BIOS - (basic input output system) A built in the hardware software code (Internal firmware) that enables a PC to forward data from one area of the computer to another.

Boot or Boot up - (originally derived from the idea of lifting your leg up by the bootstraps connected to you boots) It is a process that upon turning on the computer, the PC begins a self awareness of it's parts to the point that it can read the start up files on recorded media (eg: Hard Drive or Floppy Drive etc.) enabling it to load a full operating system and thus be ready for performing a variety of tasks.

CMOS - complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, closely related in function to the BIOS, the CMOS actually describes the process by which this microchip is manufactured. With the aid of a small battery it keeps vital information for start up including Date, Time, PC Components and BIOS or Firmware settings.

POST - stands for Power on Self Test, a test all computers go through on startup to ensure basic functionality of the various parts eg: Memory, CPU function.

Mainboard or Motherboard - The primary circuit board to which is attached the Memory, CPU and any connecting devices.

HDD - Hard Disk Drive, this is the main storage device in most PC's It allows fast read/write ability (Storage and retrieval of data) They come in various sizes, speeds, connecting interfaces and some have extra onboard cache for faster access to Drive.

FDD - Floppy Disk Drive, This is the small drive on most computers that allow a 1.44MB disk to backup / transfer data to and from. Although limited in use these days, a number of drivers still come in this format (eg: Mouse, Network etc.)

CPU - Central Processing Unit, the main processing chip in computers, manufactured by Intel as a 386, 486, Celeron, Pentium 1,2,3,4 etc AMD as an 486, K6 Athlon or XP. It is the Microchip that processes the information and instruction codes used by a PC. The term CPU and Hard Drive has also referred to the main case or tower of a PC, but technically this is incorrect as these are just smaller components within the case.

RAM - Random Access Memory, Volatile memory that remains only while the PC remains powered up, This component holds information for the CPU to process, It has far quicker access than accessing the Hard Drive. It comes in various varieties including SIMMs, DIMMs, EDO, SDRAM, DDR-RAM, RAM BUS, ECC etc.

CD-Rom - CD Read Only Memory, an optical drive capable of reading by the use of a laser lands (the flat surface areas) and pits (the tiny depressions in the reflective layer) recorded on a disk - These represent 0's & 1's in a binary format CD-R - CD Recordable ,as per CD-Rom but capable of recording once but read many times an optical disk CD-RW - CD Re-Writeable, an optical drive capable of reading / writing data to and from the optical RW media. These Drive's are able to be formatted and treated like a large floppy disk with the use of software like Ahead Software's "In CD" or Roxio's "Direct CD"

CRT Monitor - Cathode Ray Tube Monitor, the standard "large profile" monitor made up of a tube, phosphor coated glass etc These screens typically come in sizes of 15", 17", 19" and 21" and are relatively cheap LCD Monitor - Liquid Crystal Diode Monitor, these are the typical slim line monitors that are becoming more popular. They have been developed from Notebook technology and although more expensive than CRT monitors, they are becoming more common.