PC Computing How To Make It All Work Together

PC Computing How To Make It All Work Together

What is a personal computer or PC? Just a very powerful electronic tool to help us perform tasks. A PC accepts information and manipulates it for some result. A PC is NOT the Internet or the Web. A PC can be confusing, but once you achieve a certain level of knowledge, it will become a powerful ally. 2

Don t be afraid to tinker with it! It just takes patience and practice. 3

A PC is made up of Hardware. There are several physical components that work together to run your computer. Examples: CPU, monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk drives, printers, etc. 4

Microprocessor or CPU the Central Processing Unit The brain of the PC is called the CPU, the central processing unit, or more commonly, it is just referred to as the computer. It is housed inside the computer case. It acts as a traffic cop in a busy intersection. It instructs the computer programs to process the data. 5

Power Switch on PC The power switch is located somewhere on the CPU or PC, usually on the front or the side. You press this to start your computer. Never use the power switch to turn off your computer unless nothing else works. First try the reset button. 6

Motherboard All of the computer s components are hooked up to a motherboard, which is the main base for the circuitry and components. 7

Memory Memory is called RAM which stands for Random Access Memory. The two main types are called DRAM and SRAM. SRAM is faster than DRAM, but, more expensive. 8

Memory The system memory is the place where the computer holds current programs and data that are in use -- sort of like your working space on your desk. It is temporary storage, which means it loses its information when power is removed. It is shortterm memory. 9

Memory Memory affects: The performance of the PC, The software support capability, The reliability and stability of the system, and Its upgradability. 10

Megahertz or Speed of PC Megahertz (MHz) is the clock speed of the processor, but, not necessarily, the main indicator of overall performance. Other factors include the bus speed, and the speed of the hard disk, RAM, and graphics card. 11

The Bus Essentially, a bus is a channel or path between the components in a computer. It s the freeway for communication. A set of circuits runs throughout the board and connects all the parts together. Monitor Memory Graphics Card us B Sy st em I PC BU S CPU 12

The Bus The Bus makes parts more interchangeable. It provides horsepower for the PC. Expansion devices use the bus to send data to, and receive data from, the PC's CPU or memory. ISA, EISA and Micro Channel are the major bus standards used in PC's. 13

The Bus How it s evolved Bus Type Bus Width Bus Speed MB/sec ISA 16 bits 8 MHz 16 MBps EISA 32 bits 8 MHz 32 MBps VL-bus 32 bits 25 MHz 100 MBps VL-bus 32 bits 33 MHz 132 MBps PCI 32 bits 33 MHz 132 MBps PCI 64 bits 33 MHz 264 MBps PCI 64 bits 66 MHz 512 MBps PCI 64 bits 133 MHz 1 GBps PCI 128 bits 800 MHz 2.3 GBps 14

Monitor Output Device The monitor is the physical display for your computer. It has its own on/off switch and controls for adjusting the quality of the display, such as brightness. 15

Keyboard Input Device Much of the computer keyboard looks like a standard typewriter keyboard, but there are more keys to help you do more things quickly. 16

Common Keys Whenever you type a request you press ENTER to send it to the CPU. The DELETE key deletes one character at a time or erases whatever is highlighted on the screen. The HOME key is used inside software to take you to the beginning of something. Likewise, the END key takes you to the end of something. 17

Common Keys The ALT, CNTL and SHIFT keys are helper keys and are used frequently. They may be used alone, together or in combination with other keys. Each software program may have a different use for these keys. 18

Common Keys Arrow keys move you around within a program without using a mouse. 19

Common Keys Function keys usually appear across the top of a keyboard. Their functions change depending on the program that you are using. In Windows-based programs, the F1 key is always the key for HELP. 20

Numerical Keypad This keypad looks like a small calculator. If you press the NUMLOCK key, you can use it like a calculator. When you press the NUMLOCK key a second time, the non-numerical functions apply. 21

The Mouse Input Device The mouse is an input devise like the keyboard, but is more dynamic. The mouse usually has a roller ball that is attached to several internal sensors that allow you to travel around the screen on the monitor. 22

The Mouse The mouse usually has two buttons and are referred to as the left and right buttons, or the primary or secondary buttons. Most of the time you will click the left button to select objects. Usually you select things with the mouse by clicking the left button twice. (You can also click once and press the ENTER key.) 23

The Mouse When you click the right button, a special menu is displayed with various options you can select. This is called a short cut menu. 24

Drives: Disk Drives and Diskettes The hard disk drive is the mechanism that reads and writes data on a hard disk. The hard disk drive and the hard disk are packaged as a unit and are usually referred to as the "hard drive." It is long-term storage. The drive is mounted permanently inside the computer. 25

