
39.Shut Down - the command from the Special menu that shuts down the computer safely.
40.Software - files on disk that contain instructions for a computer.
41.Upload - to send a file from one computer to another through a network.