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A
B C
D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R S
T U
V W
X Y Z |
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ACPI |
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Short
for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface, a power management
specification developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba. ACPI, which
will be part of the next version of Windows, enables the operating
system to control the amount of power given to each device attached
to the computer. With ACPI, the operating system can turn off peripheral
devices, such as a CD-ROM players, when they're not in use. As another
example, ACPI will enable manufacturers to produce computers that
automatically power up as soon as you touch the keyboard. |
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Adware |
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Also
known as an Adbot, can do a number of things from profile your online
surfing and spending habits to popping up annoying ad windows as you
surf. In some cases Adware has been bundled (i.e. peer-to-peer file
swapping products) with other software without the user's knowledge
or slipped in the fine print of a EULA (End User License Agreement).
Not all Adware is bad, but often users are annoyed by adware's intrusive
behavior. Keep in mind that by removing Adware sometimes the program
it came bundled with for free may stop functioning. Some Adware, dubbed
a "BackDoor Santa" may not perform any activity other then
profile a user's surfing activity for study.
AdWare can be obnoxious in that it performs "drive-by downloads".
Drive-by downloads are accomplished by providing a misleading dialogue
box or other methods of stealth installation. Many times users have
no idea they have installed the application. Often Adware makers make
their application difficult to uninstall.
A "EULA" or End User License Agreement is the agreement
you accept when you click "OK" or "Continue" when
you are installing software. Many users never bother to read the EULA.
It is imperative to actually read this agreement before you install
any software. No matter how tedious the EULA, you should be able to
find out the intent BEFORE you install the software. If you have questions
about the EULA- e-mail the company and ask them for clarification.
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AGP |
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Short
for Accelerated Graphics Port, a new interface specification developed
by Intel Corporation. AGP is based on PCI, but is designed especially
for the throughput demands of 3-D graphics. Rather than using the
PCI bus for graphics data, AGP introduces a dedicated point-to-point
channel so that the graphics controller can directly access main memory.
The AGP channel is 32 bits wide and runs at 66 MHz. This translates
into a total bandwidth of 266 MBps, as opposed to the PCI bandwidth
of 133 MBps. AGP also supports two optional faster modes, with throughputs
of 533 MBps and 1.07 GBps. In addition, AGP allows 3-D textures to
be stored in main memory rather than video memory. |
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Antivirus
Program |
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A
utility that searches a hard disk for viruses and removes any that
are found. Most antivirus program include an auto-update feature that
enables the program to download profiles of new viruses so that it
can check for the new viruses as soon as they are discovered.
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AT
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Short
for AT Attachment, a disk drive implementation that integrates the
controller on the disk drive itself. There are several versions of
ATA, all developed by the Small Form Factor (SFF) Committee ATA: Known
also as IDE, supports one or two hard drives, a 16-bit interface and
PIO modes 0, 1 and 2. ATA-2: Supports faster PIO modes (3 and 4) and
multiword DMA modes (1 and 2). Also supports logical block addressing
(LBA) and block transfers. ATA-2 is marketed as Fast ATA and Enhanced
IDE (EIDE). ATA-3: Minor revision to ATA-2. Ultra-ATA: Also called
Ultra-DMA, ATA-33, and DMA-33, supports multiword DMA mode 3 running
at 33 MBps. ATA/66: A new version of ATA proposed by Quantum Corporation,
and supported by Intel, that will double ATA's throughput to 66 MBps.
The first ATA/66 computers were available in the first half of 1999. |
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ATX
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The
modern-day shape and layout of PC motherboards. It improves on the
previous standard, the Baby AT form factor, by rotating the orientation
of the board 90 degrees. This allows for a more efficient design,
with disk drive cable connectors nearer to the drive bays and the
CPU closer to the power supply and cooling fan. |
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| B |
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Backup |
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To
copy files to a second medium (a disk or tape) as a precaution in
case the first medium fails. One of the cardinal rules in using computers
is. Back up your files regularly. Even the most reliable computer
is apt to break down eventually. Many professionals recommend that
you make two, or even three, backups of all your files. To be especially
safe, you should keep one backup in a different location from the
others.
