IT 111: INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

LECTURE TWO:
BASIC COMPONENTS OF
COMPUTER
 PART A:
COMPUTER HARDWARE
Introduction
A computer is made up of different components that
interrelate and work together to achieve a certain
assigned task.
All of these components have their own specific
functions that as we will see later.
The components can be categorized as follows below:
 Computer Hardware
 Computer Software
Computer Hardware
Simply, Computer hardware refers to any physical or
tangible elements of a computer.
• It
includes monitor, central processing unit, keyboard,
and mouse.
Computer system infrastructure
Computer Hardware…
Furthermore, a computer hardware can be categorized
into two main categories:
A. System unit
B. Peripheral devices
 A. System Unit
The system unit contains the electronic components
used to process and temporarily store data and
instructions.
These components include:
i. the central processing unit (CPU),
ii. primary memory, and,
iii. the system board (motherboard).
i. Central Processing Unit
CPU is one of the most essential component of the
computer.
• This
is the core unit which is said to the centre of all
processing actions taking place inside a computer device
• It
is also known as the “Brain of Computer” and no
action can be conducted by a device without the
execution and permission of the Central Processing Unit.
CPU Cont…

The CPU has three essential sets that work

together in processing digital data:
i. a control unit,
ii. an arithmetic logic unit, and
iii. registers.
CPU Cont…
• The control unit directs the flow of data and
instructions within the processor and electronic
memory (fetch & decode instructions).
• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) contains programmed
transistors that perform mathematical and logical
calculations on the data.
• The registers are special transistors that store data and
instructions as they are being manipulated by the
control unit and ALU.
CPU Cont…
• Different computers differ in processing power
(CPU).
• The greater the processing power, means the
higher the speed of processing, and hence, the less
the time it takes to complete a process.
ii. Primary Memory
Primary Memory: is electronic storage that is directly
addressed by the CPU.
CPU reads the data and/or contents held by primary
memory for processing/execution.
There are several forms of primary memory on a computer
system.
• Random access memory (RAM)
• Read-only memory (ROM)
Primary Memory cont…
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Temporary storage of a computer.
It is volatile, which means that, the stored data (contents)
will be lost once the computer is shut down (or powered
off).
It is very important in the computer as it provides:
 Fast and convenient electronic access to data and
instructions required to be processed by the CPU.
Primary Memory cont…
The higher the RAM storage, the more the contents, data
and/or instructions to be held waiting to be processed by
the CPU
• RAM is measured in units of megabytes (MB) or
gigabytes (GB).
• Fortwo CPU processes of which, both require maybe
2GB of RAM, they will work the same in any computer
having a minimum of 2GB RAM
Primary Memory cont…

ROM (Read-Only Memory)

