Basic Computer Knowledge Questions

A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest unit of data in a computer. A bit has a single binary value, either 0 or 1. Although computers usually provide instructions that can test and manipulate bits, they generally are designed to store data and execute instructions in bit multiples called bytes. In most computer systems, there are eight bits in a byte. The value of a bit is usually stored as either above or below a designated level of electrical charge in a single capacitor within a memory device.

Half a byte (four bits) is called a nibble. In some systems, the term octet is used for an eight-bit unit instead of byte. In many systems, four eight-bit bytes or octets form a 32-bit word. In such systems, instruction lengths are sometimes expressed as full-word (32 bits in length) or half-word (16 bits in length).

A Byte is equal to 8 Bits. A Byte can represent 256 states of information, for example, numbers or a combination of numbers and letters. 1 Byte could be equal to one character. 10 Bytes could be equal to a word. 100 Bytes would equal an average sentence.

Driver software is software that works as a translator between another program and some piece of hardware. In the software industry, there are generally standard ways to do things. There are many different types of hardware, however, and each piece of hardware may have its own protocol (or "language"). The driver software receives standard signals from another program, then translates these into commands for a particular piece of hardware. This way a program can be written in a standard way, and it will work with many different devices. Example: If you want to run CD-ROM in you computer, you need to install CD-ROM Setup software which is a driver software.

Restore means to make a window smaller than full screen, so that it can be resized. At the right top corner there are three boxes from left to right it is Minimize - Restore - Close. The middle square box is to restore.

A bar that usually runs at the bottom of Windows which shows all tasks that are currently being run. The Start button is usually on the left side of the Taskbar. A clock is usually on the right side of the Taskbar. The Taskbar can be moved to any edge of the screen, and the clock and Start button can be removed if desired. task list A list of applications that are currently running. Windows users can access the Task list by pressing Alt + Tab.

A toolbar is a collection of buttons, usually organized by category. Some programs allow you to turn individual toolbars on and off (to display or hide them), and you may even be able to customize the toolbar by changing what buttons are shown (or even add your own buttons). Often, you can drag a toolbar (by dragging from an edge of the toolbar where there is no button) to move it to a different location on the screen. If a novice user does this, though, the user may not know what he or she did and may "lose" the toolbar. Usually, you can turn toolbars on and off by clicking the "view" menu, then choosing "toolbars".

A series of keystrokes and mouse clicks that can be abbreviated into a single keystroke or mouse click.

Associating a network drive. Doing this will have the drive appear in My Computer. Right click on My Computer -> Map network drive. Here you can choose drive and folder. Then you open My Computer. You'll be able to see your selected drive.

An accelerator key is a key on your keyboard that you can press to quickly access a menu or function. It is also sometimes called a hot key, access key or mnemonic. Few examples:To find we press: Ctrl+F To open a file: Ctrl+O To create a new file: Ctrl+N To open the file menu: Alt+F

The current window that is being used. The window you are working currently. Example: If you are working on MSPaint so the active window is MSPaint, if you are working on Notepad so that time Notepad is the Active window.

Asynchronous SRAM (Asynchronous Static Random Access Memory) is a type of memory that stores data using a static method, in which the data remains constant as long as electric power is supplied to the device. This is different than DRAM (dynamic RAM), which constantly needs to refresh the data stored in the memory. These are fabricated using high-performance, high-reliability CMOS technology. This technology, combined with innovative circuit design techniques, provides a cost-effective solution for high speed async SRAM memory needs. Fully static asynchronous circuitry is used, requiring no clocks or refresh for operation.

BIOS stands for Basic Input and Output Software. The BIOS is software that controls the most fundamental operations of a computer and a BIOS is necessary in order to start a computer. Without a BIOS, a computer would not know how to communicate with its hard disk and other devices. The BIOS is stored on a ROM (Read-Only Memory) computer chip inside the computer. Many computers in the past few years use Flash EPROM chips, which means the BIOS chip can be reprogrammed with an updated BIOS. A BIOS may need to be updated to fix bugs, such as the year 2000 bug, or an update may be necessary in order to support new hardware protocols.

A button does some command in a program when it is clicked. Buttons usually have a 3-dimensional look, although you may have to move the mouse over the button for it to look 3D. You should single-click on buttons (do not double-click).

