Basic Computer Terminology
Teresa Pfeiff

For the less than computer savvy, trying to read an instruction manual, an article - or for that matter, a Drake Hardware & Software Tech Tip! - can sometimes feel like trying to crack a secret code or read a foreign language. Maybe most teenagers these days speak "Techgeek" as a second language (or a first!) but for the rest of us, what means one thing in the workplace can mean something completely different in the Internet café, and the lines of communication drop like a telephone pole in a thunderstorm.

As someone who gives and receives technical support over the phone, I know how important it is to use and understand the correct terminology. It makes the process easier and faster for everyone involved, and lessens the chances of adding another error to an ongoing problem. The following are some examples of everyday computer terminology.

Backup - placing a copy of data on removable media for use in the event of data loss. This should be done on a regular basis - daily, weekly, and monthly. Backing a program up to your hard drive is fine, but make sure you get the copy of that backup off your system and onto something else in case the hard drive on your system would go bad and data is unable to be recovered.

Browser - not to be confused with a noncommittal shopper or a munching herbivore. "Browser" refers to software used to view pages on the Internet. Examples of these are Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Netscape Navigator.



Control Panel - envisioning a secret hatch on the back of your computer? Like Data from Star Trek, computers have a utility built into the operating system which allows you to set certain properties of the system. Your PC's control center, however, is much simpler than our favorite television android. For instance, from the Control Panel you can easily access items needed to adjust the date and time, mouse properties, automatic updates, folder options, networking options, printers etc…



Curser - we're not referring to profanity. This is the blinking beam that appears in a program which tells the user where the next typed letter will appear. This is not to be confused with the Pointer.

Pointer - you can't pick one up at the kennel and it won't help you chase down quail…unless you're hunting virtual quail, in which case it might just come in handy. This is what moves on the computer screen when your mouse moves. It can change shapes depending upon where it is on your screen but is commonly the shape of an arrowhead. This is not the same thing a cursor.

Desktop - try to put a paperweight on this surface and it'll slide right off. The computer's 'desktop' is the work area where the user begins performing tasks once the system is booted up and user is logged in. This is a place to put frequently used icons for easy access. Many desktops contain an icon to My Documents, My Computer, the Recycle Bin, as well as shortcuts to frequently used word processors such as Word or WordPerfect, etc…


Device Manager - no need to call the IT guy or search in the junk drawer! This is the place where the user can look at all of the devices installed on the system. From the Device Manager the user can update drivers, configure device properties, and uninstall devices. Depending upon which operating system you have the Device Manager can be accessed by right clicking on My Computer-Properties- Hardware tab-Device Manager button.

Drag and Drop - this is when the user left clicks once on a file, holds that left button down, and then drags the mouse, in which the file will follow to a destination and "drops" the file at that destination by releasing the left mouse button. One can also "Click and Drag," which is the same concept as "Drag and Drop" however, with Click and Drag the user would click on something, like a scroll bar, and drag it toward the bottom, top, or left or right of the screen.

Driver - it can't take the steering wheel of your Mercury, but you should put it behind the wheel of your printer or your CD drive. This is software that communicates with your operating system and a piece of hardware. A driver is a lot like a translator, without it a new piece of hardware may not work with your system because your system doesn't know how to communicate with it. Drivers are constantly being updated, so if you have a piece of hardware that stops working with your computer try updating the driver.

Icon - we're not talking about Grace Kelly or Uncle Sam! This is a picture that is used to represent a program, file, a command, or a Web page. Your desktop should have icons on it. The Recycle Bin is an icon located on the desktop which is actually a part of the Windows system that hold files you want to delete. Once you are ready to permanently delete these files it will run a command to remove them.

Menu Bar - this is the horizontal bar at the top of a window which consists of words that are associated with functions that can be performed within the program. In a nutshell, the Menu Bar is, "File - Edit - View - Insert - Format - etc…"


Modem - this is a piece of hardware used to dial a number in order to create a connection between your computer and another computer. Many people refer to their whole tower as their "modem," and that is incorrect.

Office - not, in fact, a room, but a very versatile set of computer programs. This is a software bundle created by Microsoft to help users perform many useful tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, brochures, e-mail and presentation. There are several different Office packages to choose from.

1. Office Basic- includes Word, Excel, and Outlook.
2. Office Standard - includes Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
3. Office Small Business Edition - includes Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Publisher.
4. Office Professional Edition - includes Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access.

Corel also has several Office suites to pick from including a Standard, Professional, Home and Small Business package.

Operating System - This is the most important program you can install on your computer. Without an operating system nothing you won't be able to install any other programs. An operating system is the main program that runs the computer. Examples of operating systems include, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9, Linux.

RAM - no wool, no horns and no bad attitude (unless you've got too many programs running at once!), RAM stands for Random Access Memory. This is not the same thing as hard drive space. This is the physical memory your system has. The more sophisticated your software the more RAM you will need.

Scroll Bar - this is the bar that runs along the side or bottom of a page. The more information you have to scroll thru the smaller the "bar" will be. The less information you have the longer the bar will be. You can navigate up and down the document by clicking on the scroll bar and dragging it up or down. There is also an arrow at the top and bottom of the scroll bar which you can click to move the document up or down.

Shortcut Menu - this appears when you right click on something. These contain very handy shortcuts to frequently used tasks.

Start Menu - in the lower left had corner of your screen, on the Task Bar is the word Start. When you click on this a menu appears…That's the Start Menu. It lists shortcuts to all the programs you have on your system.

Task Bar - this is the bar at the bottom of your desktop. Generally the Start Menu is on the far left had side and the clock is on the far right had side. Whenever you have a program open it will appear on the task bar. You can then quickly toggle between the programs by just simply clicking on them.

Text Box - a text box is a standard Windows field that accepts typed data


Title Bar - the title bar is the very top of a window, in the picture above the title bar would be the blue area with the words, "Google - Microsoft Internet Explorer." Right below the title bar is the menu bar, below that is the toolbar.

Toolbar - a tool bar is a series of buttons that the user can click to perform a task in a program. In the picture above, the tool bar is just below the menu bar. The tool bar in this instance begins with the green arrow and the word "Back" and ends with the picture of the printer. Where the ">>" are means that there is more to that tool bar that you cannot see unless you click on those ">>."