Secondary Storage

File Compression
The process of encoding information using fewer bits, or information units.

Head Crash

A hard-disk failure that can happen when the read–write head of a hard disk drive touches the rotating platter, scratching it. This causes permanent damage to the magnetic media on the platter surface.

Internet Hard Drive

Offers a means of accessing your computer files (pictures, documents, music, videos, etc.) from any computer, as long as that computer has access to the Internet. Unlike your local hard drive, which may have a limited storage capacity, a competitive Internet hard drive provider will offer virtually unlimited disk space such as offered by LiveDrive.com. By uploading regular backups of your files, you can remain immune from the dangers of file loss due to viruses or your hard drive crashing; your local computer can be completely destroyed and yet the files which were stored online would remain safe and unharmed.

Optical Disk Drive
A disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves near the light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only read from discs, but recent drives are commonly both readers and recorders. Recorders are sometimes called burners or writers. Compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which can be read and recorded by such drives.


Solid-State Storage
A nonvolatile, removable storage medium that employs integrated circuits (ICs) rather than magnetic or optical media.
The main advantage of solid-state storage is the fact that it contains no mechanical parts. Everything is done electronically. As a result, data transfer to and from solid-state storage media takes place at a much higher speed than is possible with electromechanical disk drives. The absence of moving parts may translate into longer operating life, provided the devices are reasonably cared for and are not exposed to electrostatic discharge.

Input and Output

Ergonomic Keyboard

A keyboard that follows a wide V-shape with a small separation in the middle. The numeric pad remains the same as in normal keyboards. This type of keyboard puts less of a burden onto the wrists though it feel weird to use at the beginning.

Ink Jet Printer

A printer that produces digital images by "jetting" out different-sized drops of ink onto the paper.

 
Laser Printer

A printer that creates digital images with high quality and rapid speed. Using a xerographic printing process, laser printers have laser beams that scan across the devices' photoreceptor.

Magnetic-Ink Character Reader (MICR)

A technology that uses magnetic ink or toner to print documents. The ink can be easily detected and identified by MICR machines.

 
Optical-Character Recognition (OCR)

Technology that allows the scanning and then translation of hand-written, type-written, or printed material into machine encoded text. Hence, paper documents can be turned into computer files, where they can be easily edited.

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)

The process of capturing human-marked data from document forms such as surveys and tests.

The System Unit

Flash Memory

A rewritable computer chip that can keep its data even without a power supply. This nonvolatile storage can be electronically erased and reprogrammed without being removed from the circuit board.

Graphics Card
Controls the computer monitor by sending pixels to the display. It increase the performance of games and such.

Sound Cards

An expansion card that are either inserted into an internal expansion slot or directly embedded into the motherboard. This hardware interface is responsible for your computer's ability to play and record sound.

Network Interface Card (NIC)
A hardware adapter that allows the linking of computers in a local area network (LAN). Using a mutually-accepted language, networked computers exchange data packets with each other as a way of communication.

Plug & Play

A term used to describe software or hardware that once plugged in, is automatically recognized and started by the computer's operating system. There is no longer a need for user intervention and physical device configuration.

Bus Line

The wires you can see on the back of a circuit board. These conduct electricity inside switchboards and other electrical apparatus. Most bus lines are made of copper but those of higher quality are made from gold.

HDMI

(High-Definition Multimedia Interface) A connection system for digital audio and video that provides a single-cable solution for home theater and consumer electronics equipment.

Cache Memory

A memory meant for quick retrieval and storage. It can be either integrated into a computer's central processing unit or into a separate chip.