Hard Disk The hard disk holds: The Operating System for the computer (like Windows 95/98, Windows Hard disk 2000, or Windows XP), Programs (like Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or PAF), and Documents. The hard drive stores many more times the amount of information than can be saved on a floppy disk or CD. Floppy or CD 26

Hard Disk The hard disk plays a significant role in the following aspects: Performance - The speed at which the PC boots up, and programs load, is directly related to hard disk speed. speed The hard disk's performance is also critical when multitasking is being used or when processing large amounts of data such as graphics work, editing sound and video, or working with databases. 27

Hard Disk Storage Capacity: This is kind of obvious, but a bigger hard disk lets you store more programs and data. Software Support: Newer software needs more space and faster hard disks to load it efficiently. Reliability: A good quality hard disk, combined with smart maintenance and backup habits, can help ensure that the nightmare of data loss doesn't become part of your life. 28

Floppy Disk A floppy disk is a storage device made of plastic with a thin plastic disk on the inside. The plastic disk has a coating of magnetic particles on it, onto which information is written in magnetic code. 29

CD-ROM and DVD Disk A compact disk (CD) or digital disk (DVD) is similar to the floppy disk, because it stores data and you can retrieve data from it. These drives use an optical reader instead of a magnetic device. It is like a Music CD, a software CD or a movie DVD. 30

Zip Disks and Flash Drives A zip disk is similar to a floppy disk but is thicker, with a rectangular-shaped slider. It holds much more data than a floppy disk and comes in various storage capacities up to and larger than a CD, but, less than a DVD. A flash drive or jump drive is similar to a hard drive, but, is small enough to fit into your pocket, around your neck, or on a keychain. 31

Bits-Bytes How much storage? File Storage Capacity by Bits and Bytes bit 0 or 1 byte 8 bits Kilobyte (KB or K) 1000 bytes Megabyte (MB, M or meg) 1000 kilobytes Gigabyte (GB or gig) 1000 megabytes Terabyte (TB or Tbyte) 1000 gigabytes 32

Storage Comparisons Media Storage Capacity Comparision DVD - 4.5 GB CD - 660 MB Floppy disk - 1.2 MB Piece of paper with text - 50 KB - 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 Capacity in Thousands of Bytes 33

Care of Removable Media or Storage Devices Floppy disks, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, and Zip drives are never considered permanent storage. Data can be lost if not handled properly. 3. Protect them from heat, sun, physical damage, liquid, dust and magnetism. 5. Keep them in their storage cases. 34

Care of Removable Media or Storage Devices 3. Don t write on CDs or DVDs with any regular marker pen as the ink damages the surface. Write on a CD label instead and then attach it to the CD. There are now specific pens made to write on a CD/DVD. 35

Care of Removable Media or Storage Devices 4. Handle CDs/DVDs by the edges. Dirt, fingerprints or scratches on the shiny surface will render this media unreadable. 5. Don t fiddle with the sliders on zips and floppies. 6. WARNING: Reformatting a disk will cause any data on the disk to be lost. 36

Other Hardware Devices or Peripherals Scanners 3 or 4-in-one (scanner, printer, fax, copy) Printers Speakers 37

How Does the PC Communicate With the Peripherals? All peripherals must be connected to the PC in order for them to communicate with each other. Hook up the PC directly with wires or cables through various types of connectors. 38

But Which Cable? It's bad enough that there are so many different choices to make regarding which peripherals you will buy. To make matters worse, you also have to consider how you're going to get them connected to your computer with names of things that seem to make no sense at all! 39

Connectors on your PC There are many different configurations on PC s, however, the connectors are generally the same. 40

Types of Connectors Monitor Cable for Video Port Printer Connector Parallel Port USB Port Connector Firewire Connector 41

Connectors Ethernet or Network Port Serial Port SCSI Ports 42

Connectors Modem Port PS/2 Port Power Port 43

Can I Connect My PC Without Cables and Wires? You can use wireless hardware designed to be used without cables, such as a mouse or a keyboard. A wireless mouse or keyboard works by communicating via radio waves to a central receiver that is plugged into your computer. The wireless mouse gets its power usually by one or two batteries. Depending on the wireless mouse, it may or may not need a direct line-of-sight to the receiver. 44

Here s How It All Fits Together OUTPUT INPUT Keyboard Microphone Scanner Digital Camera Hard Drive Floppy Drive CD, DVD, Zip Drive Monitor Printer Speakers Hard Drive Floppy Drive CD, DVD, Zip Drive MOTHERBOARD CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU) SOFTWARE STORAGE Hard Drive Floppy Drive Zip Drive CD or DVD Drive MEMORY (RAM) Operating System Games Business Productivity Hobbies Music / Art Genealogy 45