System

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Computer Components Terminology
System Components External
Networking
System Components Internal
Operating Systems
Internet
Peripherals
Click on a button to learn the definitions.
Application Terms
Great quiz website http//www.quia.com/cb/8260.htm
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Monitor
The peripheral device producing an on-screen display.
External Components
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Keyboard
The piece of hardware that has the keys, like a typewriter.
External Components
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Speakers
Speakers A device used to output sound. They can be built inside your computer or external, like those in a stereo system.
External Components
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Mouse
Mouse Small handheld input device that is connected to the keyboard which you move across the top of your desk to access the pointer or cursor on the screen.
External Components
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Printer
The device that converts the text and images from the computer and presents them on paper.
External Components
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Floppy Disk
A small, inexpensive, removable disk used to store and/or transfer information.
External Components
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CD
CD - stands for Compact Disk-Read Only Memory
External Components
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System Components - External

• Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Speakers
• Printer
• Floppy Disk
• CD

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Central Processing Unit
CPU The brains of the computer. Often a tiny microprocessor chip which runs the entire system.
System Components - Internal
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CD ROM Drive
The disk drive which allows the CD-ROM to be played.
System Components - Internal
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Floppy Disk Drive
Floppy Disk Drive The part of the computer where the disk goes.
System Components - Internal
External Components
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DVD
A thin, circular object that stores digital video data.
CD/DVD Drive The DVD Drive is the part of the
computer where the DVD goes.
System Components - Internal
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Motherboard
The system board of a computer. The PC's main printed circuit board which houses the processor, memory and other components.
System Components - Internal
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Random Access Memory
Electronic circuits in your computer which hold information. It is the temporary memory used while the computer is turned on. You will need to save any work you do onto a disk or a file on the hard drive otherwise, your work will be lost when the computer is shut off. Random Access Memory is referred to as volatile because the contents disappear when the computer is turned off.
RAM
System Components - Internal
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Read Only Memory
Information stored on Read Only Memory remains intact. The information is usually programmed right onto the chip or disk and cannot be altered or added to. That is why it is called read-only.
Rom
System Components - Internal
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Video Card/Chip
A piece of plastic or fiberglass on which electronic circuits are printed and memory and other chips are attached. This device determines the screen resolution (how many colors you see at one time) and how fast the screen images are displayed.
System Components - Internal
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Sound Card/Chip
An adapter that allows you to play sound on your computer.
System Components - Internal
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Modem
Device that allows computers to communicate with other computers via the telephone line.
System Components - Internal
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Operating System
OS--Operating System the filing and utility system that a computer uses, Windows 98, Windows XP, Mac OS
System Components - Internal
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Platform
refers to the operating environment your computer uses, usually PC or MAC
System Components - Internal
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Hard Drive
found inside your computer, stores and saves everything you put into the computer, even after you turn it off
System Components - Internal
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System Components - Internal

• Motherboard
• RAM
• ROM
• CPU (Microprocessor)
• Video Card/Chip
• Video Memory
• Sound Card/Chip
• Floppy Disk Drive
• (Can be internal or external)
• Hard Drive

• CD Rom Drive
• (Can be internal or external)
• DVD Drive
• CD Writer
• NIC (Network Interface Card)
• Modem
• Serial Port
• Parallel Port
• Operating System
• Platform

