Master Glossary

On-line Dictionary of Computing Great hypertext dictionary for all computer terms with cross-reference links. Clean A diskette and/or hard drive that, when scanned for viruses by a reputable updated anti-virus program(s), has no viruses. Computer Virus "A parasitic program written intentionally to enter a computer without the user's permission or knowledge. The word parasitic is used because a virus attaches to files or boot sectors and replicates itself, thus continuing to spread. Though some viruses do little but replicate, others can cause serious damage or affect program and system performance. A virus should never be assumed harmless and left on a system." -- Symantec Data (file) compression : The coding of data (files) to save storage space or transmission time. Although data is already coded in digital form for computer processing, data compression re-codes the data more efficiently (using fewer bits). Go to Data Compression page for more details. Download Moving files from a remote computer to your computer over a network or the Internet (FTP). Freeware Freeware is free and you can download and use it at no cost. FTP File Transfer Protocol (FTP), allows for the uploading and/or downloading of files from one computer to another across a network or the Internet. Go to FTP Sites for more information. FTP - Anonymous A number of sites on the Internet allow you to log on to their servers using a generic username and your e-mail address as a password so that you can access directories to FTP files. Go to Anonymous FTP to learn more. Partitions By creating partitions your hard drive is divided into separate drives (partitions). Your hard drive would be C: and each partition thereafter would be in alphabetic sequence (e.g., D:, E:, etc.) Go to Partitions to learn more. Scan/Clean Diskette A Scan/Clean Diskette contans files from an anti-virus program and facilitates cleaning an infected hard drive. Go to Scan/Clean Diskette to learn more. Shareware Shareware is not free. You can download shareware software for an "evaluation period" to try it out and determine whether or not you want it. Then you are asked to register and pay a determined fee for the program. Information on product fees and registration are usually included in a text file with your downloaded software. It is illegal not to register shareware you plan on using. Registration of such software is recommended. Reputable developers need the fees to continue developing these relatively inexpensive programs. Some developers include incentives to registering by including upgrades over a specified time period and/or files not included in the downloaded shareware versions. System disk Normally PCs boot from the hard drive (C:). A system disk is a diskette, specially formated so that when this disk is placed in the A: drive of your PC it boots from the A: drive, allowing access to the PC without processing the C: drive first. Go to System Disk to learn more. Upload Moving files from your computer to a remote computer over a network or the Internet (FTP). Write protect Write protecting a disk means that you physically prevent anyone (or a virus) from writing to the disk. Go toWrite protect to learn more. Last Modified: 8/13/97