Computer Glossary V

Vapourware The name given to software that is announced far in advance of any release and either never materialises or appears much later than originally advertised.

Virus Written by sad and lonely individuals, viruses are small programs designed to reproduce themselves on your PC and cause havoc. They insert themselves into other programs or on to disks and can destroy data or crash PCs. They can be picked up easily over the internet, which is why antivirus software is an essential purchase.

VRAM video random access memory. Special type of memory used on video adapters to speed up image display rates. Can be accessed simultaneously by two devices, so the digital-toanalogue converter (Ramdac) can provide screen updates while the video processor is supplying data.

VxD virtual device driver. A special type of device driver that has access to the core of the operating system for supervising hardware operations directly. A mouse, serial port and parallel port use VxDs.

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