Technical Glossary

A

Adapter
A device that serves as an interface between the system unit and a device attached to it, such as a SCSI Adapter.   Often synonymous with expansion card, card, or board.  Can also refer to a special type of connector.

Anti-Virus
Software that detects, repairs, cleans, or removes virus-infected files from a computer.

Application
A more technical term for program.

B

Bank
The collection of memory chips or modules that make up a block of memory.  This can be 1, 2 or 4 chips.  Memory in a PC must always be added or removed in full-bank increments.

BIOS
The part of the operating system that provides the lowest level interface to peripheral devices.  The BIOS is stored in the ROM on the computer's motherboard.

Boot
To start up your computer.  Because the computer gets itself up and going from an inert state, it could be said to lift itself up "by its own bootstraps" -- this is where the term 'boot' originates.

Boot Disk
The magnetic disk (usually a hard disk) from which an operating system kernel is loaded (or "bootstrapped").  MS-DOS and Microsoft ® Windows® can be configured (in the BIOS) to try to boot off either floppy disk or hard disk, in either order (and on some modern systems even from CD or other removable media).  A special floppy boot disk (often called a System Rescue Disk) can be created that will allow your computer to boot even if it cannot boot from the hard disk. 

Boot Record
Once the BIOS determines which disk to boot from, it loads the first sector of that disk into memory and executes it.   Besides this loader program, the Boot Record contains the partition table for that disk.  If the Boot Record is damaged, it can be a very serious situation! 

Boot Sector
See Boot Record.

Bootstrap
To load and initialize the operating system on a computer.  Often abbreviated to boot. 

Bus
A set of conductors (wires or connectors in an integrated circuit) connecting the various functional units in a computer.  There are busses both within the CPU and connecting it to external memory and peripheral devices.  The bus width (i.e., the number of parallel connectors) is one factor limiting a computer's performance.

C

Card
A circuit board that usually is designed to plug into a connector or slot.  See also adapter.

Cache
(Internet Browser) - The files and graphics saved locally from web sites you have previously visited.

Click
To click an item means to point to it with the screen pointer, and then press quickly and release the left mouse button at once.

Cluster
Windows allocates space to files in units called clusters.  Each cluster contains from 1 to 64 sectors, depending on the type and size of the disk.  A cluster is the smallest unit of disk space that can be allocated for use by files. 

CMOS
A part of the motherboard that maintains system variables in static RAM.  It also supplies a real-time clock that keeps track of the date, day and time.  CMOS Setup is typically accessible by entering a specific sequence of keystrokes during the POST at system start-up.

Cold Boot
Starting or restarting a computer by  turning on the power supply.  See also warm boot.

Context Menu
Also called a context-sensitive menu, or a shortcut menu, a context menu includes the commands that are commonly associated with an object on the screen.  To activate an itme's context menu, point to it with the screen pointer, then press and release the right mouse button once.

Cookies
(Internet Browser) - Holds information on the times and dates you have visited web sites. Other information can also be saved to your hard disk in these text files, including information about online purchases, validation information about you for members-only web sites, and more.

CPU
Stands for Central Processing Unit, a programmable logic device that performs all the instruction, logic, and mathematical processing in a computer.

Crash
A sudden, usually drastic failure.  Can be said of the operating system or a particular program when there is a software failure.  Also, a disk drive can crash because of hardware failure.  

Cross-linked files
Two files that both refer to the same data.

D

Data Recovery:

Defragment
As modern file systems are used and files are deleted and created, the total free space becomes split into smaller non-contiguous blocks.  Eventually new files being created, and old files being extended, cannot be stored each in a single contiguous block but become scattered across the file system.  This degrades performance as multiple seek operations are required to access a single fragmented file. 

Defragmenting consolidates each existing file and the free space into a contiguous group of sectors.  Access speed will be improved due to reduced seeking.  A nearly-full disk system will fragment more quickly.   A disk should be defragmented before fragmenting reaches 10%. 

Directory
This is an index into the files on your disk.  It acts as a hierarchy, and you will see them represented in Windows looking like manila folders.

DMA
Stands for direct access memory.  DMA is a fast way of transferring data within a computer.  Most devices require a dedicated DMA channel (so the number of DMA channels that are available may limit the number of peripherals that can be installed).

DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory (see also SDRAM).  A type of memory used in a PC for the main memory (such as your "32 Mbytes of RAM".)  "Dynamic" refers to the memory's memory of storage - basically storing the charge on a capacitor.  Specialized types of DRAM (such as EDO memory) have been developed to work with today's faster processors.

Driver
A program designed to interface a particular piece of hardware to an operating system or other software.

DOS
Disk Operating System.  Usually used as an abbreviation for MS-DOS, a micro-computer operating system developed by Microsoft.

E

EIDE
Stands for enhanced integrated drive electronics.  A specific type of attachment interface specification that allows for high-performance, large-capacity drives.  See also IDE.

Encrypted data
Data converted into cyphertext. Encryption is the safest way to ensure data confidentiality.

