Default is a setting or value that is assigned automatically by an operating system, program, or piece of computer equipment. It remains in effect unless changed by the end user. For example the Microsoft Word program sets a default font size of 10 points. Every document that is opened in Word will use this default font size unless the user changes it.

The process of taking pieces of files that are scattered or fragmented on the hard disk and unifying them.

When you add a file or a new program to a brand new computer, the hard disk is relatively empty so new data is written to the hard disk in one contiguous block. When you need to use that information, the computer can quickly access it because it is all in one place.

As you add files and programs to your computer, the hard disk begins to fill up. Deleting files or removing programs creates small empty areas among the other data that the computer will reuse. After awhile, the computer is no longer saving information in large blocks. Instead, it stores information in the many little empty nooks and crannies of your hard disk. The result is that one program or file is broken up, or fragmented, into little pieces and stored in many different areas of the hard disk. The computer ingeniously keeps track of the addresses of each piece of data and puts it all together when it is needed. Yet, obviously, the more broken up the information is, the longer it takes to access the data and the slower the computer operates.

The solution is a simple one. Your Windows computer comes with a program that will defragment your hard disk. This process reorganizes the disk by putting files into continuous order and gathering all the free space on the hard disk into one block making data retrieval faster and easier for the computer. Periodically, the hard disk should be defragmented to put files back into order.

Microsoft's Windows Vista automatically defrags the hard disk as the computer is used. This contrasts with previous versions of Windows that needed user intervention to start the defrag process. 

The process of removing or reducing a magnetic field. A CRT monitor can pick up discolorations over time and degaussing will return it to its original color. These monitors often have a command that allows them to perform the degaussing. Some CRT monitors degauss automatically when they are switched on. The degaussing often causes a popping sound and makes the display shake for a moment.

The word digital describes any system based on discontinuous data or events. The important word here is  discontinuous, which means not continuous or having breaks. The opposite of digital is analog.  

Analog processes information more or less in a continuous stream. The difference can be easily seen in a clock. An analog clock is one with hands that circle continuously producing a stream of time. Any minute and any fraction of a minute can be represented. For instance, you could look at an analog clock and say with some degree of accuracy that it is one and one half minutes past one o'clock. You could see that the minute hand was half way between one and two minutes. The average digital clock, which shows the time by flashing the hour and the minute, produces distinct minutes but cannot represent a half of a minute or a quarter of a minute. The digital clock will show that it is one minute past one or two minutes past one. You cannot tell from looking at the clock if it is one and one half minutes past one or one and a quarter minutes past one. 

From the above description, you may surmise that analog is more detailed than digital, but that assumption would be incorrect. Although the normal digital clock will show only minutes, a more detailed digital clock could show fractions of minutes - even a thousandth or millionth of a second, something that an analog clock could not do as accurately. Digital equipment can accurately produce minute details. Digital processing is important because a computer or other digital piece of equipment can store and manipulate digital signals quickly and easily. In addition, digital signals can be converted to analog signals to create a very high quality reproduction.

A camera that uses a digital sensor instead of film to capture the image. The photos are stored within the memory of the digital camera or on a removable memory card, so no film is needed. The digital image can be transferred to a computer for storage and manipulation or to a printer for printing. Since no film is used, no film development is needed. The digital picture is available immediately after it is taken.

A kind of simulated zoom that is created digitally. The camera takes a small portion of the image and through a mathematical method of interpolation, resizes the image to a larger size. Since digital zoom reduces the resolution of the image, it produces results that are not as clear as optical zoom. Digital zoom, which requires no moving parts, is much cheaper to add to a camera, but it produces results that are inferior to optical zoom. Many of today’s cameras have both optical and digital zoom.

This technology is a trademark owned by Texas Instruments. It uses small mirrors to project the image on a screen. Although not as thin as flat panel technologies, DLP is a popular choice for today’s high definition televisions.

These are fake Web sites that are masquerading as legitimate Web sites. Spammers and other criminal-types create these Web sites with names very similar to real Web site names. Then they use e-mail to direct people to these Web sites with the express purpose of stealing personal information. This type of online fraud has already produced domains similar to Citibank and EBay that have fooled thousands of unsuspecting users.

A driver is a piece of software necessary for the computer to operate a monitor, printer, or other attached device. When you purchase a new piece of equipment, it usually comes with a floppy disk or CD that has the software drivers. These drivers need to be installed on your computer before the new equipment will work properly. The exception is devices that are automatically recognized by the operating system.

Drivers are operating system specific: one driver may be used for Windows 95, another for Windows XP and/or for a MacIntosh computer. If you upgrade your operating system or purchase a new computer, you will often need a new driver for your attached equipment, such as printers, cameras, scanners, etc.

This is a system for protecting the copyrights on data that circulated via the Internet and other digital means. The DRM system encrypts the data so that it has limited use. Each DRM system has its own type and number of use restrictions. The data might only be able to be accessed by authorized users, it may only be allow ed to be copied a certain number of times, or it might become inaccessible at a certain date or time.

Digital Rights Management is common for music and videos. Apple’s iTunes music store was the first popular online store to implement its use for music tracks.

In simple terms, this is a computer processor that contains two chips for faster processing. While Intel has named their dual core chips “Core 2” and “Core 2 Duo”, AMD chips of this type are simply referred to as dual core.