Computer Basic and Hardware/Identity Theft Vocabulary

power supply

supplies the electrical power for a computer

output device

anything that comes out of a computer (printers, monitors, etc.)

dumpster diving

digging thought the trash looking for bills or other paper with personal information on it

case fan

in charge of keeping the computer cool

hardware

objects that you can actually touch (keyboard, printers, etc.)

modem

changes a computer’s digital information into analog waves that can travel through the phone lines to another computer

pixels

measures monitor resolution

hertz

measures processor speed in cycles per second

phishing

pretending to be banks by sending an email, or making a phone call asking for personal information

input device

a device that feeds into a computer

video/graphic card

plugs into a slot on the motherboard and connects a monitor or other video display device to a computer

hacking

hacking into a computer and obtaining personal information

drive bays

where the computer’s drives are installed

skimming

stealing credit card or debit card numbers with a special device when processing the card

identity theft

occurs when someone uses someone else’s name, social security number, or some other personal information without permission to commit fraud

mainframe

very large and expensive and capable of supporting hundreds of users simultaneously

software

untouchable, it exists as ideas, concepts, symbols, but it has no substance (antivirus, op. system)

troubleshooting

analyzing problems to correct faults in the system

pretexting

using false information to get personal information from financial institutions

work station

high-powered business computers designed for high-end applications like CAD

hard disk

a magnetic disk on which you can store data

sound card

this is what handles the computer’s sound and has its own processor

motherboard

uses tiny electrical paths to connect everything together

server

used to provide services to many end users or clients

chipset

the chip that directs the motherboard’s flow of information from one points to another