N

NTFS

NTFS is an acronym for new technology file system. It is a table stored in a special file on the hard drive that contains the locations of the files that are stored on the hard drive. NTFS is the file system used by Windows NT, 2000, and XP

O

Operating System

An operating system is the central program installed on your computer that coordinates the usage of system resources by different programs. Operating systems also act as intermediaries between your computer hardware and the programs you use.

P

Partition

Verb: to divide up or allocate the space of a hard drive into one or more divisions.

Noun: one of the possibly many divisions of a hard drive. Partitions are simply allocations of the storage capacity of the hard drive. Each partition is usually treated by the operating system as if it were its own hard drive.

Patch

A patch is a new section of code, a file, or files that are used to repair problems or vulnerabilities in programs. One of the most common uses of patches is to fix security holes that could allow your computer to be taken over by malicious programs. It is very important to promptly download and install patches for all of the programs you use frequently.

PDA

PDA stands for personal digital assistant. PDAs are small (usually hand-held) devices that are primarily meant to store scheduling, contact, and e-mail information (personal information). Over the years, they have become increasingly powerful and often include increased functionality like cell phone, wireless, game, or digital camera abilities.

Phishing

Phishing is the use of fraudulent e-mails and copy-cat websites to trick you into revealing valuable personal information. Those who take the bait are "caught."

Platter

A platter is one of several metal disks in a hard drive. Each platter is divided into sectors where your data is stored with magnetic charges.

Popup

Popups are advertisements, registration forms, or informative windows that "pop up" or appear in a new window on top of the web page you are currently viewing. They are very powerful from a marketing perspective, and as a result they have been abused to the point that most people refuse to look at them.

There are many different pop-up blockers designed to eliminate popups from your web browsing experience.

Popup Blocker

A popup-blocker is a piece of software that is designed to prevent web sites from creating popups.

Protocol

A protocol is simply a standard for exchanging information between two devices. Protocols define in what form and in what order information is sent from machine to machine. A protocol is more and more useful as it is adopted more and more widely. For example, TCP/IP is the main protocol that computer networks are built on. The fact that nearly every computer network uses TCP/IP means that nearly anyone can communicate with anyone else. See also HTTP, FTP, IP, and TCP IP.

Proxy

A proxy is a server or a program on a server that performs request relay and caching services. When a computer in a LAN makes a request for a page on the Internet, the proxy checks its cache of pages to see if it has stored the page. If it has, it returns the page to the LAN computer. If not, it makes the request on behalf of the LAN computer and relays the information from the Internet to the LAN computer.

Public

Public is an adjective that describes data, things, or places that belong to or are accessible by the general population.

Public Access

Public access refers to resources that give permission to everyone to use them. Thus, anyone with the ability to connect and use public access resources also has the right to use them. See also access.

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