You can back up files using operating system commands, or you can
buy a special-purpose backup utility. Backup programs often compress
the data so that backups require fewer disks.
(1)
The act of backing up. (2) A substitute or alternative. The term backup
usually refers to a disk or a tape that contains a copy of data. |
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Bandwidth |
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The
amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time.
For digital devices, the bandwidth is usually expressed in bits per
second(bps) or bytes per second. For analog devices, the bandwidth
is expressed in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). The bandwidth is
particularly important for I/O devices. For example, a fast disk drive
can be hampered by a bus with a low bandwidth. This is the main reason
that new buses, such as AGP, have been developed for the PC. |
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Baud |
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Pronounced
bawd, the number of signaling elements that occur each second. The
term is named after J.M.E. Baudot, the inventor of the Baudot telegraph
code. At slow speeds, only one bit of information (signaling element)
is encoded in each electrical change. The baud, therefore, indicates
the number of bits per second that are transmitted. For example, 300
baud means that 300 bits are transmitted each second (abbreviated
300 bps ). Assuming asynchronous communication, which requires 10
bits per character, this translates to 30 characters per second (cps).
For slow rates (below 1,200 baud), you can divide the baud by 10 to
see how many characters per second are sent. |
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BIOS |
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(Basic
Input/Output System) The set of essential software routines that provides
the basic interface between the hardware and the software operation
system. When you start your system, the BIOS initiates your components
and tells the computer what to do until the operating system loads
and take over. |
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BNC
Connector
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Short
for British Naval Connector or Bayonet Nut Connector or Bayonet Neill
Concelman, a type of connector used with coaxial cables such as the
RG-58 A/U cable used with the 10Base-2 Ethernet system. The basic
BNC connector is a male type mounted at each end of a cable. This
connector has a center pin connected to the center cable conductor
and a metal tube connected to the outer cable shield. A rotating ring
outside the tube locks the cable to any female connector.
BNC T-connectors (used with the 10Base-2 system) are female devices
for connecting two cables to a network interface card (NIC). A BNC
barrel connector allows connecting two cables together. |
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Boot
Disk |
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A
diskette from which you can boot your computer. Normally, your computer
boots from a hard disk, but if the hard disk is damaged (for example,
by a virus), you can boot the computer from a bootable diskette. For
this reason, it's a good idea to make sure you always have a bootable
diskette on hand. In Windows 95, you can create a bootable diskette
by following these steps: |
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1. |
Insert
a blank, formatted diskette in the floppy drive |
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Select
Start->Settings->Control Panel |
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Open
Add/Remove Programs |
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Select
the Startup Disk tab and press the Create Disk… button
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A
bootable diskette is also called a bootable floppy, boot disk, and
startup disk. |
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BUS |
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A
collection of wires through which data is Transmitted from one part
of a computer to another. You can think of a bus as a highway on which
data Travels within a computer. When used reference to Personal computers,
the term bus usually refers to Internal bus. This is a bus that connects
all the internal computer components to the CPU and main memory. There's
also an expansion bus that enables expansion boards to access the
CPU and memory.
All buses consist of two parts -- an address bus and a data bus. The
data bus transfers actual data whereas the address bus transfers information
about where the data should go.
The size of a bus, known as its width, is important because it determines
how much data can be transmitted at one time. For example, a 16-bit
bus can transmit 16 bits of data, whereas a 32-bit bus can transmit
32 bits of data.
Every bus has a clock speed measured in MHz. A fast bus allows data
to be transferred faster, which makes applications run faster. On
PCs, the old ISA bus is being replaced by faster buses such as PCI.
Nearly all PCs made today include a local bus for data that requires
especially fast transfer speeds, such as video data. The local bus
is a high-speed pathway that connects directly to the processor.
