Which component is known as the 'brain' that processes instructions in a computer?

Where are active programs and data temporarily stored for quick access in a computer?

What is your computer’s long-term storage for files, programs, and the operating system itself called?

Which type of storage makes your computer boot up and load programs much quicker and is pricier than a hard drive?

What is an even faster SSD interface that provides the quickest response times?

Which special processor is optimized for graphics and is critical for gaming, 3D work, and video editing?

What is the power supply unit that converts AC power from your wall outlet to DC power the computer components need called?

What is a versatile high-speed connector for add-in cards like GPUs, SSDs, and capture cards called?

Fill in the blank: ________ refers to a computer’s physical size and shape, like a laptop vs a desktop tower.

Fill in the blank: ________ is a chip that stores key settings like the system time and hardware config. Powered by a coin battery.

Fill in the blank: ________ is low-level software that runs when you first start your computer. Handles booting the OS.

Fill in the blank: ________ stands for Power-On Self Test. A series of quick checks the computer runs at startup.

Fill in the blank: ________ is a block of metal fins that draws heat away from the CPU or GPU. Usually topped with a fan.

Fill in the blank: ________ is the display screen. Comes in different sizes, resolutions, and panel types like LCD, LED, OLED.

Fill in the blank: ________ is for typing and giving your computer commands.

Fill in the blank: ________ lets you precisely point at and interact with things on the screen.

Fill in the blank: ________/________ are for pumping out audio. A good set of headphones can really up your jam sessions.

A device useful for calls, voice commands, recording, etc. Laptop versions can be hit or miss. What is it?

A small video camera, handy for video calls and conferences. Some have IR for Windows Hello. Fill in the blank: ________

A device for getting physical copies of documents and photos. All-in-one models can Scan and Copy too. What is it?

Short for Operating System. The main software that manages your computer’s hardware and software. Fill in the blank: ________

A program designed for a specific task, like a web browser, photo editor, or game. Fill in the blank: ________

Your portal to the internet. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge are some of the most popular. Fill in the blank: ________

A discrete package of data, like a document, photo, or program. Fill in the blank: ________

A virtual container for organizing files. Folders can contain other folders for a nested hierarchy. Fill in the blank: ________

A small graphic that represents a file, folder, or program. Double-click an ________ to open it. Fill in the blank: ________

Software that detects and removes malware like viruses, spyware, and ransomware. Fill in the blank: ________

Monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic to protect your system and data. Fill in the blank: ________

Software that lets your OS communicate with a particular piece of hardware. Fill in the blank: ________

Permanent software programmed into a read-only memory on devices like routers and IoT gadgets. Fill in the blank: ________

A Graphical User Interface, which is how most modern OSes and apps present themselves. Fill in the blank: ________

A Command Line Interface for controlling a computer by typing text commands. Still has its uses! Fill in the blank: ________

That little area, usually bottom-right on Windows, that holds status icons and background apps. Fill in the blank: ________

A collection of tools and settings for configuring your Windows system. Fill in the blank: ________

A text-based interface for running commands. Called Command Prompt on Windows, and Terminal on Mac. Fill in the blank: ________

A tool for easily installing, updating, and managing software. Essential for Linux users. Fill in the blank: ________

Provides info about running processes and resource usage. Helps identify unresponsive programs. Fill in the blank: ________

Removes the selected data and copies it to the clipboard. Fill in the blank: ________

Copies the selected data to the clipboard without removing the original. Fill in the blank: ________

What is the term for the following definition? Inserts the data from the clipboard at the current cursor position.

What is the term for the following definition? Reverses the last action. A real lifesaver for those accidental deletions!

What is the term for the following definition? Reverses the undo to restore a change. Not as common as undo since mistakes are more frequent.

What is the term for the following definition? Searches for a specific piece of data, like a certain word in a document.

What is the term for the following definition? Captures an image of your screen and copies it to the clipboard. Very useful for sharing!

What is the term for the following definition? The process of powering on the computer and loading the operating system.

What is the term for the following definition? Shuts down and then immediately starts the computer back up. Helps resolve many issues.

What is the term for the following definition? Properly powers down the computer, saving data and closing programs first.

What is the term for the following definition? A low-power state that quickly resumes where you left off. Ideal for taking breaks.

