Confused by all the Techno-babble terms? Don't know your IDE from a SATA? Don't worry, we've all been there. In fact, you don't need to know everything. Personally, I still sometimes get headaches when reading up on new video cards and their technologies.

However, there ARE certain terms and components of your computer that you need to understand if you are going to be able to ask for help and be able to supply some of the information would-be helpers could ask you for, such as:

• What make and model is your motherboard? What chipset is it using?
• What are your BIOS settings?
• How are your hard drive and CD Rom set up on the primary/secondary IDE Channels?
• What bus speed is your CPU running at?

The CPU or PROCESSOR is the "brain" of a computer, which works in conjuction with the RAM or MEMORY, which is the working area for programs.

The HARD DRIVE is basically the "Filing Cabinet" where the various program files and your data (photos, documents, etc) are stored when the computer is turned off.

The MOTHERBOARD is the "skeleton" or "body", which contains a "socket" for a CPU (there are many different types), "slots" for add-on cards like video cards, slots that the RAM fits into, and various connectors for the cables that run to all of the drives (floppy, CD/DVD, hard drive, USB connections), and motherboards nowadays generally come with chips onboard that produce the sound Motherboards are generally able to utilize one or the other of either AMD or INTEL CPUs (but not both), and thus are referred to as "AMD motherboards" and "Intel Motherboards". Each motherboard is equipped with a specific CHIPSET that functions to carry the data between the CPU, memory, and the various cards and drives attached to the motherboard. These chipsets are manufactured by various companies for all of the varied motherboard manufacturers, and are new chipsets are always being produced or updated.

When a computer is starting, it needs a basic set of instructions on what to do before an operating system (i.e. Windows) is loaded from the hard drive.  This is supplied by the Basic Input/Output System or BIOS, which are hard-coded into a chip on the motherboard.  This program also controls many basic parameters of the computer, such as what components are enabled or disabled, CPU and memory speeds, and many many other settings. This is typically accessed by pressing the DELETE KEY or F2 FUNCTION KEY while the computer is first starting (but can also be other keys - whatever the BIOS manufacturer has specified).

For an in-depth, plain English explanation of many PC basics, I refer you to a fabulous site (what I would like my site to be, but I just don't have the time!), at The Seniors Guide to Computers. The author (Jeff Mayer) does not overwhelm you with endless pages of "computer-speak"; each page is short and easy to absorb, and many "technogeek" terms are clearly indicated with floatover boxes that give a definition in real terms. You can just keep clicking forward to continue his tutorials or wander off to get more info on many subjects. His section on data backup is particularly good.

The Seniors Guide to Computers has the following sections:

• Accessibility
• Audio
• Back Up Your Data!
• Basics
• Email
• Hardware
• Internet
• Security
• Software

The Seniors Guide to Computers, according to Jeff, the author:

"The Senior's Guide to Computers is a step-by-step, plain English tutorial for the Windows PC. It's perfect for the seniors, juniors, kids, moms and dads who don't want to study for a degree in computer science in order to use their computer."

 Check it out.