In networking, a bus is a central cable that connects all devices
on a local-area network (LAN). It is also called the backbone. |
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Bus
Mastering
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Refers
to a feature supported by some bus architectures that enables a controller
connected to the bus to communicate directly with other devices on
the bus without going through the CPU. Most modern bus architectures,
including PCI, support bus mastering because it improves performance. |
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Cache
RAM |
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Cache
(usually SRAM) stores frequently requested data and instructions.
It is a small block of high-speed memory located between the CPU and
the main memory. When your computer processor needs data, it will
check the Cache first to see if it is there. If the data is not there,
it will retrieve it from the slower main memory. |
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Codec
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1. |
Short
for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for compressing
and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in software, hardware,
or a combination of both. Some popular codecs for computer video include
MPEG, Indeo and Cinepak. |
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2. |
In
telecommunications, (short for coder/decoder) a device that encodes
or decodes a signal. For example, telephone companies use codecs to
convert binary signals transmitted on their digital networks to analog
signals converted on their analog networks. |
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3. |
The
translation of a binary value into a voltage that can be transmitted
over a wire. |
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Collision
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The
situation that occurs when two or more devices attempt to send a signal
along the same channel at the same time. The result of a collision
is generally a garbled message. All computer networks require some
sort of mechanism to either prevent collisions altogether or to recover
from collisions when they do occur. |
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CMOS |
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In
DOS systems, the name of a serial communications port. DOS supports
four serial ports: COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. However, most software
uses system interrupts to access the serial ports, and there are only
two IRQ lines reserved. This means that the four COM ports share the
same two IRQ lines. Typically, COM1 and COM3 use IRQ4, while COM2
and COM4 use IRQ3. So in general, if you have two devices, one of
which is attached to COM1 and the other to COM3, you cannot use them
simultaneously. |
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COM |
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In
DOS systems, the name of a serial communications port. DOS supports
four serial ports: COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4. However, most software
uses system interrupts to access the serial ports, and there are only
two IRQ lines reserved. This means that the four COM ports share the
same two IRQ lines. Typically, COM1 and COM3 use IRQ4, while COM2
and COM4 use IRQ3. So in general, if you have two devices, one of
which is attached to COM1 and the other to COM3, you cannot use them
simultaneously. |
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Config.SYS |
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The
configuration file for DOS systems. Whenever a DOS computer boots
up, it reads the CONFIG.SYS file (if it exists) and executes any commands
in it. The most common commands are BUFFERS= and FILES=, which enable
you to specify the buffer size and the number of files that can be
open simultaneously. In addition, you can enter commands that install
drivers for devices. |
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Controller
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A
device that controls the transfer of data from a computer to a peripheral
device and vice versa. For example, disk drives, display screens,
keyboards, and printers all require controllers. In personal computers,
the controllers are often single chips. When you purchase a computer,
it comes with all the necessary controllers for standard components,
such as the display screen, keyboard, and disk drives. If you attach
additional devices, however, you may need to insert new controllers
that come on expansion boards.
Controllers must be designed to communicate with the computer's expansion
bus. There are three standard bus architectures for PCs -- the AT
bus, PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), and SCSI. When you purchase
a controller, therefore, you must ensure that it conforms to the bus
architecture that your computer uses.
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CPU
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(Central
Processing Unit) The control unit of a computer. The CPU interprets
and executes instructions from other devices such as the monitor,
printer, and hard disk and encompasses both the processor and the
computer’s memory. |
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DDR |
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An
acronym for Double Data Rate, or SDRAM. It is touted to be the next
generation of the current SDRAM. DDR finds its foundations on the
same design core of SDRAM, yet adds advances to enhance its speed
capabilities. As a result, DDR allows data to be read on both the
rising and the falling edge of the clock, delivering twice the bandwidth
of standard SDRAMS. DDR essentially doubles the memory speed from
SDRAMs without increasing the clock frequency.
