DOC-20240424-WA00042nd Chapter Computer
DOC-20240424-WA00042nd Chapter Computer
DOC-20240424-WA00042nd Chapter Computer
Chapter-2
Computer Hardware
&
Software
10
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
System unit
Input devices
Output devices
SYSTEM UNIT
System unit is a box that contains different electronic component of computer system. It is also
called chassis. It protects internal component from damage. It is made of plastic or metal to
protect the component inside it. Common component of system unit is
1. Mother board
3. Memory
4. Adapter cards
5. Ports
6. Drive bays
7. Power supply
11
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Mother Board
Mother board is also called system board. Mother board is the most important circuit
board in the system unit. Mother board contains different chips.
Microprocessor/Processor/CPU
CPU stands for central processing unit. Microprocessor is the brain of the computer.
CPU is located on motherboard. CPU carries out most of the work of the computer.
Data comes from ram and the other components of the computer to CPU, then it start
processing after processing it send data to the ram. Data may be of
many forms.
CU (control unit)
Arithmetic unit: Arithmetic unit of ALU performs basic arithmetic functions such as addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
Logic Unit: Logic unit of ALU performs logical operations like comparing two data items to find
which data item is <, >, = etc.
Control Unit
Control unit is an important component of CPU. Control unit controls all activities of
computer system. It is also called supervisor of the computer.
Register
Register is a small and high speed memory inside the Microprocessor. It is used to store
temporary results or data
Adapter Card
Expansion slot is a socket that is mounted on the mother board t insert circuit board. A circuit
board is identified by different term like Expansion card, Add-in Add-on etc.
Some cards contain built-in features or device like Modem and Graphic card. Some cards are
attached outside the system
There are main four types of adapter cards
Sound card / Audio card
Video Card/ Graphic Card
NIC /LAN card
Modem card
12
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Modem card
Modem stands for Modulation and Demodulation. It is also called internal modem. It
enables a computer to communicate via telephone line or other means
Serial port
Parallel port
USB port
Serial port
A serial port is used to connect the device that transmits one bit data a time. It is usually
used to connect devices which requires slow data transmission e.g mouse.
Parallel port
Parallel ports are used to connect devices that transfer many bit data at a time. e.g
printer, scanner etc
USB port
USB stands for Universal serial bus. USB port can connect up to 127 different peripheral
devices. Many computers have one or two USB ports
13
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Drive Bays
Bay is an open area inside the system unit to install
additional equipment.
Power supply
Power supply of a computer is a simple electronic system used to supply
correct voltage that a device requires.
Memory
The memories are can be classified on the basis of speed, volatility and their
usage.
i. Primary Memory
It is called main memory. It holds data and programs those are currently in use. A primary
memory section is basic to all computers.
14
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
a. PROM
b. EPROM
c. EPROM
a. PROM
PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory. It is a blank chip. The user or
manufacturer can write data on it by using special devices. The user can write data or
instructions on it only once.
b. EPROM
EPROM is stands for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
User can erase instructions or data stored in EPROM chip and write new program
c. EEPROM.
Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. In this memory user can
erase and write instructions with the help of electrical pulses .if there is any error in writing the
instruction .the user can erase the contents electrically
Secondary Memory
Secondary memory or storage holds data, instruction and information for features use.
This storage is limited in size and it is a volatile memory. Secondary it is also called external
memory, backup memory, auxiliary memory or mass storage. Storage devices are widely use to
storage large amount of data for further use.
Type of secondary storage devices are as follows.
Magnetic tape
Magnetic disk
Optical disk
15
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a flexible tape coated with magnetic material. It is
widely used when large amount of data is to be processed sequentially. It is
cheap and economical. It is very slow and sequential.
Magnetic Disk
Magnetic disk is the most widely used storage media. A magnetic disk is a thin
circular metal/ platter coated with magnetic material information can be recorded on or
read from the magnetic surface. The magnetic disk is a random access
storage media. It means that any part of the disk is directly accessible.
Types of magnetic disks are as follow
Floppy disk
Hard disk
Zip disk
Super disk
HiFD disk only remember storage
Floppy disk
Floppy disk is also called diskette. It was introduced by IBM in early
1970’s. It can store small amount of data. It is in expensive. It is a
portable storage medium. The standard size of floppy disk is 3 ½
inch. The capacity of floppy disk is 1.44 MB.
Hard disk
Hard disk is type of magnet disk. The hard disk in most personal
computers is fixed inside the system unit. It provides large storage
capacity. It is reliable, faster medium than floppy disk.
Zip disk
Zip disk is portable disk. It has more storage capacity than floppy
disk. Its storage capacity is up to 100MB. Zip disk can be read/ written by using
Zip drive. It is used for taking the backup of large data
Super disk
Super disk is produced by Imitation. It capacity is 120MB. It can also
read the standard 1.44MB floppy disk
HiFD disk
HIFD disk is produced by sony corporation it capacity is
200MB.HIFD disk can also read the standard 1.44MB floppy disk.