Executable
A binary file containing a program in machine language which is ready to be executed (run).  MS-DOS and Windows machines use the filename extension ".exe" for these files.

Extract
To extract is to return a compressed file to its original state.  Typically in order to view the contents of a compressed file, you must extract it first.

Expansion Card
An integrated circuit card that plugs into an expansion slot on a motherboard to provide access to additional peripherals or features not built into the motherboard.  See also adapter.

F

FAT
See File Allocation Table.

FAT32
See File Allocation Table.

FDISK
The disk-partitioning program used in DOS and several other operating systems to create the master boot record and allocate partitions for the operating system's use.

File
A collection of data grouped into one unit on a disk.

File Allocation Table
(FAT or FAT32)  DOS uses the FAT to manage the disk data area.  The FAT tells DOS which portions of the disk belong to each file.  The FAT links together all of the clusters belonging to each file, no matter where they are on disk.  The FAT is a critical file: you should be sure to back it up regularly. 

FAT32 is a newer type of FAT that was designed to handle large hard disks.  The older FAT (FAT16) can only support partitions up to two gigabytes in size.  FAT32 can handle partitions that are thousands of gigabytes.

File System
A system for organizing directories and files, generally in terms of how it is implemented in the disk operating system.

Firmware
Software contained in a read-only memory (ROM) device.

Folder
Commonly used as a standard Windows 95/98/NT term, equivalent to the Windows 3.x term directory.

FORMAT
The DOS format program that performs high-level formatting on a hard disk, and both high- and low-level formatting on a floppy disk.

Fragmentation
The state of having a file scattered around a disk in pieces rather than existing in one contiguous area of the disk.  Fragmented files are slower to read than unfragmented files.

G

Graphics Adapter
See Video Adapter

H

Head
A small electromagnetic device inside a drive that reads, writes, and erases data on the drive's media.

History
(Internet Browser) - Stores the internet addresses (URLs) of the web sites you have visited.

Heat Sink
A mass of metal attached to a chip carrier or socket for the purpose of dissipating heat.

I

IDE
Stands for integrated drive electronics.  Describes a hard disk with the disk controller integrated within it.   See also EIDE.

I/O Port
I/O stands for input/output.   I/O is the communication between a computer and its user, its storage devices, other computers (via a network) or the outside world.  The I/O port is the logical channel or channel endpoint in an I/O communication system.

IRQ
Stands for interrupt request.   IRQ is the name of the hardware interrupt signals that PC peripherals (such as serial or parallel ports) use to get the processor's attention.  Since interrupts usually cannot be shared, devices are assigned unique IRQ addresses that enable them to communicate with the processor.  Peripherals that use interrupts include LAN adapters, sound boards, scanner interfaces, and SCSI adapters. 

J

Jumper
A small, plastic-covered metal clip that slips over two pins protruding from a circuit board.  When in place, the jumper connects the pins electronically and closes the circuit, turning it "on".

K

Kernel
An essential part of the operating system, responsible for resource allocation, low-level hardware interfaces, security, and more.

L

Lost Cluster Chain
This is a cluster on disk that is not registered as free, but does not have any known data in it.

M

Motherboard
The "heart" of your PC -- it handles system resources (IRQ lines, DMA channels, I/O locations), as well as core components like the CPU, and all system memory.  It accepts expansion devices such as sound and network cards, and modems.

N

NTFS
Windows NT File System.

O

Oracle Database

P

Partition
A logical section of a disk.  Each partition normally has its own file system.

Partition Table
A 64-byte data structure that defines the way a PC's hard disk is divided into logical sectors known as partitions. The partition table describes to the operating system how the hard disk is divided.  Each partition on a disk has a corresponding entry in the partition table.  The partition table is always stored in the first physical sector of a disk drive.

Path
A location of a file.  The path consists of directory or folder names, beginning with the highest-level directory or disk name and ending with the lowest-level directory name.  A path can identify a drive (e.g. C:\), a folder (e.g. C:\Temp) , or a file (e.g. C:\Windows\ftp.exe).

Peripheral
Any part of a computer other than the CPU or working memory (RAM and ROM).  For example, disks, keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, tape drives, microphones, speakers, and other such devices are peripherals.

Plug-and-Play
(PnP)  A hardware and software specification developed by Intel that allows a PnP system and a PnP adapter to configure automatically .  PnP cards generally have no switches or jumpers, but are configured via the PnP system's BIOS or with supplied software for non-PnP computers.

POST
Stands for power-on self test.   Each time a PC initializes, the BIOS executes a series of tests collectively known as the POST.  The test checks each of the primary areas of the system, including the motherboard, video system, drive system, and keyboard, and ensures that all components can be used safely.  If a fault is detected, the POST reports it as an audible series of beeps or a hexadecimal code written to an I/O port.

R

RAM
Random Access Memory (see also DRAM, SDRAM).  A data storage device for which the order of access to different locations does not affect the speed of access.  This is in contrast to magnetic disk or magnetic tape where it is much quicker to access data sequentially because accessing a non-sequential location requires physical movement of the storage medium rather than just electronic switching.  The most common form of RAM in use today is built from semi-conductor integrated circuits, which can either be static (SRAM) or dynamic (DRAM). 