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Daisy
Chain
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A
hardware configuration in which devices are connected one to another
in a series. The SCSI interface , for example, supports a daisy chain
of up to 7 devices. |
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Daughter
Card
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A
printed circuit board that plugs into another circuit board (usually
the motherboard). A daughter card is similar to an expansion board,
but it accesses the motherboard components (memory and CPU) directly
instead of sending data through the slower expansion bus. |
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Degauss
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To
remove magnetism from a device. The term is usually used in reference
to color monitors and other display devices that use a Cathode Ray
Tube (CRT). These devices aim electrons onto the display screen by
creating magnetic fields inside the CRT. External magnetic forces
-- such as the earth's natural magnetism or a magnet placed close
to the monitor -- can magnetize the shadow mask, causing distorted
images and colors. To remove this external magnetic forces, most monitors
automatically degauss the CRT whenever you turn on the monitor. In
addition, many monitors have a manual degauss button that performs
a more thorough degaussing of the CRT. You can also use an external
degausser that degausses the monitor from the outside. Since it may
be impossible to remove the external magnetic force, degaussing works
by re-aligning the magnetic fields inside the CRT to compensate for
the external magnetism. |
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Dial-Up
Networking |
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A
component in Windows 95 that enables you to connect your computer
to a network via a modem. If your computer is not connected to a LAN
and you want to connect to the Internet, you need to configure Dial-Up
Networking (DUN) to dial a Point of Presence (POP) and log into your
Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP will need to provide certain
information, such as the gateway address and your computer's IP address.
You access DUN through the My Computer icon. You can configure a different
profile (called a connectoid) for each different online service you
use. Once configured, you can copy a connectoid shortcut to your desktop
so that all you need to do to make a connection is double-click the
connectoid icon. |
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Dialers |
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A
dialer is a type of software used by pornographic vendors. Once dialer
software is downloaded the user is disconnected from their modem's
usual Internet service provider and another phone number and the user
is billed. While dialers do not spy on users they are malevolent in
nature because they can cause huge financial harm to the victim. |
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DIMM |
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Short
for dual in-line memory module, a small circuit board that holds memory
chips. A single in-line memory module (SIMM) has a 32-bit path to
the memory chips whereas a DIMM has 64-bit path. Because the Pentium
processor requires a 64-bit path to memory, you need to install SIMMs
two at a time. With DIMMs, you can install memory one DIMM at a time.
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DIP
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Acronym
for dual in-line package, a type of chip housed in a rectangular casing
with two rows of connecting pins on either side. |
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Direct
X |
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A
set of APIs developed by Microsoft that enables programmers to write
programs that access hardware features of a computer without knowing
exactly what hardware will be installed on the machine where the program
eventually runs. DirectX achieves this by creating an intermediate
layer that translates generic hardware commands into specific commands
for particular pieces of hardware. In particular, DirectX lets multimedia
applications take advantage of hardware acceleration features supported
by graphics accelerators. DirectX 2, released in 1996, supports the
Direct3D architecture. DirectX 5, released in 1998, adds new layers
to the DirectX API. In addition to the low-level layer that communicates
directly with multimedia hardware, DirectX 5 also includes a Media
layer that enables programmers to manipulate multimedia objects and
streams. DirectX 5 also supports USB and IEEE 1394 buses, AGP, and
MMX. |
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Domain |
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A
group of computers and devices on a network that are administered
as a unit with common rules and procedures. Within the Internet, domains
are defined by the IP address. All devices sharing a common part of
the IP address are said to be in the same domain. |
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Domain
Name
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A
name that identifies one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain
name equuscs.com represents about a doze IP addresses. Domain names
are used in URLs to identify particular Web pages. For example, in
the URL http:/www.pcwebopedia.com/index.cfm, the domain name is pcwebopedia.com.
Every domain name has a suffix that indicates which top-level (TLD)
domain it belongs to. There are only a limited number of such domains.
