Printer

Printers are still accessories, for now at least. They perform a process, transferring information onto paper, that is truly external to the other functions of the computer. On a home computer, the printer is usually wired directly to the computer, but it is common to find printers in businesses where the printer is off away from the computer and performing printing operations for several computers, rather than just one.

External Modem

Unless you have a really old computer, the modem is almost certain to be built in, inside the CPU Box, although technical people persist in thinking of it as an accessory. However, in the old days, modems really were exotic accessories that had to be attached through lots of wires and plugs.

External Disk Drives

Another kind of accessory is an external disk drive. This is becoming more rare, as the computer manufacturers are building specialized disk drives, such as CD drives, into the computer's CPU Box and you don't have to attach them with lots of wires and extra plugs.

Mouse

The mouse is an accessory. That doesn't make much sense any more, since it's almost impossible to use a modern computer without one. Besides that, a good mouse can cost almost as much as a good keyboard. In some ways, the mouse is almost as complicated as the keyboard, too. Calling the mouse an accessory is just one of those goofy things technical people do, and it's best not to disturb their delicate sensibilities.

Computer or CPU Box

The CPU Box is the part that, well, looks like a box. CPU Box is not really a good name for it, but it will have to do until somebody comes up with a name everybody can agree on. CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, and technical people refer to the box part as the CPU Box because that's where the CPU is, and that's where the real work gets done. Because that's where the computing is really done, the CPU component alone can be called the computer. You might hear people say, "not the screen, but the actual computer" when referring to the CPU box. Some people refer to it as the hard drive, since the hard drive is in there too, but that is confusing. The hard drive is inside the CPU Box all right, but you'll drive technical people bonkers if you call the box a hard drive, because they just don't think that way. Of course it's not logical to say that CPU is an OK name but hard drive isn't, but remember that technical people aren't normal and humor them. A box is a box, but not if it's a CPU Box. CPU Boxes come in two special types, called Desktop and Tower. The Desktop kind is designed to lie down flat, even though you can stand it on its side if you want to. In a desktop CPU Box, you will normally find that the openings for the CD and Floppy disk drives are horizontal when the CPU Box is lying down flat. A lot of people don't keep their CPU Box lying flat on top of their desk any more, but the name has persisted. A Tower CPU Box is designed to stand up tall, so it will be easier to knock it over. Well, no, it's really supposed to stand under your desk and not take up too much floor space. In a Tower CPU Box, you will usually find that the openings for the CD and Floppy disk drives are horizontal when the CPU Box is standing up on what you might think was its side. Another clue is the writing on the box. Usually, the computer manufacturer will put the brand name and maybe the model number somewhere on the outside, usually on the part they think of as the front, and the words will be right side up when the CPU Box is standing or lying the way they had in mind when they designed it. This seems pretty complicated, and you're probably wondering why anybody cares. Unfortunately, sometimes it does matter. The parts inside the CPU Box are often different, depending on whether it was designed as a Desktop or a Tower. If you can identify which kind it is when you need help, a technical person may be able to resolve your problem more easily.

Monitor

The monitor is the part that looks a lot like a TV set. You look at it and see pictures and words. When you type things on the keyboard, the letters and numbers show up on the monitor, or at least you hope they will. The monitor is also called the Display Monitor, or just the Display, or sometimes the Video Display, or maybe just The Screen. The important thing to know about the monitor is that it is not really the computer, it's just the part that makes pictures for you to see. It is pretty common for technical support people to find out, after about half an hour on the phone, that the ordinary human being is turning the monitor on and off instead of the computer, and that's why none of their instructions have had any effect. Don't let that happen to you.

Keyboard

The keyboard is easy. We all know what a keyboard is, right? It's the thing that looks like part of a typewriter. Uh, oh, maybe you've never seen a typewriter? OK, it looks like a cellular phone, except it's bigger and has more buttons. Seriously, the keyboard is the part with the letters and numbers, where you put your hands and type, but you knew that. On most traditional computers, it is a separate device, connected by a cord, but it may be attached to or built into one of the other parts, particularly in a laptop computer.