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Video Memory
The graphics card RAM used in the frame buffer,
the Z-buffer and, in some 3D graphics cards,
texture memory. Common types include DRAM, EDO
DRAM, VRAM and WRAM. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/WordFind.php?w
ordInputVideoMemoryfromForm1searchTypeMatchW
ordwordSearchSubmitFIND
System Components - Internal
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CD Writer
Compact Disc-Recordable also referred to as
Compact Disc-Write Once (CD-WO). A type of disk
drive that can create CD-ROMs and audio CDs,
allowing users to "master" discs for subsequent
publishing. Source http//www.pctechguide.com/
09cdr-rw.htm
System Components - Internal
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Serial Port
The circuits and connector that facilitate
communication between a computer and serial
devices such as printers, modems, plotters, mice,
and custom laboratory equipment. On a PC, this
socket is a DB-9 or DB-25 male connector. It is a
full-duplex device, using separate lines for
transmitting and receiving data at the same time.
Maximum throughput is 115.2 Kbit/s. Also called a
COM or communications port. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/WordFind.php?w
ordInputSerialPortfromForm1searchTypeMatchWo
rdwordSearchSubmitFIND
System Components - Internal
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Parallel Port
An I/O channel for a parallel device, like a
printer, which sends and receives data eight bits
at a time over 8 separate wires. Maximum
throughput is around 500 Kbit/s. Increasingly,
other devices such as removable storage drives,
scanners etc. share the printer parallel port
using a "pass through" mechanism. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/WordFind.php?w
ordInputParallelPortfromForm1searchTypeMatch
WordwordSearchSubmitFIND
System Components - Internal
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Network Interface Card
NIC a card that is installed in a computer
system to provide network communication
capabilities to and from that computer. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/29network.htm
System Components - Internal
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Peripherals

• Digital Camera
• Scanner

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Digital Camera
A camera that stores images on an internal memory
chip, removable PC cards, or other digital media.
Images can be transferred electronically to a
computer for manipulation, e-mailing or website
creation. Source http//www.pctechguide.com/19
digcam.htm
Peripherals
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Scanner
A device that reads a printed page and converts
it into a graphics image for the computer. It
works by digitizing an image - converting
everything on the page (text and graphics
objects) - into one raster graphics image. The
resulting matrix of bits, or bitmap, can then be
stored in a file, displayed on a screen and
manipulated by programs. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/18scanners.htm
Peripherals
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Networking

• Cable Cat 5
• Username
• Password
• Domain
• Server
• Router
• Firewall

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Cable Cat 5

• Cat5 stands for Category 5 - cabling that enables
  computers to hook up to a Local Area Network.

Networking
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Password
a word that only you know that you type into the
computer to open your Internet account or for
access to certain web sites
Networking
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Username
the name you use to log on to the network,
usually one assigned to you by your service
provider
Networking
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Firewall
A firewall provides a buffer - implemented either
in hardware or software, or combination of both -
that resides between an internal network and the
Internet. It can be configured to allow only
specific kinds of messages from the Internet to
pass to the internal network, thereby protecting
it from intruders or hackers who might try to use
the Internet to break into those systems.
Source http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/Wor
dFind.php?wordInputfirewallfromForm1searchType
MatchWord
Networking
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Domain Name
name given to a host computer on the Internet, our domain name is www.wrentham.k12.ma.us
Networking
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Router
A device that operates at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI reference model and whose function is to use one or more metrics to determine the optimal path along which network traffic should be forwarded. Routers forward packets from one network to another based on network layer information. Occasionally referred to as "gateway" - although this definition of gateway is somewhat outdated. Source http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/WordFind.php?wordInputrouterfromForm1searchTypeMatchWord
Networking
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Server
A computer that provides network stations with
controlled access to shareable resources. The
network operating system is loaded on the file
server, and most shareable devices (disk
subsystems, printers) are attached to it. The
file server controls system security and monitors
station-to-station communications. A dedicated
file server can be used only as a file server
while it is on the network. A non-dedicated file
server can be used simultaneously as a file
server and a workstation. Source
http//www.pctechguide.com/glossary/WordFind.php?w
ordInputserverfromForm1searchTypeMatchWord
Networking
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Operating Systems

• Format/Initialize Disk
• Create Folders
• File versus Folder
• Desktop
• Drag
• Icon
• Cache
• Clipboard