For example:
gov - Government agencies
edu - Educational institutions
org - Organizations (nonprofit)
mil - Military
com - commercial business
net - Network organizations
ca - Canada
th - Thailand
Because the Internet is based on IP addresses, not domain names, every
Web server requires a Domain Name System (DNS) server to translate
domain names into IP addresses. |
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Dot
Pitch |
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A
measurement that indicates the diagonal distance between like-colored
phosphor dots on a display screen. Measured in millimeters, the dot
pitch is one of the principal characteristics that determines the
quality of display monitors. The lower the number, the crisper the
image. The dot pitch of color monitors for personal computers ranges
from about 0.15 mm to 0.30 mm. Another term for dot pitch is phosphor
pitch. |
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DRAM |
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DRAM
is most commonly used type of memory in computers. A bank of DRAM
memory usually forms the computer's main memory. It is called Dynamic
because it needs to be refreshed. |
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Driver |
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A
program that controls a device. Every device, whether it be a printer,
disk drive, or keyboard, must have a driver program. Many drivers,
such as the keyboard driver, come with the operating system. For other
devices, you may need to load a new driver when you connect the device
to your computer. In DOS systems, drivers are files with a .SYS extension.
In Windows environments, drivers often have a .DRV extension. A driver
acts like a translator between the device and programs that use the
device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only
its driver knows. In contrast, most programs access devices by using
generic commands. The driver, therefore, accepts generic commands
from a program and then translates them into specialized commands
for the device. |
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DVD |
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Short
for digital versatile disc or digital video disc, a new type of CD-ROM
that holds a minimum of 4.7GB (gigabytes), enough for a full-length
movie. Many experts believe that DVD disks, called DVD-ROMs, will
eventually replace CD-ROMs, as well as VHS video cassettes and laser
discs. The DVD specification supports disks with capacities of from
4.7GB to 17GB and access rates of 600 KBps to 1.3 MBps. One of the
best features of DVD drives is that they are backward-compatible with
CD-ROMs. This means that DVD players can play old CD-ROMs, CD-I disks,
and video CDs, as well as new DVD-ROMs. Newer DVD players, called
second-generation or DVD-2 drives, can also read CD-R and CD-RW disks.
DVD uses MPEG-2 to compress video data. |
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ECC
Memory
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Error
Checking and Correction. A method of detecting and correcting system
memory errors by adding additional bits and using a special algorithm. |
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EDO
Memory |
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Short
for Extended Data Output Dynamic Random Access Memory, a type of DRAM
that is faster than conventional DRAM. Unlike conventional DRAM which
can only access one block of data at a time, EDO RAM can start fetching
the next block of memory at the same time that it sends the previous
block to the CPU. |
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EEPROM
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Acronym
for electrically erasable programmable read-only memory. Pronounced
double-ee-prom or e-e-prom, an EEPROM is a special type of PROM that
can be erased by exposing it to an electrical charge. Like other types
of PROM, EEPROM retains its contents even when the power is turned
off. Also like other types of ROM, EEPROM is not as fast as RAM. EEPROM
is similar to flash memory (sometimes called flash EEPROM). The principal
difference is that EEPROM requires data to be written or erased one
byte at a time whereas flash memory allows data to be written or erased
in blocks. This makes flash memory faster. |
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Emulation
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Refers
to the ability of a program or device to imitate another program or
device. Many printers, for example, are designed to emulate Hewlett-Packard
LaserJet printers because so much software is written for HP printers.
By emulating an HP printer, a printer can work with any software written
for a real HP printer. Emulation tricks the software into believing
that a device is really some other device. Communications software
packages often include terminal emulation drivers. This enables your
PC to emulate a particular type of terminal so that you can log on
to a mainframe. It is also possible for a computer to emulate another
type of computer. For example, there are programs that enable an Apple
Macintosh to emulate a PC. |
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Energy
Star
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A
voluntary labeling program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the U.S Department of Energy that identifies energy efficient
products. Qualified products exceed minimum federal standards for
energy consumption by a certain amount, or where no federal standards
exist, have certain energy saving features. Such products may display
the Energy Star label. |
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EPROM |
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Acronym
for erasable programmable read-only memory, and pronounced ee-prom,
EPROM is a special type of memory that retains its contents until
it is exposed to ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light clears its
contents, making it possible to reprogram the memory. To write to
and erase an EPROM, you need a special device called a PROM programmer
or PROM burner. An EPROM differs from a PROM in that a PROM can be
written to only once and cannot be erased. EPROMs are used widely
in personal computers because they enable the manufacturer to change
the contents of the PROM before the computer is actually shipped.