A second form of primary memory is read-only memory (ROM).
• ROM is a special form of nonvolatile electronic storage that contains
frequently used instructions for the CPU.
• Nonvolatile means that, the data stored and/or instructions cannot be lost
during shutting down of a computer (powering off).
• These instructions are embedded in the chip by the manufacturer; they can
be read, but not changed.
• ROM is activated when the power is on.
Primary Memory cont…
Cache
A third form of electronic memory.
It is the high-speed electronic storage.
• Thisaccelerates the processing speed by storing
frequently used data and instructions closely to the
processor.
• It
reduces the time to locate and transport data from
RAM.
iii. System Board
System Board is also called the motherboard
• It
is the main circuit board, or the electrical foundation
of the computer.
• It
contains CPU, RAM, and ROM chips, but others
aspects are attached to it too.
System Board cont…
• Expansion slots to add memory and hardware devices
• Special purpose chips that convert analog signals to
digital format
• Video card to control the display monitor
• Power supply
• I/O
interface ports to capture and send data to peripheral
devices
System Board cont…
B. Peripheral Devices
A peripheral device is defined as a computer device,
such as a keyboard or printer, that is not part of the
essential computer.
These auxiliary devices are intended to be connected
to the computer and used.
• A peripheraldevice is an auxiliary device used to put
information into and get information out of a
computer.
Peripheral Devices cont…
Peripheral devices can be external or internal.
Although often located close to the system unit, they are
outside the main processing circuitry and thus are considered
peripheral
• Examples of internal peripherals which are often referred to
as integrated peripherals include CD-ROM drive, CD-R drive
or internal modem.
• Examples of external peripherals include mouse, keyboard,
printer, monitor, external Zip drive or scanner.
Peripheral Devices Cont…
Peripheral device can be categorized into three groups
which are:
• Auxiliary device
• Input device
• Output device
Auxiliary (Secondary storage) Device
• It
is also called external storage or auxiliary storage to
distinguish it from primary electronic storage inside the
system unit.
• Secondary Storage Device: is the media that holds data
and instructions outside the system unit for long periods
of time.
Secondary storage cont…
It includes
• hard disks with gigabyte capacities,
• optical discs that deliver high-fidelity multimedia,
• anda wide array of portable storage ranging from zip
disks to flash drives, as well as portable music
players and smartphones.
Secondary storage cont…
Advantage of Secondary storage
• is not volatile
• is easily expandable and portable
Five main uses of secondary storage:
saving,
backup,
Distribution
transport, and
archiving.
Secondary storage cont…
The secondary storage devices fall into three broad
categories based on the underlying technology used to
represent digital data:
1. magnetic,
2. optical, or
3. solid state.
1. Magnetic storage
• MagneticStorage: record and/or read digital content in
magnetic form.
• They were light and easily transportable but very
limited in storage capacity (1.4 MB per disk).
• Magnetic storage is now found principally in internal
and portable hard drives.
• Zip
drive, hard drive and external hard drive are
examples of magnetic storage.
Hard Disk
Difference between internal and external
hard disks
Internal hard disks are located inside your main
computer unit,
While external hard disks are joined to the main
computer unit via a lead (USB cable) which you
plug into the back of your computer unit.
Optical storage
Optical storage uses laser technology to read and
write data on specially coated reflective discs.
Two common types
• CDs (compact disks)
• DVDs (digital versatile disks)
Optical storage cont…
Compact Disc
• Optical format
• From 650 MB to 1 GB capacity

Types
• Read only: CD-ROM
• Write once: CD-R
• Rewriteable: CD-RW
Optical storage cont…
Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)
Sometimes called Digital Video Disk
Similar to CDs, but can store more data

Types
• Read only
• Write once
• Rewritable
Measuring Memory
• Basic Units of Data Storage: It is important to
realize that the term digital computer refers to the
fact that ultimately the computer works in what is
called binary.
• When we talk about computer storage, either the
amount of memory (RAM) or the hard disk
capacity we are talking about numbers which are
multiples of 0 or 1.
 Measuring Memory cont…
• Bit: is the smallest unit of data a computer can process.
• Allcomputers work on a binary numbering system, i.e.
they process data in ones or zeros.
• This1 or 0 level of storage is called a bit. Often hardware
is specified as a 32- bit computer, which means that the
hardware can process 32 bits at a time.
• Software is also described as 16 bit, 32 bit or 64 bit
software.
Measuring Memory cont…
• Byte: A byte consists of eight bits.
• Kilobyte: A kilobyte (KB) consists of 1024 bytes.
• Megabyte: A megabyte (MB) consists of 1024 kilobytes,
approximately 1,000,000 bytes.
• Gigabyte: A gigabyte
(GB) consists of 1024 megabytes,
approximately 1,000,000,000 bytes.
• Terabyte: A terabyte
(TB) consists of approximately
1,000,000,000,000 bytes.
Input Devices
Input device: A device that feeds data into a computer
processor.
Examples of common input devices are:
 keyboards,
 mouse,
 joystick,
 Microphone, and
 scanner.
Input Devices cont…
• Keyboards: consists of a set of keys representing the
alphabet and numbers.
• The keys are usually laid out in QWERTY style which
originates from typewriters.
• Alternativeof the physical key is to use touch screen to
input characters during typing.
Input Devices cont…
Mouse is a GUI (Graphical user interface) pointing device.
Mouse is an input device that is used with your personal
computer.
• It rolls on a small ball and has two or three buttons on the
top.
• When you roll the mouse across a flat surface the screen
censors the mouse in the direction of mouse movement.
• The cursor moves very fast with mouse giving you more
freedom to work in any direction. It is easier and faster to
move through a mouse.
Input Devices cont…
• Scanner:

