| Cache |
An area of information set aside to store
information used frequently by the computer, thus improving the
computer's performance. |
| Case-sensitive |
The ability to sense whether upper-case or
lower-case letters are being used. Many logins and passwords are
case-sensitive. |
| CD |
Compact Disc. |
|
| CD-R |
CD - Read. A CD that can be only written to
once and then can not be changed. Very good for backups that have legal
ramifications. |
| CD-RW |
CD-ReWritable. A CD that can have its
contents changes, usually for up to 1,000 times. Good for daily backups. |
| Chat |
What your teenage children do on the
Internet when you're out doing the shopping. A method of holding a live,
real-time conversation across the Internet using text instead of words. |
| Check Box |
A small box within a program or screen that
can turn on or off a certain/given function by a single-left-click inside the box.
|
| Clock |
Independent circuit within the
computer's mainboard to keep track of time and date. Also know as the
"Real Time Clock". |
| Clock speed |
The speed of the computers
internal clock - not the Real Time Clock. Normally rated by the CPU's
speed, eg 1.7, 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) |
| CMOS |
Complimentary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor. PCs use CMOS memory chips to store basic data about the
system hardware such as disk drives, keyboard etc. CMOS information
appears when the computer first starts up. |
| CMOS Setup. |
A utility for setting up
hardware that can be accessed when the computer first starts up. |
| Command Line |
Text entered at the DOS command
prompt |
| Command prompt |
A character or string of
characters in DOS that tells you the computer is waiting for a command.
For example c:> |
| COM Port |
Communications port,
also known as a Serial port. A plug in the back of your computer used
for connecting modems, mice printers etc. It will have either 9 or 25
pins, in two rows. |
| Compressed file |
A file that has been encoded to
reduce its size. Most often, but not always, using the PKZIP standard
with a program known as WINZIP. |
| Control Panel |
The control panel
allows you to modify most windows settings. It can be found via
"Start" - "Settings" - "Control Panel".
|
| CPU |
Central Processing Unit. Often
called the "Chip" or "Processor". The part that does
all the thinking. |
| Crash |
When the computer locks up or
stops responding for no (initially, anyhow) apparent reason.
|