Compact Disc Recordable. A special type of compact disc which can have information written onto it once. You must have a special CD-R drive to write to these discs, but most CD-ROM drives can read them.

To make a window active by bringing it to the front. You can activate a window by clicking on the window and the window comes in front of all windows.

An arrangement of Windows so each window is neatly stacked with only the title bar of each window is showing.

Swiftly pressing and releasing a mouse button.

A mouse click is the action of pressing (i.e. clicking, an onomatopoeia) a button to trigger an action, usually in the context of a graphical user interface (GUI). Clicking an onscreen button is accomplished by pressing on the real mouse button while the pointer is placed over the onscreen button icon.

The X in the upper right corner of a window. When clicked, it will close the current window.

A selection of colors that the user sees when using Windows. These colors make up the display of applications, dialog boxes, etc. You can change it from Start -> Control Panel -> Appearance. Here you can change theme, window colors etc.

To link a file with a certain program. This way, when you double-click on an associated file, it will open the correct program.

In Windows Explorer, selecting auto arrange will lock any visible icons into a grid or pattern. Whenever you will paste or make new folder/file on that folder view will be auto arrange. You need not to make it arrange explicitly. You can do it: Right click on window -> Arrange Icons by/View -> Auto Arrange.

A program is backward compatible if it can use files from an older version of itself. For a file saved in the program to be backward compatible, it must be possible to open the file in a previous version of the program.

Compact Disc - Read Only Memory. A CD-ROM is any compact disc which contains computer data. These discs can store huge amounts of data (up to 640 megabytes). If there is a large amount of data on a CD-ROM, then it is usually impractical to copy the data on to the hard disk; in this case, you must insert the disc whenever you want to use the data. The ROM simply means that you can not save information onto these discs. CD-ROM may also refer to the drive used to read these discs.

A dialog box, usually square, that records an on or off value, when we click on this box for on it shows as right tick mark.

A temporary storage location in Windows. The clipboard will store one piece of information at a time when it is manually added to the clipboard or is copied there.

Hiding an additional level of directories beneath the selected directory in My Computer or Windows Explorer. Usually it looks like (+) and (-) or (->). When we click on (+) directory opens/expands, when we click on (-) directory closes/collapse.

An option form an application's menu, or a command typed in by the user, such as at a DOS prompt or at the Run dialog box in Windows.

A command button, when clicked, will cause an action to occur.

An established communication session between a server and a workstation. For windows network connection can be checked from Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet

A system utility that comes with Windows that allows the use to change a variety if different Windows and system settings.

The representation of the mouse on-screen. Depending on your settings, the cursor can be many different things. You can change the cursor view from:

This is what you see on your computer screen when you have no windows open. It may be a solid color, or it may be graphics. On the desktop, there will be icons, including one called "My Computer" and one called "The Recycle Bin."

This is a small window that is demanding your attention (Usually to ask e.g 'Do you want to continue?'). You must respond before you can continue using the program that displayed the dialog box. A dialog box does not have a minimize or maximize button and does not show up on the taskbar. It is only a portion of its "parent" program. Most dialog boxes have a cancel button.

Using a modem to dial into a remote site network.

Move your mouse pointer over the object, then press the left mouse button twice in a row quickly. Be VERY careful to not move the mouse as you double-click. If you move the mouse while trying to double-click, you may end up dragging the object instead of double-clicking it.

Retrieving a file from a BBS, an FTP site, or a remote computer.

Move the mouse pointer over the object you wish to drag, then hold down the left mouse button. While holding the mouse button, move the mouse pointer (and the object) to the location you want it, then let go of the mouse button. This will move or copy the object to the new location, depending on the context.

A dialog box such as a File menu that contains one command until it is clicked when a number of different commands "drop-down."

Any data storage device. This includes your CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive, and hard disk drive (C Drive, D Drive etc).

An icon is a picture used to represent an object. Some example objects are: data files, program files, folders, email messages, and drives. Each type of object has a different icon. That means that different types of files each have an icon representing its file type.

A window that is open but is not active means the window is behind other window.

A vertical flashing line that shows the user where text will be inserted. In graphics-based programs, the insertion point is the point where the next characters typed from the keyboard will appear on the display screen. The insertion point is usually represented by a blinking vertical line. You can reposition the insertion point by pressing arrow keys or by moving the I-beam pointer.

