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Computer Glossary

Let me explain what some of the computer part names mean..

   Outline

• Central Processing Unit.
  It is the brain of the computer. It is a rather large chip that does all the thinking.
• You will never have to deal with this part.

• PC.
  Stands for personal computer.

• Monitor.
  Looks like a TV screen. This is where you get to see what is the computer doing. On laptop computers is the screen in front of you.

• CD ROM Drive
  It looks like an audio CD player. Push the button to open and close the drawer. The drawer is where you place computer or music CDs. Do not touch the face of CD disks.

• Keyboard.
  Connected to the computer with a cord. It is like a typewriter keyboard but it has a few extra keys.

• Mouse.
  Device used to input commands on the screen. They come in different styles: 2 buttons, 3 buttons, track ball. Laptop PCs have a touch pad area with 2 buttons.
  Cordless mice have no cord but they are less reliable.

• Hard Drive.
  Commonly referred to a the C:\ drive. Is inside the PC. This is like a very large file cabinet that stores all you computer programs and your documents, letters, pictures, songs etc.

• Modem
  Internal or external modems allow the PC to communicate with the Internet

• Diskette Drive
  Commonly known as the A:\ drive. You use small “floppy” diskettes to transfer information. Note that newer computers do not offer a diskette drive, just a CD drive.

• Desktop and Icons
  DESKTOP is the initial screen that you see after the computer has been turned on. Normally it only shows ICONS which are small symbols or figures that identify certain features or programs.