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Compaq 233789-371 User Manual

Page 95

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G

LOSSARY

4

M

Y

P

RESARIO

—G

ETTING

S

TARTED

search engine

A programme, accessed on

the Internet, that allows you to search large
databases for information, using keywords
or phrases.

serial port

A small connector on the back

of the computer (or keyboard) for plugging
in a thin cable attached to a serial device,
such as a mouse.

server

A computer with a large hard disk

that serves (provides information to) other
computers connected to it by a network.
The Internet is a network of servers. When
you send or receive e-mail, it travels from
the sender’s computer to the receiver’s
computer through a a number of servers.

shortcut

An icon on the Windows desktop

that you double-click to launch a
programme.

software

A programme that you can

install on a computer from a diskette, CD,
DVD, Zip disk, or the Internet. See
programme.

surf

To jump from place to place on the

Internet, searching for topics of interest, by
clicking hyperlinks. See hyperlink.

surge protector

A device that regulates

the flow of electricity to the computer and
prevents high-voltage surges from
damaging the equipment.

U

upload

To send information to another

computer on the Internet.

URL (uniform resource locator)

The address of a Web site, such as
www.compaq.com.

USB port (universal serial bus port)

A connector for plugging in multiple,
ultra-high-speed peripherals. USB ports
are gradually replacing serial ports and
parallel ports and eliminating the need for
so many connectors and cables.

V

virus

A set of software instructions written

to harm computers.

W

window

A screen that displays on the

Windows desktop after you select an item
or open a programme.

Windows desktop

The main screen you

see when your computer completes startup.

Windows taskbar

The gray bar across the

bottom of the screen when your computer
completes startup.

World Wide Web

A system of Internet

servers that support documents formatted
in HTML. See HTML.

Z

zipped file A file that has been compressed

to a smaller size by compression software,
such as WinZip. It can be identified by the
file extension .zip. See file extension.