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  Many computer terms are presented as acronyms, initials standing for multiple words. Before you can understand computer terminology, you must understand what some of the basic computer acronyms mean. This can help you when purchasing a computer, receiving help from computer technicians, repairing computers and even using your computer and computer software.
  
  

Computer Devices

• The CPU is the central processing unit, the computer's brain. Everything related to how your computer operates ties in to the CPU. Another vital component of a computer is random access memory, better known as RAM. RAM is what allows programs to load and operate from the hard drive.
  
  For the operating system to communicate with the motherboard and for hardware to communicate with the operating system, the basic input/output system, or BIOS, is necessary.
  
  Outside of internal computer acronyms, you also have acronyms for computer monitors, such as CRT and LCD. CRT, or cathode ray tube, monitors are larger and bulkier while LCD, or liquid crystal display, monitors are thinner and provide sharper images.
  
  Many external devices are connected to your computer via USB. The Universal Serial Bus connection is the most common computer port, allowing up to 127 devices to be connected to a single port using a USB hub.
  
  

File Systems

• Two main file systems exist that can be used on both your computer and external drives. FAT, or File Allocation Table, is the older of two. FAT is used for DOS and 16-bit Windows systems. FAT is also used on many external devices such as flash drives and media cards.
  
  The New Technology File System, or NTFS for short, was created with Windows NT to be a more reliable and dynamic than FAT. NTFS is the file system Windows operating systems now use.
  
  

Media

• To burn movies and music, you must have DVDs and CDs. DVDs, or digital video discs, can store more data than CDs (compact discs) and are commonly used for videos, but can also be sued to store large amounts of data or a large program. CDs are most often used for music storage, but they can also hold backup files.
  
  Three common media acronyms are MPEG, MP3 and WMA. MPEG, or Moving Picture Experts Group, files are movie files containing both audio and video. MP3, or MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3, and WMA, or Windows Media Audio, files are both types of music or audio-only files.
  
  When you take pictures or create other images, you may use the JPEG and GIF formats to save them. Joint Photographic Experts Group, or JPEG, images are compressed image files that are not limited to a certain group of colors. GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, images are limited to 256 colors and are best for small images, icons or small moving icons.
  
  

Network and Web

• When you create a network, there are several basic computer acronyms you should know such as LAN, WAN, NIC, PCMCIA, SSID, IP, WEP and WPA. The two main types of networks are LAN and WAN. For local networks, create a LAN, or local area network. For larger networks that span multiple locations, create a WAN, or wide area network.
  
  Before you can connect to a network, you must have a NIC, or network interface card. These can be both wired and wireless. If you need to install a NIC on a laptop, you'll often use either a USB port or a PCMCIA slot, also known as a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association slot. These slots allow to place the NIC almost completely inside your laptop and can be used to add other types of functionality to your computer.
  
  When you set up your network's router, you'll need to enter information such as an SSID, or Service Set Identifier. This is the unique ID you give to your network. You may also need to set IP addresses for each device on your network if one isn't set automatically. Internet Protocol addresses allow each device on your network to have its own separate address on the network. You will also need to enter a WEP or WPA key if you want to protect your wireless network. Wired Equivalent Privacy and Wi-Fi Protected Access keys are used to secure networks by providing an encrypted network.
  
  Once online, you may encounter a few more computer acronyms such as HTTP and HTML. HTTP, or HyperText Transfer Protocol, is the protocol used to transfer information over the Internet. HTML, or Hyper-Text Markup Language, is the language that many Web pages are written in.