1.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
 Definition of 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.
OR
A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data,
and provides output in a useful format.

 Hardware, Software and Firmware

The term hardware refers to the physical components of your computer such as the
system unit, mouse, keyboard, monitor etc. The term hardware covers all of those parts of a
computer that are tangible objects. Circuits, displays, power supplies, cables, keyboards, printers
and mice are all hardware.
The software is the instructions that make the computer work. Software is held either on
your computer’s 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. Software refers to parts of the computer which do not have a material form, such as
programs, data, protocols, etc. 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. There are no strict boundaries between firmware and software, as
both are quite loose descriptive terms. However, the term firmware was originally coined in
order to contrast to higher level software which could be changed without replacing a hardware
component, and firmware is typically involved with very basic low-level operations without
which a device would be completely non-functional. Firmware is also a relative term, as most
embedded devices contain firmware at more than one level. Subsystems such as CPUs, flash
chips, communication controllers, LCD modules, and so on, have their own (usually fixed)
program code and/or microcode, regarded as "part of the hardware" by the higher-level(s)
firmware.
When software is stored in hardware that cannot easily be modified (such as BIOS ROM
in an IBM PC compatible), it is sometimes called "firmware" to indicate that it falls into an
uncertain area somewhere between hardware and software. In electronics and computing,
firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data
structures that internally control various electronic devices. Typical examples of devices
containing firmware range from end-user products such as remote controls or calculators,
through computer parts and devices like hard disks, keyboards, TFT screens or memory cards, all
the way to scientific instrumentation and industrial robotics. Also more complex consumer
devices, such as mobile phones, digital cameras, synthesizers, etc., contain firmware to enable
the device's basic operation as well as implementing higher-level functions.

 History of Computer

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 In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard made an improvement to the textile loom by introducing
a series of punched paper cards as a template which allowed his loom to weave intricate patterns
automatically.
It was the fusion of automatic calculation with programmability that produced the first
recognizable computers. In 1837, Charles Babbage was the first to conceptualize and design a
fully programmable mechanical computer, his analytical engine.
In the late 1880s, Herman Hollerith invented the recording of data on a machine readable
medium. These three inventions were the foundation of the modern information processing
industry.
During the first half of the 20th century, many scientific computing needs were met by
increasingly sophisticated analog computers, which used a direct mechanical or electrical model
of the problem as a basis for computation. However, these were not programmable and generally
lacked the versatility and accuracy of modern digital computers.

 Classification of Computer
 Mainframe Computers
 Minicomputers
 Microcomputers
 Supercomputers

Mainframe computers are very large, often filling an entire room. They can store enormous
of information, can perform many tasks at the same time, can communicate with many users at
the same time, and are very expensive. . The price of a mainframe computer frequently runs into
the millions of dollars. Mainframe computers usually have many terminals connected to them.
These terminals look like small computers but they are only devices used to send and receive
information from the actual computer using wires. Terminals can be located in the same room
with the mainframe computer, but they can also be in different rooms, buildings, or cities. Large
businesses, government agencies, and universities usually use this type of computer.

Minicomputers are much smaller than mainframe computers and they are also much less
expensive. The cost of these computers can vary from a few thousand dollars to several hundred
thousand dollars. They possess most of the features found on mainframe computers, but on a
more limited scale. They can still have many terminals, but not as many as the mainframes.
They can store a tremendous amount of information, but again usually not as much as the
mainframe. Medium and small businesses typically use these computers.

Microcomputers are the types of computers we are using in your classes at Floyd College.
These computers are usually divided into desktop models and laptop models. They are terribly
limited in what they can do when compared to the larger models discussed above because they
can only be used by one person at a time, they are much slower than the larger computers, and
they cannot store nearly as much information, but they are excellent when used in small
businesses, homes, and school classrooms. These computers are inexpensive and easy to use.
They have become an indispensable part of modern life.

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 Supercomputers: The fastest type of computer. Supercomputers are very expensive and are
employed for specialized applications that require immense amounts of mathematical
calculations. For example, weather forecasting requires a supercomputer. Other uses of
supercomputers include animated graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research,
and petroleum exploration.

The chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a supercomputer

channels all its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a mainframe
uses its power to execute many programs concurrently.

COMPUTER

Special Purpose General Purpose

Can be adapted to
Pre-programmed many situation

Personal
Watches Traffic Signals Workstations
Computers

Engine Televisions Mainframes Super computers

Managements

Telepones Navigation
Devices

 Basic parts of Digital computer

1. CPU (Central Processing Unit)

 It is a processor, because it processes (moves and calculates) data.
 It is central, because it is the center of PC data processing.
 It is a unit, because it is a chip, which contains millions of transistors.

CPU history starts in 1971, when a small unknown company, Intel, for the first time
combined multiple transistors to form a central processing unit - a chip called Intel 4004.
However, it was 8 years before the first PC was constructed. PCs are designed around different
CPU generations. Intel is not the only company manufacturing CPUs, but by far the leading one.

The central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic brain of the computer. The CPU in a
personal computer is usually a single chip. It organizes and carries out instructions that come
from either the user or from the software. The processor is made up of many components, but
two of them are worth mentioning at this point. These are the arithmetic and logic unit and the
control unit. The control unit controls the electronic flow of information around the computer.

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The arithmetic and logic unit, ALU, is responsible for mathematical calculations and logical
comparisons. The CPU is centrally located on the motherboard. Since the CPU carries out a large
share of the work in the computer, data pass continually through it. The data come from the
RAM and the units (keyboard, drives etc.). After processing, the data is send back to RAM and
the units. The CPU continually receives instructions to be executed. Each instruction is a data
processing order. The work itself consists mostly of calculations and data transport:

Data have a path to the CPU. It is kind of a data expressway called the system bus. You can read
more about the system bus in module 2b.

