Glossary
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F FAQ Frequently asked questions (and their answers).
Fast Ethernet 100Mbps Ethernet.
Fast User Switching Feature that allows Windows to switch from one user account to another, leaving the first user's programs running.
FAT See file allocation table.
FAT or FAT16 File system used in all versions of DOS since DOS 2.0, as well as Windows. FAT16 is also supported in Windows for disks up to 2GB.
FAT32 File system supported by Windows Me/9x, 2000, and XP, in which data is stored more efficiently than FAT16 on disks larger than 500MB. However FAT32 doesn't support file- or folder-level security.
Favorites Files, folders, Web pages, and programs to which you want easy access. Windows stores shortcuts to Favorites in your Favorites folder and displays them on the Favorites menu.
Favorites menu Menu displayed by choosing Start | Favorites listing files, shortcuts, and Web sites that you have added.
Fdisk Partitioning program that came with [previous versions of Windows (except Windows 2000). Replaced by Disk Management.
file Collection of information that has a name and is stored on a disk--for example, a document, spreadsheet, or program component.
file address Address of a file on your computer or on a network to which your computer is attached, for example, C:\My Documents\Budgets\2003 Draft.xls. Also called a path or pathname.
file allocation table Or FAT. Table that stores information about each sector in a FAT16 or FAT32 partition.
File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks Windows service that enables you to share files and printers over a LAN.
file association Which program you use to open, edit, or print a specified type of file.
file attachment See attached file.
file icon Icon that represents a file.
filename Name given to a file. The last part of a filename, after the last period, is the extension.
file system Information that keeps track of which files are stored where in a partition on a disk. Windows XP supports FAT, FAT32, and NTFS partitions.
File Transfer Protocol See FTP.
file type Type of information contained in a file, indicated by the extension portion of the filename.
filter See message rule.
FilterKeys Accessibility feature that "filters out" repeated keystrokes.
firewall Gateway program that provides security features when translating between a LAN and the Internet. A firewall includes or works with a proxy server. Windows XP comes with the Internet Connection Firewall.
FireWire Standard type of connector introduced on Macintosh computers, and also available on many PCs. Also known as IEEE 1394 or Sony i.Link.
fixed spacing Typeface design in which all letters in the typeface are the same width.
floppy disk Also called a diskette, a removable disk that stores up to 2.8MB, depending on the capacity of the disk drive.
flow control System that controls the flow of data between your modem and your computer.
folder Special kind of file that contains a list of other files. Folders can contain other folders.
folder hierarchy See folder tree.
folder icon Icon that represents a folder; it looks like a manila folder.
folder list See folder tree.
folder template Predefined set of properties that you can choose to apply to a folder.
folder tree Diagram showing which folders are contained in which other folders. Also called a folder hierarchy, tree view, or folder list.
Folder window See Explorer window.
Folders Explorer bar In a Windows Explorer window, the Explorer bar displaying a folder tree.
font All the characters in a typeface of a given size and style. Commonly but incorrectly used to mean typeface.
font substitution To speed up printing, using built-in printer fonts where possible for similar TrueType fonts.
Fonts folder Folder containing Windows font files.
Forgotten Password Wizard Wizard that creates a password reset disk that you can use if you forget your user account password.
formatting Writing the file system on a disk or partition of a disk.
fragmentation Storage of files in discontinuous groups of sectors on your disk. When too many files are split up into too many groups of sectors, disk performance slows down, and you should defragment the disk.
freeware Programs that are entirely free to use and frequently downloadable from the Internet.
FTP File Transfer Protocol, a method for transferring files over the Internet. The built-in Windows program that transfers files by using FTP is called Ftp.
FTP client Program that lets you upload files to, or download files from, an FTP server. Windows comes with the Ftp program. Internet Explorer and Netscape can also act as FTP clients.
FTP server Internet host computer that acts as a file archive, allowing other computers to upload or download files by using FTP.
full control Access type that allows other people to read from or write to a shared resource.
full backup Complete backup of all files and folders; also called a baseline backup.
Full mode Windows Media Player mode in which the program appears using its default interface--one large window.