What is the term for the following definition? Saves your system state to disk and shuts down. Uses zero power but is slower to resume.

What is the term for the following definition? The process of setting up a new program or hardware device on your computer.

What is the term for the following definition? Removes a program and its associated files from your computer. Helps free up space.

What is the term for the following definition? Patches a program with fixes and improvements. It’s wise to stay updated.

What is the term for the following definition? Installing a newer version of a program or swapping in a better hardware component.

What is the term for the following definition? Having two separate OSes installed, with the ability to choose between them at startup.

What is the part after the dot in a filename, like .jpg or .mp3, that tells you its format?

Files configured not to show up in regular file browsers are called ________.

A small file that just points to another file, folder, or program is called a ________.

Settings that control whether a user can view, edit, or execute a particular file are called ________.

Encoding data to take up less space is called ________. ZIP and RAR are common formats for this.

Program files your OS needs to function are called ________.

Temporary files that programs generate in the background and can usually be safely deleted are called ________.

Making files accessible to other computers on a network or the internet is called ________.

A file that can be viewed but not edited, helping protect important data from changes, is called ________.

A collection of files bundled into a single file for storage or sharing, often compressed, is called an ________.

Fill in the blank: The nested tree-like structure of folders within folders on a drive is called _________.

Fill in the blank: The top-level folder that contains all other folders on a drive is referred to as the __________.

Fill in the blank: The complete location of a file or folder, like C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Report.docx, is called the __________.

Fill in the blank: Dividing a physical drive into separate logical drives, each with its own filesystem, is called __________.

Fill in the blank: The method an OS uses to organize data on a drive, like NTFS or exFAT, is called the __________.

Fill in the blank: Erasing and preparing a drive to work with a particular file system is called __________.

Fill in the blank: When files get scattered around a drive, causing slow performance, this is called __________. Defragging fixes this.

Fill in the blank: Storing files on remote servers so they’re accessible from anywhere over the internet is called __________.

Fill in the blank: Having multiple copies of data to prevent loss if one drive fails is called __________.

Fill in the blank: ________ is a dedicated file server that provides storage over a network.

Fill in the blank: ________ is the process of combining multiple drives to improve performance and/or fault tolerance. Several types exist.

Fill in the blank: ________ is a small, portable SSD that plugs into a USB port. Great for moving files between PCs.

Fill in the blank: ________ is a hard drive or SSD in a case that connects to a computer, usually via USB.

Fill in the blank: ________ files are plain unformatted text. TXT files are the universal standard.

Fill in the blank: ________ are visual data like photos and graphics. JPG, PNG, and GIF are typical formats.

Fill in the blank: _______ is sound data like music and recordings. MP3 and WAV are the usual suspects.

Fill in the blank: _______ refers to moving pictures and sound together. MP4, AVI and MKV are prevalent formats.

Fill in the blank: _______ is any file that’s been made smaller with compression. ZIP and RAR for general files, MP3 for audio, JPG for images, etc.

Fill in the blank: _______ is data organized into a grid of cells. Microsoft Excel’s XLSX is a de facto standard.

Fill in the blank: _______ is used for slideshows and lectures. Microsoft’s PPTX is commonly used.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a structured collection of data, often with multiple tables. Access, MySQL, and Oracle are big players.

Fill in the blank: _______ is for tabular data like spreadsheets. Very simple and universally supported.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a lightweight data interchange format that’s easy for humans to read and write.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a widely used markup language for encoding documents in a way both humans and computers can read.

Fill in the blank: _______ is similar to JSON but strives to be even more human-friendly. Great for configuration files.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a lightweight markup language for formatting plain text. Used all over the web, including in this article!

Fill in the blank: _______ stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. An XML-based image format that can scale to any size without pixelation.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a modern image format that offers better compression for the web than JPG or PNG.

Fill in the blank: _______ is the standard ebook format. Supports flowable text content with images and formatting.

Fill in the blank: _______ is a versatile multimedia container that can hold video, audio, subtitles, and metadata.

What is the term for the collective network of public websites and pages linked via hyperlinks and URLs?

What protocol powers the web and is becoming more secure with HTTPS?

What is the encryption protocol used to secure data sent over the internet, usually via HTTPS?

What is a web address specifying the location of a resource on the internet called?

What is the term for the company you pay to get internet access, like Comcast or AT&T?