Glossary

Question 1

basic input/output system

Answer 1

the program that controls how the motherboard communicates with hardware components; abbreviated BIOS

Question 2

binary numbers

Answer 2

base 2 numerical system; a system of numbers using only 0s and 1s

Question 3

BIOS setup

Answer 3

utility program that enables you to change BIOS settings

Question 4

bit

Answer 4

binary digit with a value of either 1 or 0

Question 5

Bluetooth

Answer 5

a wireless technology that uses radio waves to transmit data across short distances

Question 6

boot

Answer 6

the process of starting the computer

Question 7

boot disk

Answer 7

the disk or storage device which houses the boot loader and BIOS

Question 8

boot loader

Answer 8

program that finds and launches the operating system

Question 9

boot partition

Answer 9

section of the hard drive where the operating system program is stored

Question 10

bus

Answer 10

network of circuitry on a motherboard or chip

Question 11

byte

Answer 11

series of 8 bits

Question 12

cache

Answer 12

small amount of memory stored on the central processor for easy access

Question 13

central processing unit

Answer 13

the chip than runs the basic operations of the computer; abbreviated CPU

Question 14

chip

Answer 14

an integrated circuit etched onto semiconductive material

Question 15

chipset

Answer 15

group of chips built into the motherboard

Question 16

data

Answer 16

in computer technology, binary digits that represent individual pieces of information

Question 17

defragment

Answer 17

reduction of fragmented segments of a file by moving their location on a disk

Question 18

device driver

Answer 18

program that controls a piece of hardware; sometimes shortened to “driver”

Question 19

dual in-line package switch

Answer 19

physical on/off switch on a computer component; also called DIP

Question 20

EIDE

Answer 20

extended integrated drive electronics; see integrated drive electronics

Question 21

electrostatic discharge

Answer 21

the instantaneous flow of electricity between two objects when they touch, usually caused by a build-up of static electricity; abbreviated ESD

Question 22

file

Answer 22

collection of data such as a program or document

Question 23

file allocation table

Answer 23

method of storing files used by many different types of computers; abbreviated FAT

Question 24

flashing

Answer 24

rewriting data to a memory chip, as in flashing BIOS

Question 25

form factor

Answer 25

the term used to describe the shape and layout of a computer component such as a motherboard or hard drive

Question 26

gigahertz

Answer 26

one billion cycles per second; abbreviated GHz

Question 27

graphical user interface

Answer 27

images displayed on the screen that enables the user to interact with the computer; abbreviated GUI

Question 28

hard boot

Answer 28

the process of starting the computer from a power-off position

Question 29

hardware

Answer 29

physical parts of a computer, such as the motherboard or hard disk

Question 30

input

Answer 30

devices that take information from the computer user and deliver it to the processor

Question 31

installation

Answer 31

the process putting software on the computer for use

Question 32

integrated drive electronics

Answer 32

interface for computer devices that has its own control function

Question 33

interrupt

Answer 33

a break in the action of a program using the operating system

Question 34

kernel

Answer 34

core program of a computer operating system

Question 35

kilobyte

Answer 35

series of one thousand bytes

Question 36

megabyte

Answer 36

series of one million bytes

Question 37

memory

Answer 37

format for storage of digital data

Question 38

motherboard

Answer 38

primary circuit board of a computer, that houses the power supply and central processing unit

Question 39

NT file system

Answer 39

method of storing files used by Microsoft; abbreviated NTFS

Question 40

output

Answer 40

devices that take information from the processor and deliver it to the computer user

Question 41

partition

Answer 41

section of a hard drive used for file storage

Question 42

partitioning

Answer 42

the process of dividing a hard drive into separate sections to use for file storage

Question 43

peripheral

Answer 43

in computer technology, a device that is not central to the operations of a computer

Question 44

pixel

Answer 44

smallest element of a picture on a computer display

Question 45

power up

Answer 45

turning on the electrical power to the computer and starting it

Question 46

processor

Answer 46

a chip whose purpose is to handle data input and output

Question 47

random-access memory

Answer 47

chip that stores data that can be accessed from anywhere in approximately the same amount of time; abbreviated RAM

Question 48

read-only memory

Answer 48

chip on the motherboard that holds instructions for the computer to start up; abbreviated ROM

Question 49

small computer system interface

Answer 49

standard that addresses the physical connection and transfer speed between a computer and a peripheral device; abbreviated SCSI

Question 50

soft boot

Answer 50

the process of starting a computer from a power-on position

Question 51

storage

Answer 51

devices like hard drives or floppy drives that house data

Question 52

system partition

Answer 52

section of the hard drive where the boot loader program is stored

Question 53

transmission control protocol/internet protocol

Answer 53

two separate standards used together that define how data is sent and received across a network; abbreviated TCP/IP

Question 54

upgrade

Answer 54

the process of installing a new version of software to improve performance