The CPU is fed long streams of data via the system bus. The CPU receives at least two types of
data:
 Instructions on how to handle the other data.
 Data, which must be handled according to the instructions.
The generations of microprocessors are listed below.

1981 8088
1984 80286
1987 80386
1990 80486
1993 Pentium
1996 P-6
1998 Pentium III
2000 Pentium IV

2. Input Devices
A keyboard and mouse are the standard way to interact with the computer. Other
devices include joysticks and game pads used primarily for games.

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  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

3. Output Devices
The monitor (the screen) is how the computer sends information back to you. A printer
is also an output device.
 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.
 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 synthesizers
Gives you the ability to not only to display text on a monitor but also to read the
text to you

 Difference between PC, PC-XT and PC-AT

The success of the IBM computer led other companies to develop IBM Compatibles,
which in turn led to brandings like diskettes being in IBM format, or systems complaining about
no ROM-BASIC on booting. In essence, during the bulk of the 1980s and early 1990s, the main
machines that were talked about in the press and in how-to guides, were IBM ones.

Model Model Introduced CPU Features

name
PC 5150 August 1981 8088 Floppy disk or cassette system

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 XT 5160 March 1983 8088 First IBM PC to come with an internal hard drive as
standard.
AT 5170 August 1984 8028 Medium-speed hard disk
6

 PC
The original PC had a version of Microsoft BASIC — IBM Cassette BASIC — in ROM.
The most commonly used storage medium was the floppy disk, though cassette tape was
originally envisioned by IBM as a low-budget alternative. The system unit had five expansion
slots; the expansion unit had eight; however, one of the system unit's slots and one of the
expansion unit's slots had to be occupied by the Extender Card and Receiver Card, respectively,
which were needed to connect the expansion unit to the system unit and make the expansion
unit's other slots available, for a total of 11 slots.

 XT
The "IBM Personal Computer XT", IBM's model 5160, was an enhanced machine that
was designed for diskette and hard drive storage introduced two years after the introduction of
the "IBM Personal Computer". It had eight expansion slots and a 10 MB hard disk.
The processor was a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 and the expansion bus 8-bit Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) with XT bus architecture. The XT's expansion slots were placed closer
together than with the original PC; this rendered the XT's case and main board incompatible with
the model 5150's case and main board. The slots themselves and the peripheral cards however
were compatible, unless a rare card designed for the PC happened to use the extra width of the
5150's slots. The XT's expansion slot spacing was identical to the one that was later used in the
IBM PC AT and is still used as of 2010, though with different actual slots and bus standards.

 AT
The "IBM Personal Computer/AT" (model 5170), announced August 1984, used an Intel 80286
processor, originally running at 6 MHz. It had a 16-bit ISA bus and 20 MB hard drive. A faster
model, running at 8 MHz, housing a 30-megabyte hard disk was introduced in 1986. IBM made
some attempt at marketing it as a multi-user machine, but it sold mainly as a faster PC for power
users. Early PC/ATs were plagued with reliability problems, in part because of some software
and hardware incompatibilities, but mostly related to the internal 20 MB hard disk. While some
people blamed IBM's hard disk controller card and others blamed the hard disk manufacturer
Computer Memories Inc. (CMI), the IBM controller card worked fine with other drives,
including CMI's 33-MB model. The problems introduced doubt about the computer and, for a
while, even about the 286 architecture in general, but after IBM replaced the 20 MB CMI drives,
the PC/AT proved reliable and became a lasting industry standard.

 General faults of computer system

1. Display Not Came.

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 2. System not boot properly.
3. No boot device found.
4. System File missing.
5. System restart.
6. System not login

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR REPAIRING COMPUTERS

1) Check for power FIRST, before doing anything else. 10 - 15 percent of all trouble calls are for
nothing more than a popped circuit breaker or a loose plug. Check these things BEFORE doing
anything else.

2) Check your external connections to the computer. Specifically, check the mouse, keyboard,
monitor, modem and/or printer cables, making sure that all are secure and in the right sockets.

3) If the computer is still malfunctioning, go ahead then and open the case. Check to see that all
of the cards are fully pressed down into the bus connections, that any socketed chips are fully
pressed into their sockets, and that all cable connections are fully attached. Make sure that the
drive cables are attached so that the colored stripe on the cable is positioned next to pin 1 on the
connector.

4) Clean any dust or foreign material out of the case while it is open. Dust can cause overheating
problems and electrical shorts. Sometimes, insects will nest inside the case as well. All of this
needs to be cleaned out before you close up the case. Use compressed air and non-conductive
materials to clean out the inside of the case. Take precautions to avoid inhaling excess dust, and
consider using protective eyeware if necessary.

5) Try to boot the computer to the hard drive, or to a bootable floppy disk if necessary.
Sometimes the hard disk will become corrupted by a user, or by a virus. If you can't access the
hard drive directly, have a bootable floppy disk available.

6) Check the CMOS setup program, and correct any configuration problems. If the information
in CMOS RAM about your PC's configuration has been changed, or if the battery has died, your
computer will not boot correctly, or it will not recognize certain components. Keep a copy of
your setup program information handy, so that if something changes, you can correct the
problem.

7) Someone may have turned the brightness down on a monitor, or the LAN staff may have
changed your PC's configuration without your knowledge (or approval), or an installation
program may have corrupted something in your software. Look for recent changes in your
system's operation. You may need to run an uninstaller program to remedy software-related
problems.

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8) Isolate the problem to one piece of hardware, or one software package. The problem you are
encountering may occur only in one software package, which means the problem has a very
limited scope.

9) When all else fails, read the manual. There may be something unique about your computer
that requires special attention as directed by the manufacturer.

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