Those holding the A+ certification have a broad base of knowledge and competency in core hardware and operating system technologies including installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.

What is a(n)...

• Virus
• Spyware
• Hard Drive
• Modem
• Network Card
• Motherboard
• Processor
• Power Supply
• RAM
• Video Card

Spyware is Internet jargon for Advertising Supported Software (Adware). It is a way for shareware authors to make money from a product, other than selling it to the users. There are several larger media companies that offer them to place banner ads in their products in exchange for a portion of the revenue from banner sales. This way, you don't have to pay for the software and the developers are still getting paid.

How does it get on my PC?
Spyware can get in a computer as a software virus or as the result of installing a new program.

What are common signs of Spyware?
Programs: Precision Time, Gator, and Bonzi Buddy all contain Spyware.
File Sharing Programs: KaZaA, iMesh, and Morpheus
Internet Explorer Toolbars: XXXToolbar, New.Net, SearchBar, Hotbar, and Hunt Bar are several examples.

How does it crash/slow my Computer?
Advertising companies also install additional tracking software on your system, which is continuously "calling home", using your Internet connection and reports statistical data to the "mothership". Those programs are poorly written and often cause Windows Protection Errors or General Protection Faults.

How do I keep it off my PC?
Although there is no way to officially stop spyware from entering your system, many steps can be taken to prevent it.

• Refrain from installing shareware
• Periodically clean your temporary internet files and cookies
• Do not click yes to windows that popup asking you to install various programs while on the Internet.
• Run Ad-Aware frequently

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One of the most useful things about the Internet is the way it connects you to people and information from all over the world.

Unfortunately, it can also expose you to malicious and unwelcome intruders - like computer viruses.

A computer virus is a simple program, but one that's been specifically designed to damage or take control of your computer.

Viruses reach your computer in two main ways:

1. Viruses that spread using email

Viruses most commonly travel via email and typically, they are hidden in what's called an attachment. An attachment is simply a file like a Word document or picture that is attached to an email message that you might get sent to your mailbox.

2. Viruses that spread using the Internet

Your computer can also be attacked by a virus just by being connected to the Internet. Often called 'Internet worms', these types of viruses travel across the many networks that make up the World Wide Web, looking for vulnerable computers to attack.

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Random access memory (RAM) is the best known form of computer memory. RAM is considered "random access" because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that intersect at that cell.

The opposite of RAM is serial access memory (SAM). SAM stores data as a series of memory cells that can only be accessed sequentially (like a cassette tape). If the data is not in the current location, each memory cell is checked until the needed data is found. SAM works very well for memory buffers, where the data is normally stored in the order in which it will be used (a good example is the texture buffer memory on a video card). RAM data, on the other hand, can be accessed in any order.

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Hard disks were invented in the 1950s. They started as large disks up to 20 inches in diameter holding just a few megabytes. They were originally called "fixed disks" or "Winchesters" (a code name used for a popular IBM product). They later became known as "hard disks" to distinguish them from "floppy disks." Hard disks have a hard platter that holds the magnetic medium, as opposed to the flexible plastic film found in tapes and floppies. At the simplest level, a hard disk is not that different from a cassette tape. Both hard disks and cassette tapes use the same magnetic recording techniques described in How Tape Recorders Work. Hard disks and cassette tapes also share the major benefits of magnetic storage -- the magnetic medium can be easily erased and rewritten, and it will "remember" the magnetic flux patterns stored onto the medium for many years.

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The word "modem" is a contraction of the words modulator-demodulator. A modem is typically used to send digital data over a phone line.

The sending modem modulates the data into a signal that is compatible with the phone line, and the receiving modem demodulates the signal back into digital data. Wireless modems convert digital data into radio signals and back.

Modems came into existence in the 1960s as a way to allow terminals to connect to computers over the phone lines. A typical arrangement is shown below:

In a configuration like this, a dumb terminal at an off-site office or store could "dial in" to a large, central computer. The 1960s were the age of time-shared computers, so a business would often buy computer time from a time-share facility and connect to it via a 300-bit-per-second (bps) modem.

A dumb terminal is simply a keyboard and a screen. A very common dumb terminal at the time was called the DEC VT-100, and it became a standard of the day (now memorialized in terminal emulators worldwide). The VT-100 could display 25 lines of 80 characters each. When the user typed a character on the terminal, the modem sent the ASCII code for the character to the computer. The computer then sent the character back to the computer so it would appear on the screen.

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A high-speed battle for digital dominance is unfolding across the United States. In one corner are the nation's cable companies -- AT&T and RCN, to name a couple -- which have been busily upgrading their networks and deploying cable modems for high-speed Internet access. In the other corner are local telephone companies, like the Baby Bells, and dozens of Internet service providers, which are deploying their own high-speed systems using a technology called digital subscriber line or DSL.

This competition between cable and telephone giants is just what Congress had in mind when it passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. But while competition has pushed companies to bring out new services and lower prices, it also has created consumer confusion. It doesn't make sense to get both a cable modem and a DSL connection. So if both are available in your area, which should you get? Which is better?

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Technical Definition: A Virus is a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents. A computer virus behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. Extending the analogy, the insertion of the virus into a program is termed infection, and the infected file (or executable code that is not part of a file) is called a host.

