7 Must Know about Computers
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Computer is the most versatile electronic machine man has ever created. Computers have made a great impact on our everyday life.
It is basically a programmable computing machine and its presence is felt in almost every walk of life be it home, school, college, office, industry, hospital, bank, retail store, railways, research and design organizations etc. A computer can not only store and process data but also retrieve data ( take out data from its memory or storage as and when desired).
A computer is an electronic data processing machine used for a wide range of activities. There two basic types of computers are the following:
1. Analog computers: It handles or process information which is based on the measuring of analogues or equivalent physical value.
2. Digital computers: It process information which is essentially in a binary or two-state form, namely zero and one.
Elements of Computer System
A computer is made up of integrated components (input and output devices, storage, CPU) that work together to perform the output.
The input or output units cannot function until they receive signals from the CPU. Similarly, the storage unit or the CPU alone is of no use. So, the usefulness of each unit depends on other units and can be realized only when all units are put together (integrated) to form a system. Computer System has two major elements. These are:
1 . Hardware
2. Software
Hardware: The physical components of a computer are called hardware. For example, microprocessors, hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, monitors, keyboard, printer, plotter, CD-ROM, etc.
Software: The set of computer programs procedures and associated related to the effective operation of a computer system are termed as software.
Hardware Components of PC
Various parts of a personal computer (PC) system are the following:
1. Front panel,
2. Rear panel, and
3. Inside the system unit.
Parts of the Front Panel
Various parts of the front panel of a PC are given in the following;
Power Switch: Depending on the model, this switch is located either in the front or at the side of the system unit and it is used to switch the system ON or OFF.
Reset Button: This is a switch which can be used to restart the PC without switching off the mains power supply.
Indicator Lights: Computer unit may have colored lights to indicate the working of the PC. These lights also glow whenever data is recorded onto or read from CD, USB Drive or hard disk.
DVD Drive: It accepts CD and DVD and if the drive is capable of it, it might also write to writeable CDs & DVDs.
USB / Memory Cards / Ear piece: They respectively accepts external drives, Pen drive, Memory Cards and Ear Piece.
Parts of the Rear Panel
If you look at the rear panel of the system unit of your PC, you will see certain holes and slots with different cables. Details of such parts are explained below:
Video Port for Monitor: This is a 5 pin socket used to connect a monitor with the system unit.
PS/2 Port: This is used to connect the keyboard and mouse with the system.
Power Sockets: Cables plugged into these sockets carry electric power supply from the electrical outlet to your system unit and from the system unit to your monitor.
Parallel Port or Sockets: These ports or sockets are used for expanding the 'capability of your PC. For example, you can connect a printer, mouse, modem or some other peripheral to your system unit by using these ports.
Fan Housing: The power supply fitted inside the system unit has
a small fan to take the heat out of the machine.
USB Port: These small rectangular slots accept Universal Serial Bus (USB) cables. Many types of devices use USB interfaces, including scanners, digital cameras, Mouse, Keyboard, Pen drive and printers.
Sound Connectors: Sound connectors are built-in but, in some
systems they are on a separate in an expansion slot. There are
three identical round rings i.e. output for speakers, input for
microphone, and input for other devices.
Network Interface: It is a RJ-45 connector. It is used to connect
the network wire in the system.
Inside the System Unit
Inside the system unit are the electronic components that run programs, handle typed instructions and determine the result. Some of common components are as follows:
RAM (Random Access Memory) Chips: RAM chips consist of black plastic integrated circuit (IC) chips with a row of pins on each side. They may be inserted onto a printed circuit board.
ROM Chips: ROM chips such as BIOS contain data written on them during manufacture. It stores important instructions such as instructions that tell the CPU what to do immediately when you switch on your PC.
nonconductor of electricity _ Thin metal lines on the fiberglass connect pins `
Display Adapter Card (Video Graphics Card): Display Adapter Card provides the link between the CPU and the Monitor. It converts binary form of information into human readable form.
Disk Interface Card: Disk Interface Card is necessary for communicating with a hard disk and other peripherals, such as floppy disk drives.
Input/Output Interface Card: Input/Output Interface Card is for input output devices such as printers or modems. It usually has one or two parallel ports, one or two serial ports and a joystick port.
Expansion Slots: Expansion Slots are long narrow connectors that allow you to plug in adapter cards, which offer extra options not available on a normal PC mother board. For example, one can plug sound card, network card etc. into these slots to enhance the capability of a PC.
Microprocessor: A microprocessor executes all the program instructions and is truly the heart of the personal computer. It consists of a silicon chip on which tiny circuits are engraved through a photo chemical process.
CPU Support Chips: These chips help the CPU in managing different parts of the computer. Intel chip set is the one used on motherboard for supporting other devices.
Components of computer System
Monitors: Monitors comes in two types:
(a) CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Monitor: A VDU or CRT monitor is very similar to a television. It shows text or picture. Whatever you type on the keyboard, you can see it on the monitor.
(b) TFT-LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): LCD monitor is the flat panel type of monitor found on notebook PCs. TFT LCD has a sandwich-like structure with liquid crystal filled between two glass plates.
