Computer Terms
The computer agreement and definitions that aloof accomplish a lot of sense. You Are actual acceptable to add your own admired computer agreement to our list. Artlessly animadversion below, abacus your computer appellation in there, and I will add it to this list.
Also apprehend A Guide to Basal Computer Terminology, my common Computer Dictionary, Vista Computer Agreement (funny), Router networking terms.
PLEASE NOTE: If you acquisition this breadth advantageous and would like a 30+ folio Computer Agreement concordance (PDF format) for you to download for free….All you accept to do is go to the Tips4pc Forum to the computer concordance folio and on the aboriginal column there will be a articulation to download a book alleged C is for computer.
Computer Agreement A to Z
A
ADSL: Short for age agenda subscriber band (ADSL), a new technology that allows added abstracts to be beatific over absolute chestnut blast lines. See more…
Affiliate: An associate is a being or aggregation that advertises and promotes addition companies’ articles in adjustment to accomplish a sale. Sometimes you can advance barter to the aggregation website, and if an artefact is awash you will accept an agreed allotment of the auction price. Accepted associate sites accommodate Clickbank.com, Commission Junction, and Ebay.com. Associate business is an accepted way to accomplish money now canicular and it about apparent as an accepted job.
AGP: (Accelerated Cartoon Port) is usually amid abreast the white PCI slots on a Motherboard. This is breadth you install a video agenda for bigger graphical performance. Best motherboards now arise with on-board complete and video which is top quality, about back you install AGP video it removes burden from the computer’s resources.
Application Software: Or artlessly appliance is a computer affair that performs tasks that the user wishes to perform. Appliance software could be Microsoft babble and your ability use it to abode a letter or Adobe Photoshop to adapt a photo.
Animation: A simulation of movement created by announcement an alternation of pictures, or frames. All these pictures put calm can accomplish a computer activated gif, which will be an affective picture. You can additionally breathe writing, banners, and alike absolute websites. A cartoon on television is one archetype of an animation.
Attachment: This refers to a book absorbed to an e-mail message. For archetype you could attach an annual or photo to accelerate with your e-mail. Best email programs acquiesce accessories in email to be sent, about there may be an admeasurement limit.
Auto responder an e-mail annual that automatically replies to an e-mail bulletin with a pre-written response. Apprehend More….
AutoStart This is back a affairs or appliance starts after you accepting to bifold bang on the figure to start. For example, if you admit a cd into the cd drive on your computer it could be set to autos tart. If it is it will automatically accessible the disc to appearance or alpha the affairs it holds. You can additionally bung your agenda camera in and an affair will arise to abstract the photos from the camera. This agency that the affairs was set to AutoStart if a camera was absorbed to the computer.
B
Broadband: This usually refers to an aerial acceleration internet affiliation like DSL or cable. To use this affiliation, you would additionally charge a broadband modem. Broadband is a far cry from the acceptable old Dialup internet. I am abnormally animated to see the internet speeds are convalescent day by day.
Bios: Basal ascribe achievement system. You can admission this back your start-up a computer. It will say on the awning “To admission bureaucracy columnist ….key”. It lets you change whether the CD-ROM or adamantine drive boots first. There are additionally settings to overclock some computer systems.
Bit: (binary digit) This is the aboriginal assemblage of advice on an apparatus and can authority alone one of two values: 0 or 1. Consecutive $.25 can be accumulated to anatomy beyond units such as a byte (8 $.25 = 1 byte).
Black Screen: A tremendous awning is back your computer adviser is tremendous and your computer will not start.
Boot sequence: The adjustment of drives that a system’s BIOS follows back attractive for the operating system. It can additionally be alleged Cossack order. For archetype it can go to the adamantine drive, the billowing drive, or the Cd rom.
Broadcast: To accompanying accelerate the bulletin to assorted recipients. Broadcasting is an advantageous affection in e-mail systems. You can accelerate a dark carbon archetype BCC to abounding bodies at the time after anybody abroad seeing anniversary added email addresses.
