The Great Big Book of Computer Terms - PC Help Forum - Free Computer Help, Windows, Hardware, Software and more!

The great big book of computer terms:

The great big book of computer terms:

Section 1 - Hardware

Hardware: The physical chips and boards that make up your computer.
Computer Tower (also: CPU): The "brain" of a computer, houses all system-critical components.
Processor (also: CPU): The chip that does all of your computer's "thinking".
Hard Drive: The hardware device that holds all data stored on your computer.
Integrated Graphics: A chip built on the motherboard that produces relatively low-quality images for display on the monitor. Generally found on a budget machines.
Integrated Sound: A chip built on the motherboard that produces relatively low-quality sound. Generally found on a budget machine.
Video Card: A piece of hardware that renders images on the screen. Higher quality graphics than integrated graphics.
Sound Card: A piece of hardware that renders sounds. Higher quality sounds than integrated sound.
Power Supply (Power Supply Unit): The piece of hardware that distributes the power input to all of the hardware.
Motherboard: Exactly what the name implies, all system components plug into this.
Ethernet Card: The piece of hardware that handles DSL, cable, and other non-telephone line internet connections.
Ethernet Cable: A cable that connects a modem to the ethernet card. Also used in networks.
USB Ports: A plug-in for special cables that provides a fast method for data transfer.
Firewire Ports: A plug in for special cables that provides an extremely fast method for data transfer.
Floppy Disk Drive: A device that reads and writes to floppy disks.
CD-ROM Drive: Reads CD-ROM disks. Generally capable of playing Music CDs.
DVD-ROM Drive: Reads DVD-ROM disks. Also capable of playing DVDs.
DVD/CD-ROM Combo Drive: Reads both CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Also capable of playing DVDs.
CD Burner: Writes data onto Music CDs and CD-ROMs.
DVD Burner: Writes data onto DVDs and DVD-ROMs.
Periphrial Device: Any exterior device (monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc) that plugs into your computer.
Modem: A small box connected to your ethernet or dial-up card that converts the digital signal from your computer to a analog signal for transmission across a cable or phone line.

Section 2 - Operating System

Operating System (OS): The software that tells your hardware what to do.
Windows: The most popular type of OS.
Linux: Another popular OS, many types free.
iMac (Apple, Macintosh, Mac, etc): An OS that focuses on aesthetic experience, very powerful and often used for video editing. Generally cannot be purchased stand-alone (not pre-installed on a computer) because it is designed to run on IBM hardware, however, they are making the transition to Intel chips.
Device Driver: A small piece of software that tells the OS how to direct your hardware.
Registry: The file that Windows uses to store all of its settings.
BIOS: The software stored in the motherboard responsible for storing system-critical motherboard settings and starting the operating system.

Section 3 - Malware

Malware: Any piece of software that installs itself on your computer and performs actions on your computer without your permission.
Spyware: Any piece of software (or a cookie) that installs itself and monitors your surfing habits, digs for personal data, etc. without your permission.
Adware: Any piece of software that installs itself and launches an adveritising campaign on you, displaying pop-up ads, banners, etc. without your permission.
Trojan Horse (also: Trojan, Backdoor Trojan): A piece of software that installs itself without your permission and exploits a hole in an operating system, software, etc. to allow other malware to enter into your computer. Also used by attackers to gain remote control of a computer.
Worm: A piece of software that installs itself without your permission and looks for personal information, destroys data, launches DoS attacks, sends spam, etc.
Virus: This is a general description for a worm, not "technically" correct anymore.
Hacker: A person who writes malware or attempts to gain unauthorized access to networks, computers, etc.
Cracker: A person who writes code to or otherwise exploits a hole in a piece of software to gain additional features or bypass license control code.
ScriptKiddie: A person, often times a curious teen, who uses PHP or Perl scripts (usually pre-written and downloaded off of the internet) to exploit holes in software used on websites.

Section 4 - Internet

Browser: A program that downloads web pages and translates the formatting into a visual display.
Browser Cache: Where web pages you have visited are stored for quick access later.
Cookies: A small piece of information stored on your computer to identify you when returning to a website. There is alot of hype about cookies being bad, for the most part, they are good, and are critical to countless websites.
Server: A computer specially designed to allow connections to it and allow other computers to download the files within it.
Intranet: Similar to the internet, except websites on an intranet can only be accessed by the computers on that network.
IP Address (also: Internet Provider Address): A unique number that identifies a computer and distinguishes it from all other computers on the internet or on a network.

Section 5 - Commonly Used Abbreviations in Forums, Chatrooms, etc

LOL: Lauging out loud
ROFL: Rolling on floor laughing
AFK: Away from keyboard

Section 6 - Networks

Network: A group of computers linked together using a central hub, like a miniature internet. Linked by ethernet cable, wirelessly, or, rarely, through electrical lines.
Network Hub (also: Router): A piece of hardware designed to link or "route" all the computers of a network together.
Wireless Network: A network that uses special hardware to enable it to transmit data between computers wirelessly, without the use of ethernet cable.

Last updated 3/21/06