16
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Optical Disk
Optical disk uses laser technology to read and write data. The
LASER stands for LIGHT AMPLIFICATION THROUGH STIMULATED
EMISSION OF RADIATION. The amount of space required to record an optical
bit is much less than a magnetic bit. Optical disk storage capacity is from 600 MB
to over 1 GB. The optical storage is much safer than magnetic media. CD ROM .DVD .WORM
disks .Rewritable optical disks.
CD ROM
` CD-ROM stands for compact disk read-only memory. The data stored
on CD-ROM can be Read. It can cannot be deleted or changed. CD-ROM is a portable
storage device. The data can be transferred easily by using CD-ROM. It can store about
650MB of data.
WORM Disks
WORM stands for Write Once Read Many. We can only read
data but cannot update or change it. WORM disk can store greater volumes of
information than a CD-ROM. It has a capacity of 200GB.
INPUT DEVICES
Any data or instruction entered into the computer is known as INPUT.
An input device helps you to communicate with the computer.
To enter information and issue commands, input devices are used.
17
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Keyboard
Most common and very popular input device is keyboard.
T he keyboard helps in inputting the data to the computer’s he
layout of the keyboard is like that of traditional typewriter,
although there are some additional keys provided for performing
some additional functions. Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now 104 keys
or 108 keys keyboard is also available for Windows and Internet.
Mouse
Mouse is most popular Pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control
device. It is a small palm size box with a round ball at its base which senses the
movement of mouse and sends corresponding signals to CPU on pressing the buttons.
Generally it has two buttons called left and rig ht button and scroll bar is present at
the mid. Mouse can be used to control the position of cursor on screen, but it cannot
be used to enter text into the computer.It is easy to use, Not very expensive, Moves
the cursor faster than the arrow keys of keyboard.
Joystick
Joystick is also a pointing device which is used to move cursor position on a
monitor screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper ends. T
he lower spherical ball moves in a socket. The Joysticks can be moved in all four
directions he function of joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in
Computer Aided Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.
Light Pen
Light pen is a pointing device which is similar to a pen. It is used to select
a displayed menu item or draw pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a
photocell and an optical system placed in a small tube.
When light pen's tip is moved over the monitor screen and pen button is
pressed, its photocell sensing element detects the screen location and sends the
corresponding signal to the CPU.
Track Ball
Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer,
instead of a mouse. T his is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on ball,
pointer can be moved. Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space
than a mouse. A track ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a button and a square.
Scanner
Scanner is an input device which works more like a photocopy machine. It is
used when some information is available on a paper and it is to be transferred to the hard
disc of the computer for further manipulation.
Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into the dig
ital form that can be stored on the disc. These images can be edited before they are
printed.
18
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Digitizer
Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into a dig ital form.
Digitizer can convert a signal from the television camera into a series of numbers
that could be stored in a computer. T hey can be used by the computer to create a
picture of whatever the camera had been pointed at.
Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet because it converts
graphics and pictorial data into binary inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used
for doing fine works of drawing and images manipulation applications.
Output devices
Output devices return processed data that is information, back to the user. Some of the commonly
used output devices are:
1. Monitor (Visual Display Unit)
2. Printers
3. Plotter
4. Speakers
Monitor
Out of all the output devices, monitor is perhaps the most important output
device because people interact with this device most intensively than others.
Computer information is displayed, visually with a video adapter card and monitor.
Information processed within the CPU, that needs to be visually displayed,
is sent to video adapter. The video adapter converts information from the format
used, in the same manner as a television displays information sent to it by a cable
service.
Two basic types of monitors are used with microcomputers, which are as follows:
1. CRT
2. LCD
19
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Printer
After a document is created on the computer, it can be sent to a printer for a hard copy
(printout). Some printers offer special features such as colored and large page formats. Some of
the most commonly used printers are:
1. Laser Printer
2. Ink Jet Printer
3. Dot Matrix Printer
4. Line Printer
Laser Printer:
A laser printer produces high quality print that one normally finds
in publishing. It is extremely fast and quiet. Moreover, the operation of a
laser printer is easy with automatic paper loading and no smudging or
messing up of ink ribbons. The fastest laser printer can print up to 200
pages per minute in monochrome (black and white) and up to 100 pages per
minute in colour.
Ink-Jet Printer:
An ink-jet printer creates an image directly on paper by spraying ink through as many as
64 tiny nozzles. Although the image it produces is not generally quite as sharp as the output of a
laser printer, the quality of ink-jet images is still high. In general, ink-jet printer offers an
excellent middle ground between dot matrix and laser printer. Like laser printer, an ink-jet printer
is quiet and convenient, but not particularly fast. Typically, an ink-jet printer is more expensive
than a dot-matrix printer, but costs only half as much as a laser printer.
Line Printer:
A line printer is generally used with large computer systems to
produce text based data processing reports. Line printers are high-speed
printers with speeds ranging anywhere from 100 to about 3800 lines per
minute.
Plotter
A plotter is a special kind of output device that, like a printer,
produces images on paper, but does so in a different way. Plotters are
20
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
designed to produce large drawings or images, such as construction plans for buildings or
blueprints for mechanical objects. A plotter can be connected to the port normally used by a
printer.
