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Glossary
- anti-virus Anti-virus software scans all forms of storage devices for viruses (programs harmful to computers) and, if found, attempts to remove them.
- backup A copy of important files that is kept separately in case the original files are lost or damaged.
- crash When an application or operating system no longer responds. Crashes can be caused by software and hardware.
- data Values, typically letters or numbers.
- encryption Files that are encrypted have been altered using a secret code and are unreadable to unauthorised parties.
- hacked If a computer has been hacked, someone has gained unauthorised access to it.
- hard drive A device used to store vast amounts of data.
- http Hypertext transfer protocol - a request/response standard. Web browsers send requests and websites or servers respond to requests.
- removable disk Any storage medium that is easily removed from its enclosure, eg CDs or DVDs.
- software The programs, applications and data in a computer system. Any parts of a computer system that aren't physical.
- terminal A point of access, eg to a computer system.
- virus A small program written to cause harm to a computer.
- write-protecting When a disk (for example) is write protected, no more data can be written to it, or existing data edited.