vocab nos

Question 1

An account that grants to the administrator(s) rights and permissions to all hardware and software resources, such as the right to add, delete, and change accounts and to change hardware configurations.

Answer 1

administrator account

Question 2

A technology, software, or device that works with older or legacy technologies, software, or devices.

Answer 2

backward-compatible

Question 3

A Windows utility that is used to enter multiple commands to perform a variety of tasks.

Answer 3

command prompt window

Question 4

A folder with a .zip extension that contains compressed files.

Answer 4

compressed (zipped) folder

Question 5

The initial screen that is displayed when an OS has a GUI interface loaded.

Answer 5

desktop

Question 6

A program stored on the hard drive that tells the computer how to communicate with a hardware device such as a printer or modem.

Answer 6

device driver

Question 7

The ability to boot using either of two different OSs, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Answer 7

dual boot

Question 8

A Vista command prompt window that allows commands that require administrative privileges.

Answer 8

elevated command prompt window

Question 9

The properties assigned to a file, such as read-only or hidden

Answer 9

file attribute

Question 10

A portion of the name of a file that is used to identify the file type

Answer 10

file extension

Question 11

The first part of the name assigned to a file. In DOS, the filename can be no more than eight characters long and is followed by the file extension. In Windows, a filename can be up to 255 characters

Answer 11

filename

Question 12

An interface that uses graphics as compared to a command-driven interface.

Answer 12

graphical user interface (GUI)

Question 13

a layer of programming that allows a computer operating system to interact with a hardware device at a general or abstract level rather than at a detailed hardware level.

Answer 13

HAL (hardware abstraction layer)

Question 14

In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel’s responsibilities include managing the system’s resources (the communication between hardware and software components)

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Answer 14

kernel

Question 15

An update to software that corrects an error, adds a feature, or addresses security issues.

Answer 15

patches

Question 16

pathA drive and list of directories pointing to a file such as C:\Windows\System32.

Answer 16

path

Question 17

A database that Windows uses to store hardware and software configuration information, user preferences, and setup information.

Answer 17

registry

Question 18

The root folder of any partition is the “highest” folder in the hierarchy. The root folder contains all other folders and can also contain files.

Answer 18

root directory

Question 19

A program that runs in the background to support or serve Windows or an application.

Answer 19

service

Question 20

An update to software that corrects an error, adds a feature, or addresses security issues.

Answer 20

service pack

Question 21

The portion of an OS that relates to the user and to applications.

Answer 21

shell

Question 22

The Vista user account type that can use software and hardware and make some system changes, but cannot make changes that affect the security of the system or other users.

Answer 22

standard account

Question 23

A directory or folder contained in another directory or folder.

Answer 23

subdirectory

Question 24

A bar normally located at the bottom of the Windows desktop, displaying information about open programs and providing quick access to others.

Answer 24

taskbar

Question 25

Each process that the CPU is aware of; a single task that is part of a longer task or program.

Answer 25

thread

Question 26

A Vista security feature that displays a dialog box each time a user attempts to perform an action that can be done only with administrative privileges.

Answer 26

User Account Control (UAC) dialog box

Question 27

In Windows 2000/XP/Vista, a mode that provides an interface between an application and the OS, and only has access to hardware resources through the code running in kernel mode.

Answer 27

user mode

Question 28

One or more logical machines created within one physical machine.

Answer 28

virtual machine (VM)

Question 29

A primary partition that has been assigned a drive letter and can be formatted with a file system such as NTFS. Compare to logical drive.

Answer 29

volume