Person to Person Definition: A virus is very similar to a person when they sick and contract a virus. Your computer can become very sick and not function like it is suppose to. The computer may run very slow or have error messages appear that normally do not appear. Viruses can infect the computer by making copes of itself and spreading them all over the inside of your computer.

Technical definition comes from Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_(computer)

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Technical Definition: Spyware is any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers. Also called adware.

Person to Person Definition: Spyware is kind of like a virus but can come in contact with your computer from websites without even telling you. They can put themselves on your computer and use your computer to copy information back and forth between someone else on the Internet. This is all done without your permission and they can also find out personal information about you like telephone numbers and addresses.

Technical definition comes from Tribal Justice Information website: http://www.tjiss.net/glossary_s.html

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Technical Definition: A primary storage unit on a computer that acts like a large filing cabinet. Its size is measured by how many bits of information it holds. Usually this information is entered in the form of files. This drive is used to store software, files and other data that the user would like repeated access to. A hard drive has a fixed disc which means that the disk is not removable or expandable.

Person to Person Definition: A hard drive consists of many circular disks that hold all of the computers saved information. The saved information stored on the hard drive is permanent and can be in the form of music, pictures, files, or installed programs.

Technical definition comes from Incredible Dictionary website: http://www.incredible.co.za/services/glossary/glossary.asp

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Technical Definition: A device that converts the digital signal from a computer to an analogue signal that can be transmitted along an ordinary phone line. This allows computers to connect to the Internet through a telephone line.

Person to Person Definition: A modem is a component that connects the computer to the internet using a phone line cable. The cable changes the phone signal to a signal that the computer can understand and allows you to see web pages on the Internet. In order to dial onto the Internet, you need to have a Internet Service Provider like Provide.Net.

Technical definition comes from Biz/Ed website: http://www.bized.ac.uk/educators/16-
19/business/marketing/lesson/sup_glossary.htm

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Technical Definition: A network card (also called network adapter, network interface card, NIC, etc.) is a piece of computer hardware designed to provide for computer communication over a computer network.

Person to Person Definition: A network card looks similar to a regular phone line cord, but the end connector is actually wider. A network card is designed for computers to communicate with another computer or multiple computers. DSL and Cable Internet also use a network card to connect your computer to the Internet.

Technical definition comes from Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_card

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Technical Definition: The motherboard, also sometimes referred to as the main board, is a collection of devices (together on one large circuit board) that control the flow of data and operating electricity for all the primary components in a PC - for example, the CPU, memory, graphics adapter and sound card.

Person to Person Definition: The motherboard is the like the nervous system in the human body. It regulates all of the data and programs moving around inside the computer (like blood moving through the human body). The motherboard links all the computer parts together in one area to be controlled by one giant chip called the microprocessor (like the brain).

Technical definition comes from Futuremark Corporation website: http://www.futuremark.com/community/hardwarevocabulary/?page=3

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Technical Definition: A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer. The term processor has generally replaced the term central processing unit (CPU). The processor in a personal computer or that is embedded in small devices is often called a microprocessor.

Person to Person Definition: The processor is the main component in the persona computer that directs the computer and tells it when to start, run, or execute programs and information in the computer. The processor is similar to an engine in an automobile.

Technical definition comes from International Business Center website: http://www.mcsx.co.uk/articles/glossary.htm

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Technical Definition: A power supply is a part of the computer that converts the power from a wall outlet into the lower voltages, typically 5 to 12 volts DC, required internally in the computer. PC power supplies are usually rated in watts, ranging from 90 watts at the low end to 300 watts at the high end. If the power supply in your computer fails, nothing works, not even the fan.

Person to Person Definition: The computer power supply is located in the back of the computer in which the wall electrical cable plugs into. The power supply controls the electrical power coming to the computer and the fan that keeps the computer temperature stable. If the power supply goes bad, the computer will not turn on.

Technical definition comes from Computer Science and Networking Glossary website: http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/diGi8tech/PGlossary.html

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Technical Definition: Is the place in a computer where the operating system, application programs, and data in current use are kept so that they can be quickly reached by the computer's processor. RAM is much faster to read from and write to than the other kinds of storage in a computer: the hard disk, floppy disk, and CD-ROM. However, the data in RAM stays there only as long as your computer is running. When you turn the computer off, RAM loses its data. When you turn your computer on again, your operating system and other files are once again loaded into RAM, usually from your hard disk.

Person to Person Definition: RAM stands for Random Access Memory. RAM holds all of the computers short term memory. This can be compared to a person's short term memory. A person can only work on and keep track of the things going on in front of them and at one time. RAM operates the same exact way and has to continually update itself by going to its long term memory which on the hard drive.

Technical definition comes from University of Greensboro Online Glossary website: http://web.uncg.edu/dcl/icampus/access/glossary.asp#R

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Technical Definition: A Video Card is an expansion card installed inside a computer that contains necessary circuitry to create a video signal that can be processed by a computer display. There are many different types of video cards with varying capabilities regarding monitor size supported and total number of displayable colors.

Person to Person Definition: A video card is an internal device located inside the computer tower. The video card controls the amount of colors and graphics displayed on your computer monitor or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor. The monitor cable plugs into this outlet so that you can receive a display picture.

Technical definition comes from Binary Graphics Dictionary website: http://www.binarygraphics.com/glossary/hardware.html

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