COMPUTER BASICS

Seema Sirpal

Delhi University Computer Centre

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.

Hardware Components
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

Hardware Components

INPUT DEVICES

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

Hardware Components

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.

Hardware Components

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

Hardware Components

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.

Hardware Components

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.

Hardware Components

Diskettes (Floppy Disks)

Speed:

Very slow!

Capacity:

Normally 1.44 Mbytes.

Cost:

Very cheap.

Hardware Components

CD-ROM Disks

Speed:

Much slower than hard disks. The original

speed, and later, faster CD-ROMs are

quoted as a multiple of this value.

Capacity:

Around 650 Mbytes and more

Hardware Components

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).