This means that bugs can be removed and new versions installed shortly
before delivery. |
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Executable
File
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A
file in a format that the computer can directly execute. Unlike source
files, executable files cannot be read by humans. To transform a source
file into an executable file, you need to pass it through a compiler
or assembler. In DOS systems, executable files have either a.COM or.EXE
extension and are called COM files and EXE files, respectively. |
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Expanded
Memory |
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Also
known as EMS (Expanded Memory Specification), expanded memory is a
technique for utilizing more than 1MB (megabyte) of main memory in
DOS -based computers. The limit of 1MB is built into the DOS operating
system. The upper 384K is reserved for special purposes, leaving just
640K of conventional memory for programs. |
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External
Modem
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A
modem that resides in a self-contained box outside the computer system.
Contrast with an internal modem, which resides on a printed circuit
board inserted into the computer. External modems tend to be slightly
more expensive than internal modems. Many experts consider them superior
because they contain lights that indicate how the modem is functioning.
In addition, they can easily be moved from one computer to another.
However, they do use up one COM port. |
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Fault
Tolerance
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The
ability of a system to respond gracefully to an unexpected hardware
or software failure. There are many levels of fault tolerance, the
lowest being the ability to continue operation in the event of a power
failure. Many fault-tolerant computer systems mirror all operations
-- that is, every operation is performed on two or more duplicate
systems, so if one fails the other can take over. |
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Fax
Modem |
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A
device you can attach to a personal computer that enables you to transmit
and receive electronic documents as faxes. A fax modem is like a regular
modem except that it is designed to transmit documents to a fax machine
or to another fax modem. Some, but not all, fax modems do double duty
as regular modems. As with regular modems, fax modems can be either
internal or external. Internal fax modems are often called fax boards. |
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Full
Duplex
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Refers
to the transmission of data in two directions simultaneously. For
example, a telephone is a full-duplex device because both parties
can talk at once. In contrast, a walkie-talkie is a half-duplex device
because only one party can transmit at a time.
Most modems have a switch that lets you choose between full-duplex
and half-duplex modes. The choice depends on which communications
program you are running.
In full-duplex mode, data you transmit does not appear on your screen
until it has been received and sent back by the other party. This
enables you to validate that the data has been accurately transmitted.
If your display screen shows two of each character, it probably means
that your modem is set to half-duplex mode when it should be in full-duplex
mode. |
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FAT
32
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A
new version of the file allocation table (FAT) available in Windows
95 OSR 2 and Windows 98. FAT32 increases the number of bits used to
address clusters and also reduces the size of each cluster. The result
is that it can support larger disks (up to 2 terabytes) and better
storage efficiency (less slack space). |
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Firmware |
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Software
(programs or data) that has been written onto read-only memory (ROM).
Firmware is a combination of software and hardware. ROMs, PROMs and
EPROMs that have data or programs recorded on them are firmware. |
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| G |
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Gateway |
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In
networking, a combination of hardware and software that links two
different types of networks. Gateways between e-mail systems, for
example, allow users on different e-mail systems to exchange messages. |
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General
Protection Fault
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GPF,
short for General Protection Fault, is a computer condition that causes
a Windows application to crash. The most common cause of a GPF is
two applications trying to use the same block of memory, or more specifically,
one application trying to use memory assigned to another application.
The following situations can also cause GPFs: |
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Running
an application with insufficient resources |
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Using
improper hardware device drivers |
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Corrupted
or missing Windows files |
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Applications
exchanging data that cannot be read |
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GPFs
are often preceded by an invalid page fault. |
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Gigabyte |
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2
to the 30th power (1,073,741,824) bytes. One gigabyte is equal to
1,024 megabytes. Gigabyte is often abbreviated as G or GB. |
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