Operating System (OS):  Software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.  The operating system is an essential component of the system software in a computer system.  Application programs usually require an operating system to function.

Third-Party Software:  A reusable software component developed to be either freely distributed or sold by an entity other than the original vendor of the development platform.  For example:  Quickbooks, Photoshop, etc.

Registry Cleaner:  A registry cleaner is a third-party software utility designed for Microsoft Windows operating system, whose purpose is to remove redundant items from the Windows registry.  Registry cleaners are not supported by Microsoft, but vendors of registry cleaners claim that they are useful to repair inconsistencies arising from manual changes to applications, especially COM-based programs.

We normally do not recommend people do registry cleaners, as malware and scareware are often associated with utilities of this type.

We recommend, CCleaner.  There is a free trial version available, here.

Computer Memory:  Any physical device capable of storing information temporarily or permanently.

Volatile Memory:  Temporary memory that loses its contents when the computer or hardware loses power.

Computer Memory:  Any physical device capable of storing information temporarily or permanently.

Non-Volatile Memory:  Sometimes abbreviated as NVRAM, is memory that keeps its contents even if the power is lost.

SSD (Solid State Drive): SSD uses non-volatile memory as a means of storing and accessing data (similar to RAM).  Unlike other hard drives, a SSD has no moving parts, which gives it advantages such as accessing stored information faster, produces no noise, often more reliable, and consume much less power than the traditional hard drive (HDD) usually found in computers.

Plug-Ins:  Plug-ins help browsers process special types of web content, like Flash, Windows Media Files.

Device Manager:  A Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems.  Allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer.  When a piece of hardware is not working, the hardware is highlighted for the user to easily see

Virus:  A software program, script, or macro that has been designed to infect, destroy, modify, or cause problems with a computer or other software programs.

We highly recommend installing an anti-virus program, which is designed to detect, protect, and clean any computer viruses.  We personally use and sell Vipre.  You can download a free trial version here.

Malware:  Aka “Scumware“.  A software program that has been intentionally designed to change a user’s settings without their permission, delete a competing software program, cause a competing software program to stop working, or leave a computer open to attacks.

A computer can be infected by malware by visiting an infected website, downloading infected software, or installing infected software.  Most anti-virus programs can clean malware.  However, we highly recommend also using an anti-malware or malware cleaner.  We personally use Malwarebytes along with our anti-virus software.  There is a free version available, however the paid version is extremely good at deleting malware, often before it’s installed.