• Menu
• Menu Bar
• Scrolling
• Screen Saver
• Characters
• Window
• Toolbox

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Toolbox
Many software applications, especially ones with
paint options, come with a toolbox, which appears
on the screen in the form of a palette.
Operating Systems
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Window
rectangular frame on the screen in which you see
and work with a particular software application
Operating Systems
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Characters
letters, numbers, and symbols that are used on
your keyboard
Operating Systems
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Screen Saver
If you leave your computer on for a long time,
the image can burn onto the screen, a screensaver
is a software application that blanks the screen
and replaces the screen with a non-harmful
picture.
Operating Systems
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Scrolling
the movement of text up and down on a screen
Operating Systems
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Menu Bar
is the listing on the top of the desktop, the
pull down menus are located there
Operating Systems
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Menu
is an on-screen display listing your choices
within a program
Operating Systems
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Clipboard
is a location inside the computer where items
that have been selected are temporarily stored,
information remains on the clipboard until
something new is placed there or the computer is
shut down
Operating Systems
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Cache
There are many kinds of cache, as in memory
caches for things like RAM or video memory, but
usually refers to a web cache--A web cache is
used by web browsers to make web page access
quicker. Caching means that whenever you go to a
site, every web page you see is downloaded to
your hard drive. Then, whenever you go back to
the page, it is loaded from your hard drive
instead of from the actual internet server. It
takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. You
should empty your cache every few days to clear
up your hard drive and to get updated information
from the web page.
Operating Systems
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Icon
a small picture or symbol of a computer command
or function
These are examples of Icons.
Operating Systems
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Drag
Click on the mouse, hold the button down, and
drag your mouse to another area
Operating Systems
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Desktop
background on your screen when you are using your
computer
Operating Systems
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File versus Folder
Files are documents that have been created and
saved. Folders are a way to organize and store
your files.
Operating Systems
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Create Folders

• To create a folder
• Right click
• Click on New
• Click on folder
• Name your folder

Operating Systems
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Format/Initialize Disk
Disks must be formatted to be used by a computer.
When you format a disk, you erase the
information on it. You can then use the disk to
save other information.
Operating Systems
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Application Terms

• Clip Art
• Open
• Close
• Save
• Save As
• Cursor
• Default
• Delete
• File

• Filename
• File Extension
• Font
• Highlighting
• Graphics
• Text
• Landscape
• Portrait
• Print

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Print
making a hard copy of a computer's screen
Application Terms
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Landscape Portrait
Landscape selecting horizontal orientation of
the page when printing
Portrait selecting vertical orientation of the
page when printing
Application Terms
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Text
words, sentences, and paragraphs made up of
characters
Application Terms
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Highlighting
process of making part of your text stand out to
select it for editing
Application Terms
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Font
different style of lettering that characters can
be
Application Terms
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File, Filename, File Extension
File collection of related records or a simple
unit of storage Filename characters chosen for
a name of a particular file File Extension the
suffix at the end of a filename which indicates
what kind of file it is and helps the computer
determine what program should open it - they are
usually 3 characters, but can be anywhere from 1
to 5 characters long
Application Terms
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Delete
to erase text or graphics
Application Terms
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Default
any time an automatic decision is already made
for you by the computer or software program
Application Terms
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Cursor
little mark indicating your position on the screen
Application Terms
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Save Save As
Save putting your work into a permanent storage
area Save As saving your work in a different
location and/or with a different file name
Application Terms
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Open Close
Open when you double click on an icon or file
to open it. Close when you go to File Close or
click on the small x in the upper right hand
corner to close it.
Application Terms
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Clip Art Graphics
Clip Art a collection of already made graphics
in a program Graphics an electronic picture
Application Terms
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Internet Terminology

• IP Address
• Means of Internet Access
• Phone Line
• DSL Line
• Cable Line
• T-1 Line
• ISP
• HTML

• URL
• Browser
• Download
• SPAM
• Search Engine
• Searching
• Bookmarks/Favorites
• Links
• World Wide Web

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ISP
ISP denotes the Internet Service Provider. Here
at our school we use Merrimack Education Center.
Other examples of Internet providers include
America Online, Net Zero and Comcast.

