PCSM Notes

CHAPTER 1:

BASIC COMPUTER CONCEPTS

➢ Computer systems are composed of hardware, software, and firmware.

• Hardware is something you can touch and feel; the physical computer itself is an example of
hardware

• Software is the operating system and applications that make the hardware work; the software
provides instructions for the hardware to carry out. Examples are: Windows XP, Microsoft Office,
Adobe Acrobat Reader, and WordPerfect.

• The operating system is an important piece of software that coordinates the interaction between
hardware and software applications, as well as the interaction between a user and the computer.
Operating system examples include: DOS, Windows 98, NT Workstation, Windows 2000,
Windows XP, and Unix.

• A microcomputer, also called a computer or PC, is a unit that performs tasks using software and
comes in three basic models:

• A desktop model that normally sits horizontally on top of a desk.

• A tower model that sits vertically under a desk.

• A laptop model, which is portable

• The microcomputer consists of:

– A case (chassis).

– A keyboard that allows users to communicate with the computer.

– A monitor that displays information.

– A mouse that allows data input or is used to select menus or options.

• The two types of keyboard are mechanical and capacitive.

• The mechanical keyboard is:

– The cheapest and most common.

Has mechanical switches that close when a key is depressed

• The capacitive keyboard is:

– More expensive, but also more reliable.

– Uses a change in capacitance to detect when a key is being depressed.

 – Usually the quieter of the two keyboards.

• Internal components of the computer include:

– power supply - Converts AC voltage from the wall outlet to DC voltage the computer can
use, supplies DC voltages for internal computer components and has a fan to keep the
computer cool.

– floppy drive - Common storage device that allows data storage to floppy disks (storage
media) which can be used in other computers.
 – hard drive - Or hard disk, is a common storage device for maintaining files inside the
computer, usually mounted below or beside the floppy drive.

– CD drive - Holds disks (CDs) that have data, music, or software applications.

– DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) drive - Popular alternative to a CD drive that supports CDs
as well as music and video DVDs.

More internal components of the computer are:

– Motherboard - The main circuit board that contains most of the electronics and is the
largest electronic circuit board in the computer, all computer components connect to, or
communicate through, the motherboard.

– Adapters - Smaller electronic circuit cards that normally plug into an expansion slot on the
motherboard allowing other devices to interface with the motherboard, they also may
control some devices.

– Expansion slot - A special connector on the motherboard that allows an adapter to plug in
and connect to the motherboard.

– Riser board - A small board with expansion slots that plugs into the motherboard and
allows adapters to connect at a different angle.

Internal components of the computer also include:

– Memory - This important component holds applications, part of the operating system, and
user documents or images; types are:

– RAM (Random Access Memory)- volatile memory (loses data inside the chips when
power is shut off) that holds applications and user data while the comp uter is operating.
– ROM (Read-Only Memory)- non-volatile memory (retains data when power is shut off).

– ROM BIOS- an important chip on the motherboard that holds the start-up software for the
computer to operate, and software instructions for communication of the input/output
devices and important hardware parameters.

– Turning the computer on with the power switch for a computer that is not running is known
as a cold boot; a user can use this technique when running POST is required to help
diagnose a problem.

– A warm boot is performed when a computer that is already on is restarted without using
the power switch. This can be accomplished by pressing the CTRL, ALT, and DEL keys at
the same time, or pressing the computer’s reset switch. This can be helpful when a
technician has made changes to the files that execute when the computer powers on and
needs these changes to take effect, it does not run POST.

– Port – Is a connector on the motherboard or on a separate adapter that allows a device to

connect to a computer; these may include keyboard, mouse, serial, parallel, network,
sound, or video ports.

– Integrated motherboards – Motherboards with ports built into them.

– Male ports – Have pins that protrude out from the connector and require a cable with a
female connector.

– Female ports – Have holes in the connector to accept the male cable’s pins.

– D-shell connector – A connector with more pins or holes on the top row than on the
bottom so a connected cable can only be attached in one direction and not accidentally
connected the wrong way; generally represented with the letters DB and the number of pins
such as, DB-9, DB-15, or DB-25.
– Network ports – Used to connect a computer to other computers, including a server and
are available in two types-Ethernet and Token Ring; a network cable connects to the
network port.

– Ethernet – These adapters are the most common type of network card with BNC, RJ-45
(most common today), a 15-pin female D-shell connector (sometimes called AUI), or any
combination of all of them.

– The BNC connector attaches to a thin coax cable.

– The 15-pin D-shell (AUI) connector attaches to thick coax cable.

– The RJ-45 connects to UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable.

– Game ports – A 15-pin D-shell connector for attaching gaming devices like a joystick that
is sometimes confused as a network connector.

