A Plus Software Vocabulary13
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Vocab 13 Using Windows Operating Systems
Accessibility Options – Tools included with Windows that are intended to provide a minimum
level of functionality for users with special needs.
Display – Allows you to make changes to colors, icons, screen fonts, etc. on your desktop.
Keyboard - An input device consisting of a set of keys, including a full typewriter-like set of
alphanumeric and control keys, plus additional symbol, numeric, control, and function keys;
and indicators.
Mouse - A small pointing device with one or more buttons. Sliding this over a surface moves
the on-screen cursor in a corresponding direction.
Printers - Output devices that present text and (usually) graphics as a printed image on paper.
Desktop - The initial screen that is displayed when an OS that has a GUI interface is loaded.
Start Menu – Contains commands used to open programs and files, commands to search for
items on your computer, and commands to change settings on your computer.
My Computer – An icon which appears on the desktop of all Windows users. Allows users to
access disk drives, view and manage files and folders, and access other areas of Windows such
as the control pane and the printers screen.
Windows Explorer – A dual-pane window you can use to view and manage drives, folders,
and files; start programs; and access resources such as the control panel or a printer.
Window – An enclosed, rectangular area on a display screen. Most modern operating systems
and applications have graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that let you divide your display into
several of these. Within each of them, you can run a different program or display different data.
Taskbar - The place where all of the active program windows are listed.
Control Panel – A utility that permits you to set many of the system parameters.
Local user account – A user account that applies only to a local computer and cannot be used
to access resources from other computers on the network.
Network user account – A user account that can be accessed from other computers on the
network.
File path – The specification of file’s location in a hierarchical file system. Usually specified
by listing the nodes top-down, separating the directories by a \.
Patch – An update to software that corrects an error, adds a feature, or addresses security
issues. Also called an update or service pack.
Diagnostic software — Utility programs that help troubleshoot computer systems.
Documentation — Manuals, tutorials, and Help files that provide information that a user needs
in order to use a computer system or software application.
HCL - The list of all computers and peripheral devices that have been tested and are officially
supported by Windows.
Backup – An extra copy of a file, used in the event that the original becomes damaged or
destroyed.
INI files – A file name extension used in Microsoft Windows. The letters stand for
initialization. As this term implies, used to initialize, or set parameters for, the operating system
and certain programs.
Registry files – A database that Windows uses to store hardware and software configuration
information, user preferences, and setup information.