Technical Terms

ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line )

A connection available from Telecom companies using existing lines with fast download & upload speeds. Often referred to as Broadband.

It works by splitting your phone line signal into two separate channels, one for normal voice usage and the other for data usage, this is achieved by placing a splitter on the existing phone line to enable multi-frequency communication.

An advantage of having an ADSL line is not missing calls while you're online, as both voice and data can be transferred at the same time.

AGP (Advanced Graphics Port or an Accelerated Graphics Port)

A high speed point-to-point channel for attaching a graphics card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the acceleration of 3D computer graphics.

You will see AGP cards advertised with different specifications, including throughput (bandwidth), here is a summary of the throughput they refer to:

1 x - 266MBps 2 x - 533MBps 4 x - 1.07GBps 8 x - 2.1GBps

This has now been replaced by the more modern PCI Express

Antispyware

Software that scans your computer's hard drive for all known traces of spyware. After the scanning is complete you can usually choose which spyware to delete.

Antivirus

Software that scans your computer's hard drive for all known traces of viruses. After the scanning is complete you can usually choose which viruses to delete.

Attachment

This is the name normally given to a file that is sent with an email, the attachment can be any type of file including photos, documents, zipped files/folders, etc. see also Viruses

AVI

Is a multimedia file type, the audio and video elements are interleaved in alternate segments within the AVI file. A popular format on the Internet for video distribution. The file extension for these types of files are .avi

Bandwidth

This refers to the capacity of a communications line/channel to transmit and receive information and is measured in bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes. When specified by your ISP provider it is the monthly quota of data that you are allowed to upload and download with your internet connection and is normally measured in Megabytes or Gigabytes.

Bitmap

A common graphic format used by computers, the graphic or picture is made up of a number of individual dots (bits) to form an image. The file extension for these types of files are .bmp

BLOG

This refers to a webpage which is usually published by either an individual. They contain personal journals or diaries and normally updated daily or weekly etc. and cover a variety of subjects.

Bluetooth

A wireless technology which allows digital devices to easily transfer files at high speed, bluetooth is common in many portable devices such as laptops, PDAs and mobile phones. Bluetooth devices are low-powered and low-range.

Boot

The process of initialising, testing and configuring a computer system from start-up.

Browser

This is the program you use to surf the internet, i.e. Internet Explorer, Opera etc. Most browsers render web pages slightly differently, for example some sites may require a certain browser to function correctly and some sites may not function at all with some browsers.

Byte

A Byte is made up of 8 bits, and is the measurement unit used to describe the storage capacity and transfer rate of digital systems. Common multiples of bytes are Kilobytes (1024 bytes) Megabytes (roughly 1,000,000 bytes).

Cache

Normally there are two types, disk cache and memory cache.

Disk cache is the space normally on a hard disk set aside by the computer/software to store information that it thinks it will need again in the future, for instance browsers use disk cache to store information from websites, this reduces the need to keep downloading the same data each time you visit a webpage. Memory cache can either utilise normal memory or special memory which has a faster access time and is used by the system to store information that is used frequently, it saves information that it thinks the user may require next and loads this into the cache memory for faster access.

CD Rom

Similar to an audio CD and works in much the same way but stores data instead of music.

Cluster

Is a sector in a small area of the hard disk drive. A typical hard disk drive when low-level formatted is split into tracks, sectors and clusters, clusters are a set of sectors. A lost cluster is a cluster that the operating system has classed as being in use, but actually contains no data. Windows has a ScanDisk utility which is designed to search for lost clusters and make them available to the file system again.

CODEC

Refers to a small piece of code (program) which is used to compress and decompress data, usually when using Audio and Video. You may be prompted to download a CODEC when you visit a site that requires a certain CODEC not already installed on your PC.

Cookie

These are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites for various reasons. This piece of information which is sent by the Web server to the Web browser is normally then expected to save the data and send it back to the server whenever the browser makes additional requests from the server.

CPU (Central processing unit)

This refers to the processor in your PC system, it interprets and executes instructions and data that is contained in the software.

Crash

A term which applies when your computer doesn't respond or the screen freezes up.

Cursor

This is the small vertical or horizontal flashing line which shows the position on the screen where text will appear the next time you type a character on the keyboard. The cursor can be moved around the screen using the cursor (arrow) keys or alternatively using a mouse.

Data

Is used to describe the information that is stored. Data can refer to anything, such as word processor documents, images, music, games, etc, although in its purest form in a digital system it is simply bits stored and processed in a certain way.

Database

This refers to a file that is used to store information in a format that is easily retrieved and manipulated on your pc. The most common database files are made up of tables, fields and records.

Defragmentation

A term used for the process of scanning the file system and rejoining any split files back into consecutive pieces, this would normally happen when a file is originally saved, then modified causing the file to be larger in physical space than first anticipated, the operating system will then break the file into 2 or more pieces and store them in different parts of the storage area.

Desktop

Refers to the main screen area of the Windows operating system.

DLL (Dynamic Link Library)

Refers to a type of file that is stored either locally or remotely and is a collection of commands and/or data which can be shared by different programs. The file extension for these type of files are .dll

Domain

A domain name comes after the http://www which personalises the website and is seen in the address bar of your browser.

Download

A term used to describe when a file is transferred from a remote machine to a local machine using a communications link, for instance when you download a file from a website you are transferring the data from the host to your machine.

Driver

A program that is written specifically to control a certain piece of hardware such as a printer, scanner, sound card, modem, graphics card, etc. Manufacturers usually supply their own drivers for their particular products.

DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc)

Similar to an audio CD, but it has a storage capacity far greater (up to 17Gb) and a faster access time (up to 1.3MBps) than a standard CD-ROM. Some DVDs can store data on both sides of the disc (4.7Gb per side / 133 mins of video with sound). Double sided, dual layer discs can hold up to 17Gb of data.

Email (Electronic Mail)

This is a system used by computers to send and receive messages over the internet.

Email Attachment

A name given to a file that is sent with an email, an email attachment can be any type of file including documents, images, zipped files/folders, etc.

Flash

A tool used to create animated content, particularly to websites. A flash file will have a .swf file extension and will often be used to design ads and small movie files that appear like cartoons on the Internet.

Firewall

Is a security program which protects your computer from unauthorised access through the Internet. It resides on your pc and filters traffic coming and going from your computer.

Gigahertz (GHZ)

A frequency measurement and it refers to billions of cycles per second.

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

An image format, they can be interlaced and animated making them a popular choice for web designers. The file extension for these type of files are .gif

Gigabyte (GB)

A measurement used to describe 1024 Megabytes. Hard disk capacity is usually measured in Gigabytes. 1 Gigabyte is 1,073,741,824 Bytes.

Graphics Card

A Graphics Card is an internal device which controls and produces the display on your screen.

Hard Drive

This is your computers main storage device, this is where you would normally keep your programs and files.

Hardware

This usually refers to your computer case with any components inside it. Motherboards, memory (RAM), modems, soundcards, and graphics cards are all classed as hardware.

HTML (HyperText Mark-up Language)

A simple hypertext publishing language. The hypertext document encoding scheme is used for resources published on World-Wide Web servers.

Internet

Refers to a world wide network of computer systems all using the TCP/IP network protocols. Commonly refers to the world wide web.

IP Address (Internet Protocol)

A unique number split into 4 parts (soon to be 6) separated by full stops, every computer connected to the internet has an IP address.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Refers to a company which provides Internet services.

JPEG (Joint Photographics Experts Group)

This is an image format that can compress images to very small file sizes, commonly used on the internet due to faster image transfer rates. The file extension for these type of files are .jpg

Kilobyte (KB)

A measurement used to describe storage capacity, 1 Kilobyte is equal to 1024 Bytes in digital systems.

Megabyte (MB)

A measurement used in PCs to describe storage capacity usually RAM. One megabyte is equal to 1024 Kilobytes

Memory

Is often referred to as RAM and is used for temporary storage of data.

MODEM (Modulator Demodulator)

A communications device used to connect to the internet.

Mouse

A pointing device used to interact with a PC.

MP3

An audio file which has been compressed using the MPEG compression standard.

MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group)

A compression standard used for compressing Video and Audio files to a smaller physical size.

Operating System (OS)

Refers to the main software of a computer system, all installed programs run under the control of the operating system.

Peripheral

A peripheral is any computer device that is not part of the essential computer (the processor, memory, and data paths) but is situated relatively close by. Some peripherals are mounted in the same case with the main part of the computer, as are the hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive and NIC. Other peripherals are outside the computer case, such as the printer and image scanner, attached by a wired or wireless connection.

PIXEL (Picture Element)

Refers to individual 'bits' of data that form an image, also refers to screen resolution.

Plug and Play (PNP)

Plug and Play compatible devices communicate with the operating system allowing automated configuration, most new hardware is Plug and Play compatible.

POP (Post Office Protocol)

A POP server allows you to send and receive your email through an email client program.

Ram (Random Access Memory)

See Memory

Registry

Where Windows stores information in order for it to operate and perform certain tasks.

Resolution

To a monitor this measurement depicts the amount of horizontal and vertical pixels. When referring to a printer or a scanner it depicts the DPI. (Dots per inch).

ROM (Read Only Memory)

A type of memory storage which is not power dependent. The data once stored will remain after the power is shut down.

Safe Mode

This is a way for Windows to boot with only the minimum necessary system files. A great tool for troubleshooting, and it also makes scanning for viruses and spyware much more effective.

Software

A term given to the programs that a computer executes. An example of software would be a word processor or an accounts package.

Sound Card

An internal device which controls and produces any sounds including music that your PC makes.

SPAM

This can come in a variety of forms, although the most common is unsolicited commercial email.

Spyware

Software that will quietly gather information through the user's internet connection. This information is then transmitted to someone else. Mostly used to gather information.

Surge

A voltage increase, lasting seconds, that can cause components to fail prematurely.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)

A type of image format file and are basically Bitmap images, they are not restricted in resolution and can be black and white, grey scale or full colour. The file extension for these type of files are .tiff

Trojan

Software that gets into a computer usually unnoticed. It does not replicate itself but it has a variety of functions including damaging your computer, passing private information to hackers, etc.

Upload

This refers to the process of sending a file from a local computer to a remote computer via a communications line.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

What you see in the address bar of your web browser and it is the full unique address of websites or pages or files on the internet.

USB (Universal Serial Port)

Is a port on your pc for connecting devices (mice, printers, scanners, etc)

Virus

A harmful program that can run on your computer without your knowledge and can cause damage to your files or your computer usually by attaching itself to other programs.

WAV

An audio file format. The file extension for these types of files is .wav

WI-FI (Wireless Fidelity)

This refers to a type of wireless technology which allows users to connect to a local network without the need for cables. Known also as a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

WWW (World Wide Web)

Describes the internet as a whole, millions of computers all over the world connected via phone lines in one large network