Support and maintenance tools

A variety of hardware, software and information resources are available for use during troubleshooting
procedures.

Hardware & software tools

The tools that you should have available when troubleshooting a pc include:

1. A good set of screw-drivers.

2. Antistatic wrist strap, antistatic mat and antistatic bags ( for removing and storing
components)
3. Software system testing utilities e.g. Symantec’s Norton utilities, Eurosoft’s PC
check among others.
4. A digital multimeter for checking power supply voltages.
5. A supply of spare known-good components for replacement testing.

Information resources.
The internet is useful resources you can use to gain information about a particular device or application or to
learn how others have dealt with a particular problem you are having.

The first place to look for information is on the manufacturer’s website.

Other more generic troubleshooting sites are: www.pcguide.com,

www.everythingcomputers.comwww.pcsupport.about.com
 CHAPTER 2: POWER SUPPLY
• PCs use DC voltage but power companies supply AC voltage.
• The power supply in a computer converts high-voltage AC power to low-voltage DC power.

The primary functions of a pc power supply are voltage conversion, rectification, filtering, regulation, isolation,
cooling and power management.

• Voltage conversion: involves changing the 110V AC primary power source into the +12V DC and +5V DC
used by older systems and the +3.3V Dc used by newer computer systems.
• Rectification: This function is directly involved with converting the AC power of power source to DC
power needed by the PC’s components.
• Filtering : rectification usually introduces a ripple in the DC voltage which, which filtering smoothes out.
• Regulation: along with filtering, voltage regulation removes any line or load variations in the DC voltage
produced by the power supply.
• Isolation: refers to separating the AC power supply from the converted, rectified, filtered, and regulated
DC power.
• Cooling : the system fan, which controls the air flow through the system case, is located inside the power
supply.
• Power management: -Modern computers have energy-efficiency tools and power management functions
that help reduce the amount of electrical power used by the PC.

In areas where the power source is already a DC, the power supply performs all of the same tasks, except
rectification.

In addition to providing converted power to motherboard and other parts, the power supply sends a very
important signal to the motherboard through its umbilical connection – the power_good (or pwr_ok on an
ATX form factor power supply) signal.

Power supply components.

• Bipolar transistor: an active semi-conductor device that amplifies an electrical current.

• Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor- a transistor type that uses a layer of oxide
as insulation between its conducting channel and gate terminal.
 • Silicon controlled rectifier:- a thyrisor type designed specifically for unidirectional power
switching and control.
• Thyristor:- a semiconductor device that can be switched between off and on states.
Thyristors are used for power switching applications.

Form Factors
Power supplies, like motherboards are available in a variety of different form factors, typically matching the form factor of the
motherboard and system case as listed below:

• PC XT: - it was placed in the rear right corner of the case, and an up-and down toggle switch on
the exterior was used to power it on/off.
• PC AT – was little larger, had slightly different shape, and had about three times the power wattage
of the PC XT.
• Baby AT :- smaller version of AT form factor. It is only 2 inches narrower than the AT, with the
same height and depth. It is also compatible with the AT form factor, in either desktop or case
styles
• LPX / slimline/ PS2: has reduced height and general dimension, while maintain the same power
production, cooling ability and connector as baby AT and AT.
• ATX: here the LPX of the AC power pass-through outlet used for PC monitors are removed
• NLX: uses the same power supply as ATX.
• SFX: was designed for use in the microATX and FlexATX form factors.

Protecting the PC
Power supply accounts for nearly a third of the problems of a PC. Generally what causes the most problems with a power
supply is the AC power source, which is usually an unreliable, noisy, and fluctuating electrical noise.
Common electrical problems :

a) Spikes: an electrical spike is an unexpected, short-duration, high-voltage event on the AC power

line. Spikes can be caused by lightening strikes, gerenator switchesovers, power pole incidents.To
protect against spikes – use surge suppressor or Ups that includes surge suppression.
b) Blackouts: is a total loss of power. Can last between split second to days. The best defense against
a blackout is a UPS.
c) Brownouts: is the opposite of a spike,except that a brownout can last for a relatively long time.If
the voltage lingers too long below the normal point,the result can be the same as blackout, or
worse. Brownouts can destroy components by causing a power supply to draw too much current to
make up for the low voltage.
d) Power surge: or overvoltage, is a high- voltage situation that raises the voltage above normal
levels ,much like a spike but for longer period of time.A surge suppressor or a UPS ,which absorbs
an increase in power is a good protection against power surge.
e) Noise: Electrol magnetic interference and radio frequency interfereance are the two main causes of
line noise on Ac power line.UPS is the best bet to filter out line noise.
TYPES OF UPS DEVICES
A UPS is a large battery and a battery charger that provides a Pc /server protection against short term power
outages,surges,spikes and brownouts. A UPS monitors its input voltage ,and when the voltage level more than a certain
percentage from normal it switches to provide electrical service from its battery.
UPS units are units are available in two categories:

a) Standby UPS – it generally does nothing more than provide a battery backup to the pc connected to
it as a safe guard against a power failure.In standby mode, the Ups draws the Pc.
b) Online /Inline UPS – Provides power to a pc through an Ac power service provided from the
UPS’s battery and a power inverter that converts the battery’s Dc power to Ac power.

