COMPUTER BASICS

Abdul Basit
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,
Types of Computers

Mini and Mainframe Computers

Very powerful, used by large

organisations such an banks to control
the entire business operation.

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 -

- 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

- 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
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.
Hardware Components

Storage Devices --

- Hard disk drives are an internal,

higher capacity drive which also stores the
operating system which runs when you power
on the computer.

- "Portable Devices such as USB, CD/DVDs " 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 128/512Gigabytes. A Gigabyte is
equivalent to 1024 Megabytes..
Hardware Components

CD-ROM Disks

• Speed:
• Much slower than hard disks. The original
CD-ROM speciation is given a value of 1x
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 --

• 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).
Hardware Components

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.
Hardware Components

Microprocessors -
- 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.
Hardware Components

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!
Software Component

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
Software Component

Application Software
• Word processing applications
• Microsoft Word

• Lotus Word Pro

• WordPerfect

• Spreadsheets
• Microsoft Excel

• Database
• Microsoft Access
Software Component

Application Software
• Payroll
• Sage software

• Presentation tools
• Microsoft PowerPoint

• Lotus Freelance

• Desktop publishing
• Abode Photoshop

• Multimedia applications
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).
Information Network

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

Uses of Computer

Computers in Education

• CBT (Computer Based Training)

• Computer Based Training (CBT) offers a low cost
solution to training needs a where you need to train
large amount of people on a single subject.
• These programs are normally supplied on CD-ROM
and combine text, graphics and sound.
Uses of Computer

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.
Uses of Computer

Office Applications

• 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.
Uses of Computer

Computers in Daily Life

• Accounts
• Games
• Educational
• On-line banking
• Smart ID cards
• Supermarkets
• Working from home (Tele-working)
• Internet
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.

• For this reason it is VITAL that you take

regular backups of the information that is
stored on the computer.
Value of Backup

• Organize your computer for more efficient

backups

• Complete vs. incremental backups

• Use 'off-site' storage

Value of Backup

• 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 don’t like:

• Dust

• Drinking and eating over the keyboard

• Heat, Cold or Moisture
• Don't place objects on top of monitors.

• Don't 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.
Computer Virus

• 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.
Computer Virus

• How to prevent virus damage

• There are a number of third party anti-

virus 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
Software Copyright

• 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
Now Let us start our Computers

and keep going