The letter E: A Glossary of Windows Terms

The letter E: A Glossary of Windows Terms
Page content

E

Easy Transfer – an application in Vista that allows you to easily move data from an older Windows edition, like XP, to a new PC running Vista.

E-Commerce – business conducted over the Internet. Electronic commerce companies include eBay, Amazon, and Dell.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) - the discharge of static electricity between you and your computer. When working inside a computer case, make sure you protect yourself and your PC from this discharge as it can damage sensitive internal parts.

Emoticon – text that is typed in such a way that it looks like a graphic. :-/ for instance, shows confusion, while <:-) shows a smiley face wearing a hat.

Emulation – to reproduce or imitate. In computer terms this means a computer imitates another system and is achieved using software to reproduce a system or clone it to other systems. A common emulation technology involves creating a virtual machine inside another, such as when you run Windows on a Mac, or Unix on a PC.

Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) – an image format that is compatible with postscript printers.

Encryption – the process of coding data so that only the owner of the data can decode it. Encryption on Vista is called BitLocker Encryption and is the strongest type of encryption currently available.

Error-Reporting Service – in Windows, the process of sending error reports to Microsoft. You have the option to send these reports or not, and because this is a “service” it can be disabled if desired.

Ethernet – a technology used to connect PCs on network to network hardware such as routers, hubs, modems, and more.

Event Viewer – a Windows application that gathers information about the hardware and software on your PC and logs errors. You can use these logs when troubleshooting.

Excel – a program in the Microsoft Office suite that allows users to create, view, and manage spreadsheets.

Expansion card – a piece of hardware inserted onto a motherboard inside a computer case for the purpose of expanding the PC to do more than it could without. Network interface cards can be considered expansion cards, as can wireless cards.

External Hard Drive – a hard drive that is outside of the computer case generally used to back up data.

This post is part of the series: Windows Glossary

Learn the definitions for the terms used in the Bright Hub Windows Channel. This series starts with the letter “A” and runs all the way to “Z”.

  1. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “A”
  2. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “B”
  3. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “C”
  4. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “D”
  5. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “E”
  6. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “F”
  7. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “G”
  8. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “H”
  9. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “I”
  10. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “J” and “K”
  11. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “L”
  12. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “M”
  13. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “N”
  14. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “O”
  15. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “P”
  16. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “Q”
  17. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “R”
  18. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “S”
  19. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “U and V”
  20. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “W”
  21. A Glossary of Windows Terms – “X”, “Y”, and “Z”