The visible layer which allows a user to communicate with a computer means which you can see like windows, http://www.withoutbook.com website view in your browser etc.

To make a window appear at its largest possible size. The maximize button is a square in the top right corner of the window.

To make a window disappear from the screen and move down to the taskbar (looks like - at the right top corner of windows).

A device, usually connected to a serial port of a computer, that transmits data over regular phone lines. Modem stands modulatordemodulator; it converts a digital stream of data into sound for transmission (modulator) and converts incoming sound signals into data (demodulator).

A file is a long sequence of bytes which represent data. Each file has a name and an extension which are separated by a dot (a period). The name, of course, identifies the file. The extension tells the computer what type of data is contained within the file. For example, a file called "Letter to George.DOC" is a Microsoft Word DOCUMENT. The file you are reading now is called "glossary.html". HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, and it is the file type for web pages.

A round, flexible piece of magnetic media stored within a 3.5 inch square protective plastic case. One floppy disk can store 1.44 megabytes of data. Because floppy disks use magnetic media, they must be kept away from magnets, or the data on them could be erased! Computer speakers are magnetically shielded to prevent erasure of floppy disks, but standard speakers are not!

When you use a dialog box with many items to fill out, only one of the items can be accepting input from the keyboard at a time. The active item is said to be the item with the focus. You can press the TAB key to move the focus to the next item; press SHIFT+TAB to move the focus to the previous item. The item with the focus will usually have a dashed border around it, or it will have a blinking text cursor in it.

A folder can be thought of as a location on your hard disk or floppy disk. Folders used to be called directories/subdirectories. A folder contains files and can contain nested folders (subfolders). Folders and subfolders are used to organize your hard disk. For example, you probably already have a folder named "My Documents" on your hard disk; you could place a subfolder named "Work" under "My Documents", and place all your work documents within this subfolder. This way, you can keep your work documents separate from your personal documents.

You must open a file to view or edit it. When you open a file, it is copied from the hard disk into the computer's high-speed memory. Memory is temporary workspace only. If you change the file, you must save it (which copies the file back to the permanent hard disk).

Select means to highlight data. To select text, for example, hold down the mouse button at the beginning of what you want to select, then move the mouse to the end of what you want to select (and let go of the mouse button). The selected text will now be in inverse (opposite) colors. This is only to show what text is selected, it does not affect the printed document.

Text formatting refers to the attributes of text other than the actual text itself. For example: bold, italics, underlining, color, and size, are all formatting attributes of text. The location of text can also be considered part of the formatting. Text can be automatically centered, indented, or positioned in other ways. When you wish to change the format of text, you usually have to select the text, then do the formatting by clicking the appropriate buttons. Occasionally, there are exceptions to the select-then-do paradigm. In Microsoft Word, there is a feature called Format Painter with which you click some already formatted text, then click the Format Painter toolbar button, then drag the mouse cursor across some other text. The other text will be "painted" with the formatting of the original text selected. If you double-click the Format Painter button, then it will be "locked" and you can paint lots of text. When you are done, click the Format Painter button again to turn it off.

Understanding the different types of memory that can be utilized in computer systems is a major function of computer science positions. Knowing how they work and the difference between these two types of memory is often mandatory for computer science jobs.

An employer may ask you about the most commonly used computer processors, or they may ask you about the specific computer processor they use at the business you are applying to work for. You should be very familiar with all common computer processors and know how to answer questions regarding each.

Understanding what a constructor is and how it works is a more advanced topic, but one that you must be familiar with as a computer science professional. Depending on the type of company you are applying to work at, the interviewer will likely ask you about constructors and why they are important in computer science.

Understanding interface and how to implement it in a user-friendly way is incredibly important to a computer science professional's job. Asking about if you know what an interface is and if you are familiar with how it is used may be one of the questions you face during a computer science interview.

A file is a basic component of computer science and a concept every computer science professional should be familiar with. An employer may ask this question to ensure you know the basics of the field.

Class and superclass are two commonly used terms that refer to an important component of computer programming.

Chipsets help control communications between devices and play a key role in helping a computer professional determine if a computer system is performing properly.