What is a Computer?

An electronic device that stores,

retrieves,
and processes data, and can be
programmed with instructions. A
computer is composed of hardware
and
software, and can exist in a variety
of
sizes and configurations.

Hardware & Software

The term hardware refers to the
physical
components of your computer
such as the
system unit, mouse, keyboard,
monitor etc.
The software is the instructions
that makes
the computer work. Software is
held either
on your computers hard disk,
CD-ROM,
DVD or on a diskette (floppy
disk) and is
loaded (i.e. copied) from the disk
into the
computers RAM (Random Access
Memory),
as and when required.

Types of Computers
Mini and Mainframe
Computers
Very powerful, used by large
organisations such an banks to
control
the entire business operation.
Very
expensive!
Personal Computers

Cheap and easy to use. Often

used as
stand-alone computers or in a
network.
May be connected to large
mainframe
computers within big
companies.

Hardware Components
Input Devices -- "How to tell
it what to do
- A keyboard and mouse are the
standard way to
interact with the computer.
Other devices include
joysticks and game pads used
primarily for games.
Output Devices -- "How it

shows you what it is doing"

- The monitor (the screen) is
how the computer
sends information back to you. A
printer is also an
output device.
INPUT DEVICES
_ The Mouse
_ Used to drive Microsoft
Windows
_ The Keyboard
_ The keyboard is still the
commonest
way of entering information into
a
computer
_ Tracker Balls
_ an alternative to the traditional
mouse
and often used by graphic
designers

Scanners

A scanner allows you to scan

printed material
and convert it into a file format
that may be
used within the PC
_ Touch Pads
_ A device that lays on the
desktop and responds
to pressure
_ Light Pens
_ Used to allow users to point to
areas on a
screen
_ Joysticks
_ Many games require a joystick
for the proper
playing of the game
_

OUTPUT DEVICES
_ VDU
_ The computer screen is used for
outputting
information in an
understandable format
_ Printers
_ There are many different types
of printers.
_ In large organizations laser
printers are
most commonly used due to the
fact that
they can print very fast and give
a very
high quality output.

OUTPUT DEVICES
Plotters
A plotter is an output device
similar to a
printer, but normally allows you
to print
_
_

larger images.
_ Speakers
_ Enhances the value of
educational and
presentation products.
_ Speech synthesisers
_ Gives you the ability to not only
to display
text on a monitor but also to
read the text
to you
Storage Devices -- "How it
saves data and
programs
- Hard disk drives are an
internal,
higher capacity drive which also
stores the
operating system which runs
when you power
on the computer.
- "Floppy" disk drives allow you
to save
work on small disks and take the
data with
you.
Hard Disks
Speed:
Very fast!
_ The speed of a hard disk is often
quoted as "average
access time" speed, measured in
milliseconds. The
smaller this number the faster the
disk.
_ Capacity:
_ Enormous! Often 40/80 Gigabytes.
A Gigabyte is
equivalent to 1024 Megabytes.
_ Cost:
_ Hard disks costs are falling rapidly
and normally
_
_

represent the cheapest way of

storing data.

Diskettes (Floppy Disks)

_ Speed:
_ Very slow!
_ Capacity:
_ Normally 1.44 Mbytes.
_ Cost:
_ Very cheap.
CD-ROM Disks
_ Speed:
_ Much slower than hard disks.
The original
CD-ROM speciation is given a
value of 1x

speed, and later, faster CDROMs are

quoted as a multiple of this
value.
_ Capacity:
_ Around 650 Mbytes and more
DVD Drives
_ Speed:
_ Much faster than CD-ROM
drives but
not as fast as hard disks.
_ Capacity:
_ Up to 17 Gbytes.
_ Cost:
_ Slightly higher than CD-ROM
drives.

Main Parts of Computer

Memory -- "How the processor stores and uses

immediate data
RAM - Random Access Memory
_ The main 'working' memory used by the computer.
_ When the operating system loads from disk when you
first switch on the computer, it is copied into RAM.
_ As a rough rule, a Microsoft Windows based computer will
operate faster if you install more RAM. Data and
programs stored in RAM are volatile (i.e. the information
is lost when you switch off the computer).
_

Memory

ROM Read Only Memory

_ Read Only Memory (ROM) as the name suggests is a special
type of memory chip that holds software that can be read
but not written to.
_ A good example is the ROM-BIOS chip, which contains readonly
software.
_ Often network cards and video cards also contain ROM
chips.
_

How Computer Memory Is Measured

_

Bit

All computers work on a binary numbering system, i.e. they

process data in one's or zero's. This 1 or 0 level of storage is
called a bit.
_ Byte
_ A byte consists of eight bits.
_ Kilobyte
_ A kilobyte (KB) consists of 1024 bytes.
_ Megabyte
_ A megabyte (MB) consists of 1024 kilobytes.
_ Gigabyte
_ A gigabyte (GB) consists of 1024 megabytes .
_

Microprocessors -- "The brain of the computer

- PCs primarily use microprocessors (sometimes called the chip).

The older Intel versions include the 386, 486 and now the Pentium
line.
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is normally an Intel
Pentium (or equivalent) and it is one of the most important
components within your computer.
_ It determines how fast your computer will run and is
measured by its MHz speed.
_ Thus a 600 MHz Pentium is much faster than say a 400
MHz Pentium CPU.
_ It is the CPU that performs all the calculations within the
computer.
Some of the Factors
That Impact on a Computer's Performance
_ CPU speed
_ RAM size
_ Hard disk speed and capacity

Software Component
Operating systems software
The operating system is a special type of program that loads
automatically when you start your computer.
The operating system allows you to use the advanced features of
a modern computer without having to learn all the details of how
the hardware works
The link between the hardware and you, the user
Makes the computer easy to use without having to understand bits
and bytes!