Registry
See System Registry

Right Click
To right-click an item is to point to it with the screen pointer, and then quickly press and release the right mouse button once.

ROM
Read-Only Memory.  A type of data storage device which is manufactured with fixed contents.  The term is most often applied to semiconductor integrated circuit memories.  ROM is inherently non-volatile storage - it retains its contents even when the power is switched off, in contrast to RAM.  It is used in part for storage of the lowest level bootstrap software (firmware) in a computer.

S

SAS
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a computer bus technology primarily designed for transfer of data to and from devices like hard drives, CD-ROM drives and so on. SAS is a serial communication protocol for direct attached storage (DAS) devices. It is designed for the corporate and enterprise market as a replacement for parallel SCSI, allowing for much higher speed data transfers than previously available, and is backwards-compatible with SATA drives. Though SAS uses serial communication instead of the parallel method found in traditional SCSI devices, it still uses SCSI commands for interacting with SAS End devices.

Serial ATA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

First generation (1.5 Gbit/s) SATA ports on a motherboard

In computer hardware, Serial ATA (SATA, IPA: /ˈseɪ.tə/ or /ˈsæ.tə/) is a computer bus technology primarily designed for transfer of data to and from hard disks and optical drives. It was designed as a successor to the legacy Advanced Technology Attachment standard (ATA), and is expected to eventually replace the older technology ( retroactively renamed Parallel ATA or PATA). Serial ATA adapters and devices communicate over a high-speed serial link.

SCSI

“Scuzzy” redirects here. For the British Columbian sternwheeler. SCSI is most commonly pronounced "scuzzy".

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it can connect a wide range of other devices, including scanners, and optical drives (CD, DVD, etc.). The SCSI standard contains definitions of command sets of specific peripheral device types; the presence of "unknown" as one of these types means that in theory it can be used to interface almost any device, but the standard is highly pragmatic and addressed toward commercial requirements.

SDRAM
Stands for synchronous dynamic random Access memory (see also DRAM). SDRAM incorporates new features that make it faster than standard DRAM and EDO memory.

Sector
The tracks on a disk are divided into sectors.  Clusters contains from 1 to 64 sectors.

Select
To select an item is to identify to the computer one or more files or folders that you wish to do something with.   This is usually done by pointing to an item, with the screen pointer and then quickly pressing and releasing the left mouse button once.

SharePoint Database
Collaborative portal application based on the Windows SharePoint Services platform, a free component of Windows Server 2003. Windows SharePoint Services offers online publishing of standard file formats.

Slot
A physical connector on a motherboard to hold an expansion card, SIMM, DIMM, or a processor card in place.

Socket
A receptacle usually on a motherboard, that processors or chips can be inserted into.

System Registry
The system configuration files used by Windows 95, 98 and NT to store settings about user preferences, installed software, hardware and drivers, and other settings required for Windows to run correctly.  The system updates the registry every time you add new hardware or a new program to your system. 

System Rescue Disk
See Boot Disk.

T

Terminator
Most commonly found in relation to a SCSI chain, this functions to prevent the reflection or echoing of signals that reach the ends of the SCSI bus.  Usually terminators are hardware circuits or jumpers.

U

Unzip
To unzip is to extract (see extract) a Zip archive.

UUencode
Many file formats are 8-bit (also called binary) which means that the basic unit of information - a byte - comprises 8 on/off signals.   Email, however, is a 7-bit (or text) medium, preventing the transfer of 8-bit data. UUencoding compensates for this restriction by converting 8-bit data to 7-bit data.   UUencode accomplishes this by joining all of the file's bits together into a single stream, and then dividing the stream into 7-bit chunks.  The data are then emailed and received by someone who must UUdecode it.

V

Video Adapter
An expansion card or chip set built into a motherboard that provides the capability to display text and graphics on the computer's monitor.  If the adapter is part of an expansion card, it also includes the physical connector for the monitor cable.  If it is a chip set on the motherboard, the video connector will be on the motherboard also.

Virus
A virus is a program written to cause mischief or damage to a computer system.  A mild virus might only be a slight nuisance, or even amusing.  However, most viruses do damage, whether to your files, your registry, or even your hardware.  Viruses are hard to detect, easy to propagate, and difficult to remove.  Your computer can pick up a virus when you copy a seemingly normal file from a diskette or download it from the Internet. 

W

Warm Boot
Rebooting a system by means of a software command as opposed to turning the power off and on.  See also cold boot.

Wizard
A wizard is a series of dialog boxes that guides you step by step through a procedure.

Z

zip
To zip (notice the lower case z ) a file is to compress it into an archive so that it occupies less disk space. 

Zip archive
An archive of one or more Zip-compressed files.  When used as a noun, Zip is typically capitalized.   Compressed files can come in many formats besides Zip.

Zip file
A Zip archive that Windows presents as a single file.  In general, the contents can not be accessed unless the archive is decompressed.