Short for Basic Input/Output System, the BIOS, ROM BIOS, or System BIOS is a chip located on all motherboards

that contain instructions and setup for how your system should boot and how it operates. In the below picture, is an example of what a BIOS chip may look like on your computer motherboard. The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic computer hardware and includes a test referred to as a POST (Power On Self Test) that helps verify the computer meets requirements to boot up properly. If the computer does not pass the POST, you will receive a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning within the computer.

In most PCs, the BIOS has 4 main functions:

1. POST - Test the computer hardware and make sure no errors exist before loading the operating system. Additional information on the POST can be found on our POST and Beep Codes page. 2. Bootstrap Loader - Locate the operating system. If a capable operating system is located, the BIOS will pass control to it. 3. BIOS drivers - Low level drivers that give the computer basic operational control over your computer's hardware. 4. BIOS or CMOS Setup - Configuration program that allows you to configure hardware settings including system settings such as computer passwords, time, and date.

1. A 404 is an HTTP status code often displayed as either "Not Found 404" or "Page Not Found" and is an indication that the web server exists, however, the page you're attempting to access does not exist. When this occurs it is possible that the web page may have moved, been deleted, or is currently being updated. Below is an example of what a 404 error message may look like. Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP is a set of standards that allow users of the World Wide Web to exchange information found on web pages. When wanting to access any web page enter http:// in front of the web address, which tells the browser to communicate over HTTP. For example, the full URL for Computer Hope is http://www.computerhope.com. Today's modern browsers no longer require HTTP in front of the URL since it is the default method of communication. However, it is still used in browsers because of the need to access other protocols such as FTP through the browser. Short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure, HTTPS is a secure method of accessing or sending information across a web page. All data sent over HTTPS is encrypted before it is sent, this prevents anyone from understanding that information if intercepted. Because data is encrypted over HTTPS, it is slower than HTTP, which is why HTTPS is only used when requiring login information or with pages that contain sensitive information such as an online bank web page. encrypted The process of making data unreadable by other humans or computers for the purpose of preventing others from gaining access to its contents. Encrypted data is generated using an encryption program such as PGP, encryption machine, or a simple encryption key and appears as

garbage until it is decrypted. In order to read or use the data, it must be decrypted, and only those who have the correct password or decryption key are able to make the data readable again. A very basic encryption technique known as simple substitution, substitution cipher, or Caesar cipher (named after Julius Caesar) that shifts the letters of the alphabet over a few characters. For example, as shown below the alphabet has been shifted over four characters.

USB Short for Universal Serial Bus, USB is a standard that was introduced in 1995 by Intel, Compaq, Microsoft and several other computer companies. USB 1.x is an external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of 12 Mbps and is capable of supporting up to 127 peripheral devices. In the picture to the right, is an example of a USB cable being connected into the USB port. USB 2.0, also known as hi-speed USB, was developed by Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, NECand Philips and was introduced in 2001. Hi-speed USB is capable of supporting a transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps and is backwards compatible, meaning it is capable of supporting USB 1.0 and 1.1 devices and cables. As of 2012, USB 3.0 is the latest version of the USB protocol. Most new computers feature USB 3.0 ports built-in, offering data transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second. USB 3.0 improved upon the USB 2.0 technology with speed and performance increases, improved power management and increased bandwidth capability (providing two unidirectional data paths for receiving and sending data at the same time). CMOS Alternatively referred to as a Real-Time Clock (RTC), Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM) or CMOS RAM, CMOS is short for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor. CMOS is an on-board semiconductor chip powered by a CMOS battery inside computers that stores information such as the system time and date and the system hardware settings for your computer. In the picture to the right, is an example of the most common CMOS coin cell battery used in a computer to power the CMOS memory HDMI Short for High Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI is a connector and cable that's capable of transmitting high-quality and high-bandwidth streams of audio and video between any compatible device. For example, between a HDTV and DVD or Blu-ray player. In the picture to the right, is an example of a HDMI cable from Mediabridge. HD DRIVE Alternatively referred to as a hard disk drive and abbreviated as HD or HDD, the hard drive is the computer's main storage media device that permanently stores all data on the computer. The hard drive was first introduced on September 13, 1956 and consists of one or more hard drive platters inside of air sealed casing. Most computer hard drives are in an internal drive bay at the front of the computer and connect to the motherboard using either ATA, SCSI, or a SATA cable

and power cable. Below, is an illustration of what the inside of a hard drive looks like for a desktop and laptop hard drive.

As can be seen in the above picture, the desktop hard drive has six components: the head actuator, read/write actuator arm, read/write head, spindle, and platter. On the back of a hard drive is a circuit board called the disk controller. Tip: New users often confuse memory (RAM) with disk drive space. See our memory definition for a comparison between memory and storage. How is data read and stored on a hard drive? Data sent to and from the hard drive is interpreted by the disk controller, which tells the hard drive what to do and how to move the components within the drive. When the operating system needs to read or write information, it examines the hard drives File Allocation Table (FAT) to determine file location and available areas. Once this has been determined, the disk controller instructs the actuator to move the read/write arm and align the read/write head. Because files are often scattered throughout the platter, the head will often need to move to several different locations to access all information. All information stored on a traditional hard drive, like the above example, is done magnetically. After completing the above steps, if the computer needs to read information from the hard drive it would read the magnetic polarities on the platter. One side of the magnetic polarity is 0 and the other is 1, reading this as binary data the computer can understand what the data is on the platter. For the computer to write information to the platter, the read/write head aligns the magnetic polarities, writing 0's and 1's that can be read later. External and Internal hard drives

Although most hard drives are internal hard drives, many users also use external hard drives to backup data on their computer and expand the total amount of space available to them. External drives are often stored in an enclosure that helps protect the drive and allow it to interface with the computer, usually over USB or eSATA. A great example of a backup external device that supports multiple hard drives is the Drobo. External hard drives come in many shapes and sizes. Some are large, about the size of a book, while others are about the size of a cell phone. External hard drives can be very useful for backing up important data and taking with you on the go. They can store a lot of information, including music and movies. HDD being replaced by SSD Solid State Drives (SSDs) are starting to replace hard disk drives (HDDs) in many computers because of the clear advantages these drives have over HDD. While SSD is becoming more and more popular, HDD will continue to be in desktop computers with SSD because of the available capacity HDD offers over SSD. A track is also a data storage ring on a computer floppy diskette or hard drive that is capable of containing information. As shown in the picture to the right, a track goes all around the platter and is used to help locate and retrieve information from a disk or diskette.

Peer-to-Peer network Advantages and Capabilities: Connect two commuters. Able to share files, play network games. Disadvantages: Limited to two computers can connected to the network. Estimated setup time: 10-15 Minutes Required hardware and software: - Two computers with 10/100 Ethernet network cards installed and working - Network cross-over cable. Networking cable that connects two computers or network devices directly to one another. When purchasing this cable, the packaging must indicate that it's a crossover cable for the required network interface; otherwise, it's likely a typical straight through cable. Often, crossover cables are used to connect two computers with network cards together without using a network hub, network router, or network switch.