Power supply problems

Power supply is a very important computer component but it is also the one most likely to fail.

Three conditions require that you check out or troubleshoot the power supply:

• Upgrading the system—Suppose you are planning a big upgrade (new motherboard, new hard drive, digital
versatile disk (DVD), and the works) and you are worried that your power supply may be too weak to handle
the new load. When upgrading, remember that a power supply is rated by its power output in watts. You
can get from 100- to 600-watt power supplies to fit the common form factors (ATX and LTX). A power
supply rated between 230 to 350 watts works well for most average systems, unless you are planning to
build a super server with quad Pentium III Xeons, a DVD, an internal tape drive, and four or five internal
small computer system interface (SCSI) drives, in which case you'll need to look into the WTX form factor.
• Intermittent problems—If you have tried everything you can to track down an intermittent problem on the
motherboard without isolating the problem, the power supply may be the real culprit if the problem is at all
related to a power issue. But how can you tell whether the power supply is going bad? Some of the telltale
signs that can tip you off that the power supply is on its way to failure are overheating, occasional boot
failures or errors, frequent parity errors, noisy operation, or mild electrical shocks when you touch the case.
Catastrophic problems—If smoke is coming out of the power supply or off the motherboard, it is very likely that the power
supply has gone awry and needs to be replaced. If the system fan has stopped turning, then you absolutely need to replace the
power supply. You should also test the motherboard with a new power supply, and be on watch for parity errors, system lockups
that are becoming more frequent, and disk read and peripheral input/output (I/O) errors. These are signs of damaged motherboard
components beginning to fail.

Steps you should use any time you suspect the power supply to be the source of a PC problem include:
1. First, determine that the problem is not something as trivial as a blown fuse caused by a legitimate overload.
Be sure to remove the source of the overload before beginning work.
2. Try to classify the problem by when it is occurring and what it is affecting. The categories you might use are:
• BIOS, boot, or startup problem
• An output power-related problem
• Excessive noise, ripple, or other power conversion errors
• Catastrophic failure that poses danger to the system or the operator (especially the technician)

3. Determine, based on the form factor, what the proper output voltages should be, and measure the
output of the appropriate pins.

POST Power Problems

You may run into situations that require you to know the symptoms that indicate a power supply problem. A few of the leading
symptoms that indicate an ailing power supply are:

• The power light on the front panel is off.

• The power supply fan isn't operating.
• The computer sounds either a continuous beep or doesn't beep at all.
• The computer sounds a repeating short beep.
• The computer displays either a POST error in the 020 - 029 series (Power_Good
signal error) or a parity error.
UPS Characteristics
• Characteristics you should keep in mind when choosing a UPS include:

• Simple or interactive displays—to give a warning near the end of its charge.

• Warning mechanisms—A UPS designed to support a single computer will generally

have a serial "heartbeat" cable that is attached to a serial (Com) port on the PC. The UPS
generates a regular signal that is monitored by a background process running on the PC. If
the UPS fails to signal (i.e., misses too many heartbeats), the monitoring software
(typically supplied by the UPS's manufacturer or it could be a part of the PC's operating
system) tries to gracefully shut down the PC.
This is a very important feature for servers that cache a lot of data in memory instead of on
a hard disk to speed data access times. In this case, should the power suddenly fail, all of
the cached data would be lost if it could not be saved to disk before a shutdown or sync
request

• Software interfaces—The software monitor that interacts with the UPS in real time
(see previous description of warning mechanisms) is typically supplied by the
manufacturer of the UPS. At a minimum, these software programs monitor the heartbeat
signal sent by the UPS to indicate that power is still available. Should the UPS stop
sending the signal, the software begins the process of performing a system shutdown

• Line conditioners and alarm systems—A true line conditioner (also known as
a power conditioner) filters the incoming power to isolate line noise and keep
voltage levels normal. It isolates the input power source from the output power in
a transformer stage. A line conditioner cannot protect against a power outage, but
it can smooth out any intermittent under- and overvoltage events (surges and
spikes, respectively) that occur on the input source.