Applications software
An application program is the type of program that
you use once the operating system has been loaded.
Examples include word-processing programs,
spreadsheets and databases

Application Software
_ Word processing applications
_ Microsoft Word
_ Lotus Word Pro
_ WordPerfect
_ Spreadsheets
_ Microsoft Excel
_ Lotus 123
_ Database
_ Microsoft Access
_ Lotus Approach

Application Software
_ Payroll
_ Sage software
_ Presentation tools
_ Microsoft PowerPoint
_ Lotus Freelance
_ Desktop publishing
_ Abode Photoshop
_ Multimedia applications
_ Microsoft's Encarta CD-ROM based
Encyclopaedias

Information Network
LAN
A LAN (Local Area Network) is a system whereby
individual PCs are connected together within a
company or organization
_ WAN
_ A WAN (Wide Area Network) as the name implies
allows you to connect to other computers over a
wider area (i.e. the whole world).
_
_

Uses of Network
If ten people are working together within an office it
makes sense for them all to be connected.
In this way the office can have a single printer
and all ten people can print to it.
In a similar way other devices such as modems or
scanners can be shared.
Even more useful is the ability to share
information when connected to a network.

Computer Accessories
Modem
Short for MODulate/DEModulate. The modem
sends information from your computer across the
telephone system.
_
_

The modem at the other end of the phone line,

converts the signal back into a format that can be
used by the receiving computer.
_

Uses of Computer

PC at Home
Common uses for the computer within the home
_ Computer games
_ Working from Home
_ Banking from Home
_ Connecting to the Web
Computers in Education
_ CBT (Computer Based Training)
_ Computer Based Training (CBT) offers a low cost
solution to training needs where you need to train
a large amount of people on a single subject.
_ These programs are normally supplied on CD-ROM
and combine text, graphics and sound.
_ Packages range from general encyclopaedias right
through to learning a foreign language.
Office Applications

Automated Production Systems

Many car factories are almost completely automated and the
cars are assembled by computer-controlled robots.
_ This automation is becoming increasingly common
throughout industry.
_ Design Systems
_ Many products are designed using CAD (Computer Aided
Design) programs to produce exact specifications and
detailed drawings on the computer before producing models
_
_

of new products
_

Stock Control

Stock control is ideal for automation and in many companies

it is now completely computerized.
_ The stock control system keeps track of the number of items
in stock and can automatically order replacement items
when required.
_ Accounts / Payroll
_ In most large organizations the accounts are maintained by
_

a computerized system.
_ Due to the repetitive nature of accounts a computer system
is ideally suited to this task and accuracy is guaranteed.
Computers in Daily Life
_ Accounts
_ Games
_ Educational
_ On-line banking

Create a Good Working

Environment_
Frequent breaks away from the
computer
_ Appropriate positioning of
screens, chairs and
keyboards
_ Provision of adequate lighting
and ventilation.

Health & Safety

Precautions

Make sure that cables are

safely secured
_ Make sure that power points
are not overloaded
_ Also be aware of:
_ Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
_ Glare from screens
_ Bad posture
_

Value of Backup
The most important thing that
you store
on your computer is information.
_ Often the contents of a hard
disk can
represent years of work.
_ If the hard disk stops working
one day you
could lose all those years of
work.
_

Smart ID cards
_ Supermarkets
_ Working from home (Teleworking)
_ Internet
_

For this reason it is VITAL that

you take
regular backups of the
information that is
stored on the computer.
_

Organize your computer for

more efficient
backups
_ Complete vs. incremental
backups
_ Use 'off-site' storage
_

Use passwords
_ Understand the Importance of
shutting
down your computer properly
_ Use a UPS (Un-interruptible
Power Supply)
_

Likes & Dislikes of

Computer
Things computer like:
_ Good ventilation
_ Clean environment
_ Stable, vibration free surface
_ Things computer dont like:
_ Dust
_ Drinking and eating over the
keyboard
_ Heat, Cold or Moisture
_

Dont place objects on top of

monitors.

Dont place floppy disks near

monitors.

Computer Virus

What are computer viruses?

Viruses are small programs
that hide themselves on your
disks (both diskettes and
your hard disk).
_ Unless you use virus
detection software the first
time that you know that you
have a virus is when it
activates.
_ Different viruses are
activated in different ways.
_
_

How do viruses infect PCs?

_ Viruses hide on a disk and when
you
access the disk (either a diskette
or
another hard disk over a
network) the
virus program will start and
infect
your computer.
_ The worst thing about a
computer
virus is that they can spread
from one
computer to another, either via
use of
infected floppy disk, or over a
computer network, including the
Internet.
_

How to prevent virus damage

There are a number of third

party antivirus
products available.
_

Most of these are better than

the rather
rudimentary products available
within
DOS and Windows, but of course
you do
have to pay for them!
_ The main thing about your virus
checker
is that it should be kept up to
date.
_ Many companies supply
updated disks on
a regular basis or allow you to
receive
updates through an electronic,
on-line
bulletin board.

Software Copyright
Be aware on software copyright
issues
_ Freeware
_ Shareware
_ What about software that you
find on
the Internet?
_ Software site licenses
_

If your computer system holds

information about individuals
then you
have a moral and legal duty to
treat
that information with respect.
_ In a free society you have a
right to
ensure that information held
about
_

you is not abused.

_ In many countries this right is

enshrined under data protection

laws