56Kbps Modem
56Kbps is the standard speed for most current modems. See Modems.
AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port. A new type of interface designed to take super-fast 3D graphics cards.
BIOS
All PCs have a BIOS chip, which stands for Basic Input Output System. It controls the basic features of a PC and tells the operation system things like the time and the size of your hard disk.
Browser
A computer program that allows your PC to access websites. Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer are the two most common browsers.
Cell
One box which makes up a table, wether it be in a table for websites or a Spreadsheet. You can define its own size, colour and what may go inside it.
Clipart
Pre-drawn images for you to use in documents and such. Most commonly found in programs such as Microsoft Word, etc. These can be found on various websites across the web.
Compact Flash
A form of storage used by some digital cameras. Each is about the size of a matchbox, but it is only 3mm thick. They can be slotted into the camera, which uses them for storing photos on.
Crashing
This is what happens when your PC goes wrong and freezes. It can be caused by all sorts of software problems, or simply a lack of memory due to too many programs running at once.
DOS
Stands for Disk Operating System. It is the basic operating system of a PC which doesn’t make use of any Windows features. Basically, it is the backbone of a PC which the Operating System sits on.
Download
Process of transferring files from an Internet resource to your PC. An example of what you may download could be text, images, software or music.
DPI
Dots Per Inch – the density of ink dots per square inch. The more dots, the higher the quality of the printed item.
Drivers
Software that sits between Windows and a peripheral such as a printer, and translates instructions from Windows into a form that the peripheral can understand.
DVD
Digital Versatile Disc. This medium can store huge amounts of data on one disc, including movies, with excellent sound and picture. Many brand-made PCs come with them built-in.
DVD-ROM
This is the hardware in which you would use in a PC to play DVD discs. It looks similar to a standard CD-ROM.
System of sending files between computers via the Internet.
Ethernet
A type of network which allows a number of PCs to be linked together and communicate with one another; similar to the Internet but a smaller version. Originally developed by Xerox in the 1970s.
Font
The design of lettering, or typeface, such as Times New Roman, Verdana or Arial.
Gb
Gigabytes. A thousand megabytes. A measurement of storage space.
Greyscale
A type of printing where a different shade of grey is used for each colour.
HDD
Hard Disk Drive. A high capacity storage device that a PC uses to store programs and data, measured in gigabytes, e.g. 10Gb, 40Gb.
HTML
Hypertext Mark-Up Language – coding used to create pages for the Web.
Hyperlink
A form of navigation which enables you to jump between web pages. Usually named links.
JPEG
Joint Picture Experts Group. JPEG is a standard file type for storing pictures in a compressed format, so they take up less storage space on your hard disk and can be transmitted more quickly over the Internet.
Jumpers
Little metal pins that are found on cards and motherboards, which allow you to change sittings, manually.
Insertion Point
The flashing line ( | ), also known as the cursor, that shows where text will appear.
Landscape
Printing so that the paper is placed so the document is wider than it is high.
Lithium-ion
The most sophisticated type of rechargeable battery. It is light, has a long life, and doesn’t loose capacity with frequent recharging. Widely used in laptop computers.
Mb
Megabyte. A measurement of storage space. Roughly a million characters of text, or 180,000 words, enough for a good sized novel.
Memory (RAM)
Random Accessed Memory is the computers temporary storage area, measured in megabytes. Anything written to memory will be lost when the computer is switched off.
MHz
A measure of frequency of a timing signal that equals to 1,000,000 cycles per second. A measure of how fast the processor in your PC works.
Modem
Hardware that converts electronic signals from your PC into sound signals that can be transmitted over a phone line. You need a modem to connect to the Internet, view web pages and send emails.
Motherboard
The main circuit board in your PC. It contains the ‘Central Processing Unit’, Bus, Memory Sockets, Expansion Slots and other components.
MPEG-2
A compression standard which is used to shrink the size of video files, thus making them quicker to copy and load, and also to send over the Internet.
Operating System
The software that controls the actions of the different parts of your PC. In older PCs it is called MS-DOS, now it is Windows, Apple Mac, Linux and so-on.
Partition
A way of dividing a hard disk into chunks that can be addressed by separate drive letters. A 2Gb hard disk, could for example, be split into four 500Mb partitions called C: D: E: and F:.
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect can offer Plug-and-Play and plugs into your motherboard. It provides a high-speed connection with peripherals and allows connection of seven peripheral devices.
Pixels
The smallest point in an image. Image resolution is measured in a number of pixels; vertically and horizontally.
Point
A unit or measurement for type. There are 72 points to an inch.
Portrait
Printing so that the paper is place so the document is higher than it is wider.
Processor
Or Microprocessor. Originally created by Intel, it is a PC with its entire ‘Central Processing Unit’ on one integrated circuit.
Refresh Rate
How quickly the picture on your PCs monitor, takes to redraw itself. The minimum rate should be 72Hz for a flicker-free image.
Resolution
A measure or print quality – measured in dpi.
Serial Port
A connector at the back of a PC that can connect devices such as external modems, scanners, digital cameras and PDA’s.
Sound Card
An expansion card which can be fitted inside a PC to give it sound, music and sometimes recording capabilities. Practically all PCs come with one.
Taskbar
The bar displaying the Start button and others indicating an open program or file. Click on a button, and the program or file window will open up.
Toolbar
The row of symbols at the top of the screen which enables you to perform functions such as aligning or copying text.
TrueType
A type of font that appears exactly the same on screen as it does when it is printed.
TWAIN
A standard program/driver for scanners and some other devices talk to your computer. It stands for Technology Without An Interesting Name…!
Type II PC Card
The most common type of credit card-size expansion card used to add peripherals such as modems to a notebook PC. Fits into a Type II PC Card slot, which is standard on all notebooks.
URL
Stands for Uniform Resource Locator – the address of a website e.g. www.cappa-euphoric.co.uk.
USB
Universal Serial Bus. A standard way of connecting external peripherals such as scanners and printers to your PC. USB 2 is faster but supports USB 1 devices.USB 2 is used by such things as MP3 players and external disk drives.
Voice Recognition
Refers to software and computer systems that can recognise – but not necessarily understand – speech.
Wallpaper
An image or pattern used as a background on a PC, on the desktop. Wallpapers are also used for personal-style web pages.
Web Browser
A software program developed for navigating the World Wide Web. The two most common and most popular are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
Web Cam
A video camera that connects to your PC and can be used for video-conferencing or simply sending live video over the Internet.