• Thekeyboard can input only text through keys

provided in it.
• If
we want to input a picture the keyboard cannot do
that.
• Scanneris an optical device that can input any
graphical matter and display it back.
Input Devices cont…
• Digital Cameras
• Sound: The simplest form of input device for
sound is the microphone.
Output Devices
• Devicesthat display, print, or transmit the results of
processing from the computer’s memory.
• Beforean output can be produced by a computer it
must have an output device connected to it.
Output Devices cont…
Examples of some output devices are:
- visual display unit(VDU)
- printer
- plotter
-speaker
Output Devices cont…

A visual Display Unit (VDU) or Monitors

• They are the most popular output devices used for
producing soft copy output.
• Monitors can display graphics, text and video.
• The size of a monitor is measured in inches
diagonally across the screen; 15, 17, 19 and 21
inch monitors are the most common sizes.
• A color monitor can display from 16 to over 1
million different colors.
Output Devices cont…
A printer
• is an output device that produces a printout or
hard copy of the output from a computer.
• A plotter is a large printer that generates high-
quality documents by moving ink pens over
the surface of a page.
• Plotters are particularly useful to engineers
and architects, as they produce high-quality
blueprints, maps, and floor plans.
Output Devices cont…
A speaker
A speaker system converts an electrical signal to
sound.
• The term loudspeaker can refer to individual
transducers (known as drivers), or to complete
systems consisting of a enclosure incorporating one
or more drivers and electrical filter components.
• Loudspeakers are the most variable elements in an
audio system and are responsible for the greatest
degree of audible differences between sound
systems.
Hardware Interface
A hardware interface is a point of union between the
system unit and a peripheral device.
Data flows through the interface between the system
board and peripheral devices in a serial or parallel
path.
Hardware Interface cont…
Serial data transmission is a single stream of bits.
• One wire sends the bits and another wire returns the bits.
• This method is generally used for devices that don’t transfer
large volumes of data, such as a keyboard, mouse, or modem.
Parallel data transmission is a series of bits transferred
simultaneously.
• Each bit has its own wire in a parallel path. Parallel connections
may move 8 or more bits of data at once, thus increasing the
amount of data transferred in a given amount of time.
Hardware Interface cont…
• Interfaceports are connections to add peripheral
devices to the system board.
• Theyare generally located behind the system unit
cabinet or on the sides of portable computers.
Hardware Interface cont…
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an input/output
bus to transfer data at higher speeds than older
serial and parallel interfaces.
The advantages of USB:
• First, it is a widely supported standard.
• This simplifies purchasing external devices.
Coding system
Coding system the coding scheme is a Standard which
tells the user's machine which character represents which
set of bytes.
Specifying the coding scheme used is very important as
without it, the machine could interpret the given bytes as
a different character than intended.
That is why, we use some sort of coding system to:
• represent numeric, alphabetic, and special characters in
a computer's internal storage and on magnetic media,
Coding system cont…
In computers, the code is made up of fixed size groups of
binary positions. Each binary position in a group is
assigned a specific value;

For example 8, 4, 2, or 1. In this way, every character can

be represented by a combination of bits that is different
from any other combination.
Coding system cont…

The most common coding systems includes:

• ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
Interchange)
• EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal.
Interchange Code)
• Unicode (Universal Code)
Coding system tree
 PART B:
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Computer Software
Computer hardware cannot work without software.
Software refers to programs, which are instruction codes
that direct the computer to perform some actions.
Software or programs are also used to perform certain
activities or data processing for a user.
In general, there are two basic types of software:
A. System software and,
B. Application software.
A: System Software
System software is the set of programs designed to
coordinate the activities and functions of the hardware
and various programs throughout the computer system.
• Systems software is a set of instructions that serves
primarily as an intermediary between computer
hardware and application programs, and may also be
directly manipulated by knowledgeable users.
System Software Cont…
Systems software provides important self-regulatory
functions for computer systems, such as
• loading itself when the computer is first turned on,
• managing hardware resources such as secondary
storage for all applications, and
• providingcommonly used sets of instructions for all
applications to use.
System Software Cont…
System software consists of the following
programs:
a) Operating system
b) Language translator
c) Common Utility Programs
a) Operating system
The operating system is a set of computer programs, which
controls the operations of computer hardware (Windows, Mac
OS, and Unix/Linux).
It also supports software development of a user by acting as an
interface between the application program and the hardware.
It usually resides on a disk.
After a computer system is started, or “booted up”, portions of
the operating system are transferred to memories as they are
needed.
Operating system cont…
Some of the activities of an operating system are as follows:
• Performing common hardware functions
• Providing a user interface
• Providing a degree of hardware independence
• Managing system memory
• Managing processing tasks
• Providing network capability
• Controlling access to system resources
• Managing files
Operating system activities…
Common hardware function
• Anoperating system must perform some common
hardware tasks such as:
• Getting input from the keyboard or other input device
• Retrieving data from disks
• Storing data on disks
• Display information on a monitor or printer
Operating system activities…
User Interface
• A userinterface allows individuals to access and command
the computer system.
• Command-based user interface (MS-DOS) requires use of
text commands to perform certain basic computer
activities.
• Examples are: cut, copy, delete, and save.
• A graphicaluser interface (GUI) uses pictures (command
buttons) and menus displayed on the computer screen to
send commands to the computer.
Operating system activities…
Hardware Independence
• Asthe application program communicates with the
hardware through the operating system, the operating
system works as an agent between the application
program and the hardware.
• Thus any application software written for a particular
operating system works independent of the hardware,
as long as the operating system and the hardware are
compatible.
Operating system activities…

• Allsoftware written for Windows ’8 work in

computers loaded with Windows ’ 8 operating
system, but they will not work in a Mac operating
system
Operating system activities…
Memory management
• Memory management programs that are part of the operating
system, are needed to convert a user’s request for data or
instructions (called a logical view of data) to the physical
location where the data or instructions are stored.
• A computer understands only a physical view of data, which
is the specific location of data in storage or memory and the
techniques needed to access the data.
• This concept is termed as logical versus physical access.
Operating system activities…

• For example, to find First Name = “Manyama” of a

particular person in a database table, the system needs
to find the actual physical location of “Manyama” in
the memory or disk.
• Thus data need to be arranged in the memory in a
particular way, so that it can be retrieved in a logical
fashion.
Operating system activities…
Processing Tasks (Scheduling)
• Task management allocates computer resources to make the
best use of each system’s assets.
• Task management software can permit one user to run several
programs or tasks at the same time (multi-tasking) and allow
several users to use the same computer at the same time (time-
sharing).
• Multitasking: It allows a user to run more than one application
at the same time. For example, a user can run a word
processing, a spreadsheet, and a database program. Data can
be copied and paste among the various documents.
Operating system activities…
Time-sharing:
• Time-sharingallows more than one person to use a
computer system at the same time.
• Many customer service representatives in a company
may enter and review data from a database located in a
central database in a server computer. This is time-
sharing.
Operating system activities…
Network capability
• The operating system can provide features and
capabilities through which a user can share resources
(files, database, e-mail, security) in other computers.
• Windows ’98 and NT are examples of network
operating systems.
Operating system activities…

File management
• The operating system performs file management such
that the files in the secondary storage are stored in a
particular sequence,
• Thereforethe files are made to be available when
needed, and they are secured from unauthorized users
b) Language Translator
• When computers execute programs written in high-level languages
such as COBOL, FORTRAN, or C, the computer must convert
these human-readable instructions into a form that it can
understand.
• Compiler: System software includes special language translators
that translate high-level language into machine language.
• Source Code: The program in the high-level language before
translation is called source code.
• Object Code: Compiler translates source code into a language
called object code. When a computer executes a program, it really
executes the object code.
Language Translator cont…
Language Translator cont…
Interpreter:
• Some programming language such as BASIC do not
use a compiler but an interpreter, which translates one
statement at a time into machine code, as the computer
executes the program.
c) Utility programs
• Utility
programs are generally used to support, enhance,
or expand, existing programs in a computer system.
• A utilityprogram is a type of system software that allows
a user to perform maintenance ‐ type tasks.
• They are used to merge and sort sets of data, keep track
of computer jobs being run, compress files, formatting
disk, scan for viruses, backing up data, compressing files,
recovering lost data, and identifying hardware problems.
Utility programs cont…