Modem: It is a communication device that acts as an interface between a computer or terminal and a communication channel. It enables computer to transmit information over’ a standard telephone line. Because a computer is digital and a telephone line is analog, therefore modems (modulator / demodulator) are needed to convert digital to analog signal and vice versa.
System Unit: System unit or CPU is the brain of a computer. Its primary function is to execute programs and control all the components such as memory, input and output devices. Under its control, programs and data are stored in the memory sand outputs are displayed on the monitor screen or printed on paper. (details are already described).
Mouse: A mouse is a pointing device. It is held in one hand and moved across a flat surface. The mouse can also be used to draw sketches, diagrams etc. on the monitor screen. One type of mouse uses a rolling ball; others use optical sensing techniques. They are linked to the PC by using a cable or by using infrared light.
Speaker: The computer speakers are similar to the ones that are connected to the stereo. In a computer a sound card is necessary for speakers. Speakers receive the sound in form of electric current from the sound card and then covert it to sound format.
Printers: Printers provide information in a permanent readable form. They produce printed outputs of results, programs and data.
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Main Storage
RAM (Random Access Memory): RAM is a read/write memory. Information can be written into and read from a RAM. It is a volatile memory. It retains the stored information as long as it is supplied with power supply. When power supply is switched off or interrupted, the stored information in the RAM is lost.
RAMS of various capacities are available such as 512 MB, IGB
and so on.
ROM (Read Only Memory): ROM is a permanent type memory. Its contents are not lost when power supply is switched off. The user cannot write into a ROM. Its contents are written into at manufacturing time. ROMs store permanent programs and other types of data which are needed by the computer to execute user programs.
Secondary Storage Devices
Magnetic Disk (Hard Disk): Hard disk is a device used for mass storage of data. The data stored on a hard disk can be retrieved at a very fast speed. A hard disk is made up of a group of disks or disk platters, piled on top of one another in an airtight, dust proof case. Hard disks are available in the capacity of 80 GB or more.
CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory): It is an optical Read Only Memory (ROM). CD-ROM provides random access data retrieval and data indexing, and the disks have a shelf life of more than 40 years. CD-ROM can store about 700 MB of data, (about 800 floppies) making it an excellent medium for storing massive amount of data. Figure below shows a CD disk.
Digital Video Disk (DVD): It is an optical storage device that looks the same as a CD. A DVD has the same dimensions as a standard CD but cannot be read by a CD player, although a DVD player can read standard CDs. A DVD can store up to 4.7 gigabyte of data.
Pen Drive: USB flash drives or pendrives are NAND-type flash memory data storage devices integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface. It is a flash memory card that plugs into the computer’s USB port. It allows data to be easily transferred from one machine to another. (See Figure below)
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The set of computer programs, procedures and associated documentation related to the effective operation of a computer system are termed software packages.
The system software packages include operating system, assembler, compiler, interpreter, debugging programs and text editors, etc.
The software packages are classified into the following
categories:
1. System software `
2. Application software
3. Utilities
System Software
System software packages are one or more programs that are basically designed to control the operations of a computer system.
These are general programs Written to assist users in using a computer system. In general, system software packages support the following :
1 . Running of other application programs.
2. Communicating with peripheral devices such as printers, card readers, disk and tape devices, etc.
3. Development of other types of software packages.
4. Monitoring the use of various hardware resources such as memory, peripherals, CPU, etc.
System software packages are classified as follows:
1. Operating systems: An operating system is a master control program that runs a computer and acts as a scheduler. It controls the flow of signals from CPU to various parts of the computer. It is the first program loaded‘ (copied) into the computer’s memory after the computer is switched on.
Popular operating systems includes Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Unix, etc.
2. Assemblers: A program which translates' an assembly language program into a machine language program is called an assembler.
3. Compilers: A program which translates a high-level language program into a machine language program is called a compiler. -
4. Interpreters: An interpreter is a program which translates one statement of a high-level language program into machine codes and executes it and then translates and executes the next statement of the program.
Application Software
Application software is a computer program designed to help users to perform a specific type of work. Depending on the work for which it was designed, an application program can manipulate text, numbers, graphics, or a combination of these elements.
Some application packages offer considerable computing power by focusing on each task. Others, called integrated software packages offer somewhat less power but include several types of applications, such as a word processor, a spreadsheet and a database program.
Utility Software
The utility program is a program designed to perform maintenance work on the system or on system components. For example, a storage backup program, a disk and file recovery program, or a resource editor are utility software packages.
Utility programs, also known as service programs are routines that perform services such as editing texts or debugging programs to correct logical mistakes, sorting records into a particular sequence for processing, or transferring data from one I/O device to another.
Examples of Utility Software are as under:
1. Compression Tools: Compression tools help to compress data storage in a computer. Compressed data saves the storage space and read/write as well as transmission time. Compressed data is stored in computer in an unusual manner.
2. Anti Virus scanners and Virus Removers: Anti Virus are the programs designed to identify viruses within files, boot sectors, master boot sectors, memory and other hiding places in computer.
3. File Management Tools: A file management tool is a program
which permits programmers to create, copy, update or
delete files on the storage devices.
4. Disk “Management tools: Disk management tool mainly consists of disk defragmentation. Disk management tool or disk defragmentation rearranges the files and stores them in contiguous storage locations on the disk and thus speeds up the disk access.
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