I feel I need to fully disclose that I am truly a novice when it comes to computing.
No need, Liz - our bad if we lapse into Geek Speak from time to time. Any time you are not sure of what we are saying, just ask for a fuller or less technical explanation.
It's not about dumbing down for you, it's just about good manners, and good tutoring.
Timezones can be a problem, so make Google or DuckDuckGo (another search engine, Linux-friendly) your friend, and using "fsck" Andy mentioned above, search eg
linux what is fsck
and you'll get an idea while you are waiting for the person helping.
We've got your back.
Cheers
Chris Turner
wizardfromoz