Browser: A affairs to acquiesce you to appearance and browse web pages on the internet. I use Internet Explorer. There is additionally Firefox, Google Chrome, and abounding more.
Bandwidth: This is the appellation we use to admeasurement the bulk of abstracts and its acceleration through an internet connection. The added bandwidth you have, the faster the internet connection. Bandwidth is bound by the band it is biking through. Your internet annual provider can abate or admission your bandwidth according to your internet plan.
C = computer terms
Capacity: (hard drive capacity) Basically agency what admeasurement is the adamantine drive, how abundant abstracts can it hold, etc. “My adamantine drive accommodation is 500GB.” You can now buy adamantine drives that are 2TB. Western Agenda 2 TB SATA Adamantine Drive for $79
Case Sensitive: A appellation acclimated to call if it is of accent to use high or lower-case letters. See how to change uppercase to lowercase in MS Word.
Computer: This an accepted appellation for all the included apparatus that accomplish up a computer. Back bodies say the babble computer they about beggarly the accomplished system.
Cookie: A argument advice bulletin that is stored on your computer back your appointment a web page. Back your acknowledgment to the folio the cookie is acclimated to admit you. What is a cookie?
CPU: (Central Processing unit) This is the accuracy of the computer. It is a dent absorbed to the motherboard and controls and calculates abstracts and is a basal allotment of your computer. Sometimes accepted as the Processor, the CPU comes in altered speeds. I accept a 2.8ghz processor. You can additionally accept a 32 bit or a 64-bit processor.
CTRL: Stands for ascendancy button. Begin on both sides, basal larboard and right, of the keyboard. Acclimated to accomplish adapted functions such as selecting all (Ctrl-A).
D
Data: A accumulating of facts, information, photos, text, anything, on a computer or on the internet.
Database: A Database is a structured accumulating of abstracts that is stored on a computer or server, the best acclimated archetypal of database is a relational database.
Data compression: Compressing abstracts so it does not booty as continued to alteration from one abode to another. For archetype abstracts is aeroembolism back you upload a book to the internet because this book is usually travelling through cables and buzz lines.
Debugging: Locating bugs (defects and problems) in a software affair to adjustment and annihilate them.
Decryption: What you do back you break something. This could be removing an aegis countersign or breaking a cipher to get access.
Default Attending Provider: A absence attending provider is an attending provider that you accept called to use through your browser. For archetype in Internet Explorer back you aboriginal set the affairs up it asks you to accept an absence attending provider. This agency if you accept Google, again you will be application Google’s attending services.
Default settings: A preset action in something. For archetype in Windows an annual will by absence be adored to the picture’s binder on your computer. All programs and websites accept absence settings to alpha with and abide there until you accept to change these settings.
Defragmentation: Defragmentation re-allocates all files and compacts again into a neat, organized sections calm accordingly removing ashen amplitude amid the alone files. This brings the frequently acclimated files to a breadth for easier and added able admission and accordingly authoritative your computer run faster.
Desktop: It is aggregate you see back you alpha your computer except the assignment bar. Your desktop has the icons on it that are shortcuts to programs and folders.
Desktop Background: A annual or bright your affectation on your computer desktop (screen). If you accept icons on your desktop the accomplishments will be abaft these. Bodies usually adorn their desktop backgrounds with desktop wallpaper.
Download: To download commodity is to get it from the internet to your computer through your internet connection. For example, back you accept email to your computer the new emails are downloaded from your mail server. Now canicular bodies download aggregate including documents, information, music files, movies, games, cracks, cheats, and more. To upload is the adverse of download.
E
Edit: Meaning to alter, advance or change an aboriginal document, image, video, complete or any added agenda file. Editing is the modification of data.
E-mail: (Electronic mail) A certificate or bulletin beatific to an email server to bear to an almsman over the internet.
Email Client: An email applicant is an affair that lets you read, actualize emails, send, acknowledgment to, read, and administer your emails. Some examples of Email Clients accommodate Outlook Express, Thunderbird, Intradomain, Pegasus and abounding others.
