Hardware

The computer and everything attached to it.

Operating System

An operating system (OS) is the software component of a computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer.

Common operating systems include Microsoft Windows XP, VISTA, Mac OS, and Linux. If you are purchasing a PC or notebook/laptop you will inveribly have a version of Microsoft Windows this could be XP or one of the versions of VISTA.

RAM

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It is a temporary working space the computer uses to get work done, which gets emptied when the computer is turned off.

If someone tells you you need more memory, or your computer gives you an error message about being low on memory, this usually means you don't have enough RAM. This can slow your computer down drastically.

Hard drive

The hard drive is the main place your computer uses to store all the information, program file, pictures, music, word documents, emails, as well as the operating system. The bigger the size of the Hard Disk, the more information you can store.

Both RAM and hard drive space are measured with the same terms: bytes, kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), with newer drives being measured in terabytes (TB). Since both RAM and hard drives are measured in the same way, many people become confuse the two terms.

CPU

Stands for "Central Processing Unit." This is the pretty much the brain of your computer. It processes everything from basic instructions to complex functions. Any time something needs to be computed, it gets sent to the CPU - also referred to as the "processor."

Motherboard

The main circuit board inside a computer, which holds the CPU and the BIOS chip.

Software

Software is a general term that describes computer programs and applications.  Therefore, installing programs or applications on your computer is synonymous with installing software on your computer.

Backup

A backup is a copy of one or more files where the original is stored on the hard drive, and the copy/backup is created as an alternate in case the original data is lost or becomes unusable.

You could save the backups to a USB, an external Hard drive,or a DVD.

Browser

You are probably using a browser to read this right now. A Web browser, often just called a "browser," is the program people use to access the World Wide Web. Some common browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari .

Desktop

Your computer's desktop is much like a physical desktop. You probably keep a number of commonly used items on your desk such as pens, papers, folders, and other items. Your computer's desktop serves the same purpose -- to give you easy access to items on your hard drive. It is common to store frequently used files, folders, and programs on your desktop. This allows you to access the items quickly instead of digging through the directories on your hard drive each time you want to open them.

Driver

A driver is a small file that helps the computer communicates with a certain hardware device. It contains information the computer needs to recognize and control the device.

Cookie

In computer terminology, a cookie is data sent to your computer by a Web server that records your actions on a certain Web site. It's a lot like a preference file for a typical computer program. When you visit the site after being sent the cookie, the site will load certain pages according to the information stored in the cookie.

For example, some sites can remember information like your user name and password, so you don't have to re-enter it each time you visit the site.