Internet Terminology

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IP Address
An IP address is a unique address given to a
computer within an organization . It is
considered an identifier for a computer or device
on a TCP/IP network. The format of an IP address
is a 32 bit numeric address written as four
numbers separated by periods. Each number can be
zero to 255. Within an isolated network, you
can assign IP addresses at random as long as each
one is unique. However, connecting a private
network to the Internet requires using registered
IP addresses (called Internet addresses) to avoid
duplicates.
Internet Terminology
72
HTML
HTML or (Hypertext Markup Language) is the set of
markup symbols or codes inserted in a file
intended for display on a World Wide Web browser
page. The markup tells the Web browser how to
display a Web page's words and images for the
user. Each individual markup code is referred to
as an element (but many people also refer to it
as a tag). Some elements come in pairs that
indicate when some display effect is to begin and
when it is to end. HTML is a formal
Recommendation by the World Wide Web Consortium
(W3C) and is generally adhered to by the major
browsers, Microsoft's Internet Explorer and
Netscape's Navigator, which also provide some
additional non-standard codes. The current
version of HTML is HTML 4.0. This is also
considered the authoring language used to
create documents on the World Wide Web. HTML
defines the structure and layout of a Web
document by using a variety of tags and
attributes. The correct structure appears below.
ltHTMLgtltHEADgt(enter here what the document is
about) ltBODYgtand ends with lt/BODY /HTML. There
are several other tags used to format and layout
the information in a Web Page. Tags are also
used to specify hypertext links. These allow Web
developers to direct users to other Web pages by
just clicking the mouse on a picture or word(s).
Internet Terminology
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Download
When you Download you are copying information
usually an entire file from a main source to your
computer. This file is usually from an online
service. For example, this page displays a page
for print drivers to be downloaded. Simply click
on the product you want to download.
Internet Terminology
74
Search
To Search within a document or to find
information on a particular topic click on the
magnifying glass in the tool bar. On the left
hand side of the screen you will see in bold
black letters What are you looking for? Type
in the word or phrase you need help with and then
click the word Search.
Internet Terminology
75
Search Engines

• 2. Search Engines are databases on the World Wide
  Web that are used to locate information on the
  internet. They can look for either key words or
  phrases or for categories, then sub-categories.
  Examples of search engines our school uses are as
  follows
• Alta Vista
• Ask Me
• Dogpile
• Google
• HotBot
• Infoseek
• Jumpcity
• Lycos
• Metacrawler
• MSNBC
• Northern Ligt
• Opentext
• Zap Meta
• Pinstripe
• Webcrawler
• Yahoo

Internet Terminology
76
URL, Hyperlink, Favorites
Favorites are the same as bookmarks. This is
where you save sights you would like to go back
to.
URL Uniform Resource Locator, the address of a
given location or document on the Internet
This is a Hyperlink. Click on it and it will
take you to its site.
Internet Terminology
77
Browser
Browser is a program that allows you to look at
web sites on the Internet We use Internet
Explorer. Other examples used include the
following Netscape, Adelphia, Comcast, etc.
Internet Terminology
78
SPAM
Sending Particularly Annoying Messages, this is done through e-mail and is considered junk mail.
SPAM is unsolicited information from an
unfamiliar source. It is E-mail received over
the internet from individuals or companies
promoting the sale of a product, special
promotion or personal campaign.
Internet Terminology
79
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of Internet
servers which support specially formatted
documents. These documents are formatted in HTML
markup language which supports links to
documents, graphics, audio and video files.
There are many Web Browsers that make it easy to
get to the World Wide Web. The most popular are
Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet
Explorer.
Internet Terminology
80
Links



Internet Terminology
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Favorites
Favorites are the same as bookmarks. This is
where you save sights you would like to go back
to.
Internet Terminology
82
Means of Internet Access
Phone Line A modem that uses the local phone
system to transmit data.
DSL Line Its a connection that uses your phone
line, but allows incoming phone calls.
T-1 Line a high speed connection used on most
network servers 1, 544, 000 bits per second
Cable Line A modem that uses part of the
capacity of the local cable system to transmit
data rather than TV channels to the home. It
works much like a Local Area Network. Unlike the
typical cable system, where TV signals can only
be broadcast to the home, information is allowed
to be transmitted in both directions.
Internet Terminology