Email Signature: An email signature is a bit of alone argument (such as your acquaintance advice or an admired quote) that is automatically amid at the basal of every bulletin you send.
Email Server: An email server collects your email and delivers it to your called email client. With sending an email. It gets taken to the email server to administer to the adapted email recipient. It is a bit like a column appointment in the absolute apple and the email applicant is your letter box.
Embed: To absorb abstracts or files calm to become one package. For archetype your ability buries an aberrant chantry blazon into a babble document. This way back the certificate is opened on an adopted computer it will still accommodate the font. If you do not do this, and the adopted computer doesn’t authority the font, it will be replaced with an all-encompassing one and your certificate ability attending different.
Emoticons: Because bodies cannot consistently see you back chatting on the internet, we accept symbols and pictures that broadcast our emotions. If you blazon this:) its agency you are animated or happy. Sometimes back you blazon this an affair will catechumen it to a smiley face icon.
Ergonomic appointment chair: This refers to an armchair advisedly advised to fit the abundance needs of the user with considerations such as surrounding ambiance considered.
F
File: In the old canicular a book acclimated to be a breadth class that was kept in a filing cabinet, about now we accept beneath cardboard to book away. Now the appellation book can beggarly annihilation on your computer. Aggregate on your computer is fabricated up of files. Folders and directories accept files stored in them. Programs are fabricated up of assertive files that accomplish the affairs work. A book on a computer can beggarly any book unless you specify which type. For archetype there are music files, annual files, arrangement files, and so on. See Creating, saving, copying, pasting, and affective files or folders on your computer.
File Extension: A book addendum classifies what class a book avalanche into. If it has .txt as a book addendum again you apperceive it is an argument file. If it has .jpeg it is a picture. Here is an abundant commodity about book extensions.
Firewall: A claimed firewall is a computer affair that protects your computer from awful users by blocking admission and approachable crooked access. Windows Xp comes with a congenital in firewall.
Format: (Hard drive, re-writeable disks) To bright of all data. Clean to the aboriginal accompaniment of empty. An adamantine drive must be formatted and abstracted to install an operating system. To architecture Windows agency you are reinstalling the operating system. It can additionally beggarly to architecture argument by alteration the font, blush and size.
Forward: Advanced is an advantage begin in an e-mail client, which allows you to advance an accustomed e-mail to addition recipient?
Forum: This is an affiliate-based website, usually chargeless to join, breadth bodies accumulate to babble and antipodal on an accurate subject. Forums can be acclimated as an actual advantageous acquirement’s apparatus for best accommodation as bodies allotment their ability and adventures with others. You can acquisition computer advice forums, money extenuative forums, adolescent bearing forums, and more.
G
Gigabyte: 1 gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes for adamantine drive accommodation or 1 gigabyte = 1024 megabytes for computer anamnesis and files sizes.
Glitch: A accouterments botheration abundant like a software bug, that causes a computer to malfunction.
Google: The cardinal one attending agent on the planet.
Graphics: Usually annihilation that is displayed by the computer is accepted as a bright affectation (graph because it uses a pixel blueprint to abode colors).
Graphics Accelerator: Computer affectation accessory distinctively configured to accommodate added performance.
Graphics Card: An add-on basal that can be installed into your computer to advance or enhance cartoon that you see. This ability can additionally be congenital in and is again apperceive as onboard graphics.
Graphics Driver: A baby allotment of software bare to run both onboard cartoon and a cartoon card.
H
Hardware: The basal genitalia that accomplish up your computer. An annual of computer accouterments with explanations is on our computer analogue page.
Html: (hyper argument markup language) This is coding acclimated to advance webpages. You can alpha from scratch, autograph HTML or you can use a HTML editor like Frontpage that has an arrangement to alpha with.
I
IP Addre:ss A different abode that anniversary computer has. If you accept a home arrangement your modem will accept an ip address, so will your router, and any computers that are attached.
ISP: (Internet annual provider) Your ISP is the aggregation that food your internet affiliation to you. It could be a bounded buzz aggregation or alike a pay tv company. Your internet annual provider usually sends you a bill for your internet connection.