Drum: These plotters are of big size using rolls of paper of unlimited length.
Speaker
Speakers are another type of output device, which allow you to listen to voice like
music, and conversation with people.
SOFTWARE
Computer cannot do anything on its own. It is the user who instructs computer; what to do, how to
do and when to do. In order to perform any task, you have to give a set of instructions in a
particular sequence to the computer. These sets of instructions are called Programs. Software
refers to a set of programs that makes the hardware perform a particular set of tasks in particular
order. Software can be classified mainly into following categories and sub-categories
System Software
System software’s are sets of programs, responsible for running the computer, controlling
various operations of computer systems and management of computer resources. Operating
System (OS) falls under this category.
An operating system is system software that provides an interface for a user to communicate with
the computer, manages hardware devices (disk drives, keyboard, monitor, etc), manages and
maintains disk file systems and supports application programs. Some popular Operating systems
are UNIX, Windows and Linux.
Utilities soft wares. These are programs that bridge the gap between the functionality of an OS
and the needs of users.
Utility programs are a broad category of software such as compress (zip)/uncompress (unzip) files
software, anti virus software, split and join files software, etc.
Application Software
Application software is a set of programs, which are written to perform specific tasks, for
example: An application package for managing library known as library information system is
used to manage information of library such as: keeping book details, account holder details, book
issue details, book return details etc. Another application package for managing student details is
called student’s information system, manages student’s roll no, name, parents name, address,
class, section, processing of examination results etc. Application software can be broadly
classified into two types:
Generalized Packages
These are user friendly software’s written to cater to user’s very general needs such as
preparing documents, drawing pictures, database to manage data/information, preparing
presentations,
21
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
play games etc. It is a group of programs that provide general purpose tools to solve specific
problems. Some of the generalized packages are listed below:
Word Processing Software(for preparing documents): Word Perfect, MS-Word,
OpenOffice.org Writer
Spreadsheets (Data Analysis): Lotus Smart suites, MSExcel, OpenOffice.org Calc, Apple
Numbers
Presentations : Presentation Graphics, MS-PowerPoint, OpenOffice.org Impress
Database Management System: MS-Access, OpenOffice.org Base, MS-SQL Server,
ORACLE
Graphics Tools: Paint shop pro, Adobe Photoshop
Customized Packages
These are the applications that are customized (or developed) to meet the specific requirements of
an organization/institution. For Example: Student information details, Payroll packages, inventory
control etc.
These packages are developed using high-level computer language.
Computer Viruses
A computer virus is a potentially damaging computer program designed to affect, or infect, your
computer negatively by altering the way it works without your knowledge or permission. More
specifically, a computer virus is a segment of program code that implants itself in a computer file
and spreads systematically from one file to another. Viruses can spread to your computer if an
infected floppy disk is in the disk drive when
you boot the computer, if you run an infected
program, or if you open an infected data file
in a program.
Viruses have become a serious problem in recent years. Currently, more than 45,000 known virus
programs exist and an estimated six new virus programs are discovered each day. The increased
use of networks, the Internet, and e-mail has accelerated the spread of computer viruses, by
allowing individuals to share files – and any related viruses – more easily than ever.
22
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Types of Viruses
Although numerous variations are known, four main types of viruses exist: boot sector viruses,
file viruses, Trojan horse viruses, and macro viruses
Boot sector
A boot sector virus replaces the boot program used to start a computer with a modified, infected
version of the boot program. When the computer runs the infected boot program, the computer
loads the virus into its memory. Once the virus is in memory, it spreads to any disk inserted into
the computer.
File virus
A file virus attaches itself to or replaces program files; the virus then spreads to any file that
accesses the infected program.
Trojan horse
A Trojan horse virus (named after the Greek myth) is a virus that hides within or is designed to
look like a legitimate program.
Macro virus
A macro virus uses the macro language of an application, such as word processing or
spreadsheet, to hide virus code. When you open a document that contains an infected macro, the
macro virus loads into memory. Certain actions, such as opening the document, activate the virus.
The creators of macro viruses often hide them in templates so they will infect any document
created using the template.
A time bomb is a type of logic bomb that activates on a particular date. A well-known time bomb
is the Michelangelo virus, which destroys data on a hard disk on March 6, Michelangelo’s
birthday.
WORM
Another type of malicious program is a worm. Although often it is called a virus, a worm, unlike
a virus, does not attach itself to another program. Instead, a worm program copies itself repeatedly
in memory or on a disk drive until no memory or disk space remains. When no memory or disk
space remains, the computer stops working. Some worm programs even copy themselves to other
computers on a network.
23
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses by identifying and removing any
computer viruses found in memory, on storage media, or on incoming files. Most antivirus
programs also protect against malicious ActiveX code and Java applets that might be included in
files you download from the Web. An antivirus program scans for programs that attempt to
modify the boot program, the operating system, and other programs that normally are read from
24
Computer literacy Program…Computer Hardware & Software
Q2. M.C.Q
25