Computer Terms

Terms RAM ROM CPU Modem Hard Drive Megabyte Gigabyte Terabyte Input device Output device Directory Default Formatting Motherboard IP Address

RAM (Random Access Memory) RAM is made up of small memory chips that are connected to the motherboard of your computer. Every time you open a program, it gets loaded from the hard drive into the RAM. (More RAM=More speed)

ROM (Read only memory) ROM is memory containing hardwired instructions that the computer uses when it boots up, before the system software loads. BIOS

CPU (Central Processing Unit) The brain of your computer. It processes everything from basic instructions to complex functions.

Modem Communications device that can be either internal or external to your computer. It allows one computer to connect another computer and transfer data over telephone lines.

Hard Drive The hard drive is what stores all your data. It houses the hard disk, where all your files and folders are physically located.

Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte Megabyte - A megabyte is 1,024 kilobytes and precedes the gigabyte unit of measurement. Gigabyte - a unit of data storage that equals 2 to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 bytes. Usually indicating hard drive or RAM size. Terabyte – a unit of data storage equal to 1000 Gigabytes. Usually indicating hard drive or RAM size.

Input Device Any device that provides input to a computer.

Output Device Any device that outputs information from a computer.

Directory A directory is another name for a folder. Files on your hard disk are organized into various directories, so that it is easier to keep track of them.

Default This term is used to describe a preset value for some option in a computer program. It is the value used when a setting has not been specified by the user.

Formatting Testing the disk and writing a new directory structure, or "address table," onto the disk. If you would like to erase or initialize a hard drive, you can use a disk utility program to reformat it. Creates a blank, empty disk for storing your files. May appear to be empty, most of the files on the disk are actually untouched by the formatting process.

Motherboard This is the main circuit board of your computer. You’ll find the CPU, the ROM, memory expansion slots, PCI slots, serial ports, USB ports, and the controllers for things like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse.

IP Address A code made up of numbers separated by three dots that identifies a particular computer on the Internet. Every computer requires a unique IP address to connect to the Internet. They consist of four sets of numbers from 0 to 255, separated by three dots. For example "66.72.98.236"