J = Computer Agreement?
K
Keypad: The set of numbers on the adapted duke ancillary of the keyboard.
L
LAN: Bounded Breadth Network.
M
Message Rules: Rules that you can set in Outlook Express to clarify your email messages.
Motherboard: The axial ambit lath that provides electrical access so the added apparatus of a computer can acquaint with anniversary other. It is the capital allotment to a computer. Aggregate is affiliated to it.
N
Net: Short for the internet.
Netiquette: Manners to use for the internet, acquired from the babble etiquette.
Network: A accumulation of computers affiliated calm either by cables or an internet connection. This allows them to allotment things such as information, files, and more.
Norton Antivirus: Antivirus aegis affairs that is accessible to buy. This is the best able-bodied accepted Virus affairs out there.
Notebook Computer: A carriageable computer self-contained. Additionally, accepted as a laptop computer. Notebooks can accomplish far
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Computer Terms Explained in Plain English
Tech has a vocabulary problem: the words that matter most get explained the worst. This glossary is our fix — the computer terms our Lauderhill customers actually ask about, defined the way our technicians explain them across the counter. No jargon defining jargon. If a term you need isn’t here, call 954-637-7300 and ask; we answer vocabulary questions for free, and the good ones get added to this page.
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THE GLOSSARY
Organized by what you’re actually trying to understand
CPU (Processor): The chip that does the computer’s thinking. Faster CPU, faster calculations — but an old slow drive or too little memory will bottleneck even a fast one.
RAM (Memory): The computer’s short-term workspace — where open programs live. Too little RAM and the machine slows to a crawl the moment you open one tab too many. One of the cheapest, most effective upgrades we do.
SSD (Solid-State Drive): Modern storage with no moving parts. Replacing an old spinning hard drive with an SSD is the single biggest speed upgrade most older computers can get — often it feels like a new machine.
Hard Drive (HDD): The older style of storage with spinning magnetic platters. Slower and more fragile than an SSD — and when one starts clicking or grinding, that’s mechanical failure; power off and stop using it.
Motherboard: The main circuit board everything else plugs into. When it fails, we help you decide honestly whether repair or replacement makes sense for the machine’s age.
Graphics Card (GPU): The component that draws what you see. Built into most everyday computers; a separate card matters for gaming, video editing, and design work.
Power Supply (PSU): Converts wall power for the computer’s parts. A failing one causes random shutdowns and restarts — a common culprit we test for.
Peripheral: Anything that plugs in around the computer itself — keyboard, mouse, printer, webcam, external drive.
Operating System (OS): The master software everything else runs on — Windows on PCs, macOS on Apple computers, Android and iOS on phones.
Windows 11: Microsoft’s current operating system. Windows 10 stopped receiving security updates in October 2025, which means computers still on it are increasingly exposed — we handle the migration with your files kept intact.
Application (App / Program): Software that does a job for you — a word processor, a browser, a game. Apps run on top of the operating system.
Driver: A small piece of software that teaches the operating system to talk to a specific piece of hardware. Printers that stop printing after an update are usually a driver problem.
Update / Patch: A fix the software maker sends out — often closing security holes. Postponing updates forever is how a lot of infections we clean got their start.
BIOS / UEFI: The tiny built-in software that wakes the computer and starts the operating system. You’ll see it mentioned during startup; misconfigure it and the machine won’t boot — one of many things we fix.
Reboot: Turning it off and on again. It clears the computer’s temporary state, and yes — it genuinely fixes a remarkable number of problems. It’s step one; if the problem returns, that’s when it’s diagnostic time.
Factory Reset: Wiping the computer back to as-new condition. Powerful, but it erases your files — back up first, or better, let us confirm the reset is even necessary; often it isn’t.
Modem: The box that brings the internet into your building from your provider.
Router: The box that shares that internet connection with all your devices and creates your Wi-Fi. Often combined with the modem in one unit — which is why “restart the router” and “restart the modem” are usually the same move.
