Getting help with your computer's programs will be quicker if you know the correct terms to use. One of the main difficulties that novice PC users run into with a technician is not being able to properly define the problem which they're having. With the right terms, the computer specialist may even offer you online PC support.
Getting help with your PC's programs can be easier when you know the correct terminology to say. One of the main difficulties that novice computer users have with a tech support person is not knowing how to correctly define the difficulty that they're having. And it isn't right to expect a technician to automatically know what a "thing-a-ma-jingy" or "gizmo" is. With the right terminology,
the technician may even provide you online PC support.
The appearance of your personal computer screen is called the "GUI" (pronounced "gooey") that means "graphical user interface" The following list defines the correct names for common parts of the computer screen appearance so that if you encounter a problem, you can properly describe the problem that you are having, which lets a technician readily resolve it.
User interface - means the entire visual design of programs. It may consist of pop-ups, rectangles, words, images, and buttons. If you're encountering a lack of memory, as an example, you might see a black rectangle around the user interface of your software.
Title bar - means is the very top part of a program that might display its own name, or it might describe the contents from another portion of the interface. If a program is incorrectly coded, you may see a wrong definition in this part of its interface.
Menu bar - this portion of a program shows menu items and their options. Some of the most common sections on a menu bar grant access to File options, Open commands, Save commands, and Close commands. An example of an error in this part of an interface would be if an option was gone or grayed out (lighter shaded).
Toolbar - this part across the top of a program displays small icons that represent tools. If you click an icon it will open a tool or run a command which may also be on a program's menu bar. Problems in this portion of an interface are not very common, however, if you find that you are clicking an icon over and over and getting no results, you can properly define the issue by mentioning the particular icon on the toolbar.
Minimize, Maximize, and Exit buttons - these three buttons are found on the upper-right part of a program's interface, and they let you minimize a program's screen, maximize it or restore it to its previous position, or totally terminate the program.
Scroll bar - this convenient item allows users to scroll data up and down the personal computer screen.
Status bar - this part of the program is found on the bottom-most part of its interface, and it usually displays small messages which indicate the progress of a task. If written incorrectly, an application could display the wrong message in this place.
Input box - an input box is usually a small rectangle which permit you to type data into a simple text box in a program, webpage or browser window. If you discover that you can't type information into one of these, you could more quickly resolve the problem with a computer specialist by referring to it as an input box, rather than a "spot," a "white rectangle," or a "blank to write something."
Context menu - like the menu bar, the context menu displays when the user right-clicks on something. It displays commands like what you see on a File menu or Help menu.
Button - this useful tool performs a command after a user clicks it with a mouse. Problems occur when the text on the button is grayed out or when it doesn't appear to sink into the screen when clicked.
Check box - a check box is a very small box that allows the user to indicate several choices among many. When clicked, a little "x" appears inside a box.
Radio Button - a radio button is similar to the check box, but allows the user to indicate a single choice among many. Issues with radio buttons and check boxes occur when the user selects one choice, but the program reacts as if the user made many choices (or none at all).
When describing a problem to a technician, be sure to indicate whether the problem takes place with a check box or a radio box. Personal computer novices mistakenly interchange the names of both of these controls. So learn the correct terminology, then the computer specialist will be able to actually give you online PC support, yes, help over the Internet!
Yours truly,
Bob Hosken
"Dr. Bob the CompuNerd"
