Fort Bend Computer

We here at Fort Bend Computer understand that our customers may know how to
use their computers in their day-to-day activities, but may have no idea what goes
on inside the box. When you bring in your PC or Laptop for service, our techs take
the time to explain exactly what is going on and what needs to be done to fix the
problem. Although we try to keep things simple, there are some terms you should
be familiar with when working with your technician.

Here is a list of Acronyms that are commonly used in the PC industry:

ASCII - a 7-bit set of codes for defining letters, numbers, punctunation, etc.
BIOS - Basic Input/Output System - OS part that manages peripherals to CPU
CD - Compact Disc - digitally encoded optical disc recording/playing media
CD-RW - Compact Disc-ReWritable
CPU - Central Processing Unit - microprocessor chip
CRT - Cathode Ray Tube - a computer monitor or terminal
DOS - Disk Operating System - the underlying routines that support the OS
FAT32 - MS disk sys using 32-bit values to support large disks.
FTP - File Transfer Protocol - method of file transfer over the internet
GB - giga bytes - usually a measure of data storage size - 1 thousand MegaBytes.
GIF - Graphics Interchange Format - popular graphics file format from CompuServ
HTML - Hypertext Markup Language - describes & formats plain-text files on web
HW - means computer hardware
I/O - Input / Output, abreviation for the term "Input and Output"
IRQ - interrupt request - how HW gets attention of CPU to perform a needed task
ISP - Internet Service Provider - who provides you with web and email access
JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group - Intl group that sets graphic standards
kHZ - kilo (1,000) hertz
KB - kilo bytes - a unit of information storage equal to 1,024 bytes
LAN - Local Area Network
MB - mega bytes - usually a measure of data storage size (1,048,576 bytes)
Mhz - mega hertz - measure of frequency, equal to one million cycles per second
MIDI - Musical Instrument Digital Interface - for musical input, edit, play & store
NTFS - NT File System, newer alternate to FAT32, better security, reliability, etc.
OCR - Optical Character Recognition
OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer, equip. maker who sells to a reseller
OS - Operating System
PC - Personal Computer
POST - Power on Self Test, system tests at boot, may sound a single beep if OK
RAM - random-access memory, hard memory always available to processor
SIMM - Single Inline Memory Module, memory array w/ single row of I/O contacts
SP - Service Pack
SVGA - Super VGA, now refers to a video adapter or monitor above 640x480 res.
SW - means computer software
TCP/IP - Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, links web computers
TIFF - Tagged Image File Format, protocol to mng. scanned digital B&W images
URL - Uniform Resource Locator - primany internet location naming scheme
USB - Universal Serial Bus
VGA - Video Graphics Array
WWW - World Wide Web - the internet: start of many URL's: http://www...