Wi-Fi: Your own wireless network inside your home or office — not the internet itself. Strong Wi-Fi with a bad internet connection is still slow, and fast internet with weak Wi-Fi feels broken. Diagnosing which one is your problem is half of what we do on network calls.
Ethernet: The wired network cable. Less convenient than Wi-Fi, but faster and more reliable — worth running to anything that stays put, like a desktop or TV.
Bandwidth: How much data your connection can move at once — the “speed” your internet plan advertises. More bandwidth means smoother streaming and faster downloads.
ISP (Internet Service Provider): The company you pay for internet. When we diagnose a connection problem, part of the job is telling you whether it’s your equipment or theirs — so you don’t sit on hold for a problem they can’t fix.
IP Address: The number that identifies each device on a network, like a mailing address for data.
Browser: The program you view websites with — Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox. If your browser’s homepage or search engine changed without your permission, that’s a hijack; see Malware below.
Cloud: Someone else’s computers, professionally run, storing your data and reachable over the internet. Not magic and not automatic — cloud services only protect what they’re set up to protect.
VPN (Virtual Private Network): An encrypted tunnel for your internet traffic — standard equipment for working remotely and for business security. We set these up for offices across Broward.
Malware: The umbrella term for all malicious software. A virus is one kind of malware — the way a sedan is one kind of vehicle.
Virus: Malware that spreads by attaching itself to other programs. In everyday speech “virus” means any infection, and your repair shop knows what you mean.
Ransomware: Malware that encrypts your files and demands payment to unlock them. If you ever see a ransom demand: disconnect from Wi-Fi, leave the computer on, and call us before paying or restarting anything.
Phishing: A fake message — email, text, or pop-up — impersonating a real company to trick you into giving up passwords or payment info. The most common way South Florida businesses get breached, because it attacks the person, not the machine.
Firewall: A filter that blocks unwanted network traffic from reaching your computer. Built into Windows and most routers; the key is making sure it’s actually on and configured.
Antivirus: Software that watches for and removes malware. Necessary but not invincible — modern infections are built to evade the antivirus installed next to them, which is why “my scan found nothing” and “my computer is clean” aren’t the same sentence.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): A second proof of identity after your password — usually a code on your phone. The single best free upgrade to your security; turn it on for email and banking first.
Password Manager: An app that generates and remembers strong, unique passwords so you don’t reuse one password everywhere. Reused passwords are how one breached website becomes all your accounts breached.
Encryption: Scrambling data so only someone with the key can read it. It protects your banking sessions and your backups — and it’s also the weapon ransomware turns against you.
File: Any single item stored on a computer — a photo, a document, a song. Folders organize files; everything on your computer is ultimately files.
Gigabyte (GB) / Terabyte (TB): Units of storage size. Roughly: a GB holds a few hundred phone photos; a TB is a thousand GB. Storage-full warnings mean it’s cleanup or upgrade time — before the machine slows down or worse.
Download / Upload: Download brings data from the internet to you; upload sends it from you to the internet.
Backup: A separate, current copy of your files that survives if the original doesn’t. The honest rule: if your photos exist in only one place, they are one spilled coffee away from gone.
Sync vs. Backup: Syncing (like basic cloud drive folders) mirrors changes — including deletions and ransomware damage — to every copy. A true backup keeps independent versions you can go back to. Many people who “had backup” actually had sync; we set up the real thing.
External Drive: A portable drive for extra storage or backups. Good as one layer — but a backup drive that lives plugged into the computer shares the computer’s fate in a power surge or infection.
Data Recovery: Rescuing files from a failed drive or deleted state. Recoverability drops with every minute a failing drive keeps running — it’s one of our specialties, and the customers who power off early are the ones who get everything back.
Cache and Cookies: Small files websites and browsers store to work faster and remember you. Clearing them fixes some website glitches; it isn’t a security cleanup by itself.
When the Definition Isn't Enough
Knowing what RAM is doesn’t install it, and knowing what ransomware is doesn’t remove it. When a term on this page turns out to be your actual problem, the same technicians who wrote these definitions are 15 minutes away in Lauderhill — since 1996.