A file manager
It is a utility that performs functions related to file
management
– Displaying a list of files
– Organizing files in folders
– Copying, renaming, deleting, moving, and
sorting files and folders
– Creating shortcuts
Utility programs cont…
A search utility
• It
is a program that attempts to locate a file on your
computer base on criteria you specify.
Utility programs cont…

An image viewer
• It allows users to display, copy, and print the
contents of a graphics file.
B: Application software
Application software consists of programs that help
users to solve particular computing problems.
• Applicationsoftware is designed to address the
need of a particular organizational activity or
function.
• The primary function of application software is to
apply the power of the computer to give users the
ability to solve business and scientific problems.
Application software cont…
• Application software includes packaged software
such as word processing, spreadsheet, database,
and programming languages such as BASIC,
COBOL, C, Visual Basic, and other commercial
and custom software.
• Many different languages can be used to develop
application software, each having strengths and
weaknesses.
Types of Application software
Application Software Types
Proprietary Application Software
Software that solves a unique or specific business problem
of a company is called proprietary application software.
• This type of software may be developed in-house by the
organization’s information systems personnel or it may be
commissioned from a software vendor.
• Such specific software programs developed for a particular
company by a vendor are called contract software.
• There can not be any duplication of this type of software.
Application Software Types
Off-the-Shelf Application Software
• Application software packages are marketed commercially.
• These packages perform certain functionality of a business
that is required by many companies, and they are available
for mainframe, minicomputers, and PCs.
• Examples of standard packages are, accounting, finance,
auto body shop, human resources, university registration,
library catalog, payroll, physician insurance claim, fax, e-
mail, tax, and so on.
Application Software Types
Customized Packages
In some cases, companies modify of-the-shelf software
to accommodate business requirements of the
company.
• Softwarevendors must provide the opportunity to
modify their software.
• Again,modification can be done in house or
contracted to an outside company.
Application Software Types
Personal application software
• Personalapplication software includes general
purpose tools and programs
• Forinstance word processor, spreadsheet, graphics,
database, desktop publishing, project management,
computer aided design, financial management, fax, e-
mail, web-browser, and so on.
 PART C:
BIOS AND CMOS
BIOS- Basic Input Output System
BIOS is special software that interfaces the major hardware
components of your computer with the operating system.
• BIOS is the interface between hardware and software
allowing them to communicate with each other.
• Its most important role is to load the operating system.
• When a system boots it’s the BIOS that runs the system
until the operating system loads and takes control.
Function of BIOS
The main function of the BIOS is to boot up an
operating system on a PC.
• It
does this by first identifying and testing all
hardware components (including the hard disk
and floppy drives), and then by locating a valid
operating system to which it can transfer control.
Function of BIOS
Other Functions
The four main functions of a PC BIOS
• POST (Power On Self Test) - Test the computer hardware
and make sure no errors exist before loading the operating
system.
• Bootstrap Loader -To boot the operating system. The
BIOS contains a program known as bootstrap loader
responsible in searching and starting the operating system
boot program. Then the boot program of operating system
controls the computer system and boots the operating
system.
Other Functions…
• BIOS
drivers - Low level drivers that give the
computer basic operational control over your
computer's hardware.
• BIOS or CMOS Setup - Configuration program
that allows you to configure hardware settings
including system settings such as computer
passwords, time, and date.
 CMOS
• CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor)
is the term usually used to describe the small amount of
memory on a computer motherboard that stores the
BIOS settings.
• Some of these BIOS settings include the system time
and date as well as hardware settings.
• It
is also referred to as Real-Time Clock (RTC), Non-
Volatile RAM (NVRAM) or CMOS RAM.
BIOS versus CMOS
The BIOS is a computer chip on the motherboard that
contains a special program that helps the computer processor
interact and control the other components in the computer.
The other components include disc drives, video cards, sound
cards, network cards, floppy drives, USB ports, hard drives,
and others.
• Without the BIOS, the processor would not know how to
interact or interface with the computer components, and the
computer would not be able to function.
CMOS versus BIOS
The CMOS is also a computer chip on the motherboard, but
more specifically, it is a RAM chip.
This is a type of memory chip which stores information about
the computer components, as well as settings for those
components.
• However, normal RAM chips lose the information stored in
them when power is no longer supplied to them.
• To retain the information in the CMOS chip, a CMOS
battery on the motherboard supplies constant power to that
CMOS chip.