MCA GYAN

BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMPUTER

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A computer is a programmable machine designed to

perform arithmetic and logical operations automatically
and sequentially on the input given by the user and gives
the desired output after processing. Computer components
are divided into two major categories namely hardware and
software. Hardware is the machine itself and its connected
devices such as monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. Software are
the set of programs that make use of hardware for
performing various functions.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

After going through this lesson you would be able to:

• familiarise yourself with characteristics of computers
• identify the basic components of a computer
• explain the importance of various units of a computer
• differentiate between system software and application
software
• explain the importance of operating system
• get acquainted with open source
• appreciate the need of computer security

1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTERS

The characteristics of computers that have made them so
powerful and universally useful are speed, accuracy,

MCA GYAN
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 2

diligence, versatility and storage capacity. Let us discuss

them briefly.
Speed

Computers work at an incredible speed. A powerful

computer is capable of performing about 3-4 million simple
instructions per second.

Accuracy

In addition to being fast, computers are also accurate.

Errors that may occur can almost always be attributed to
human error (inaccurate data, poorly designed system or
faulty instructions/programs written by the programmer)

Diligence

Unlike human beings, computers are highly consistent.

They do not suffer from human traits of boredom and
tiredness resulting in lack of concentration. Computers,
therefore, are better than human beings in performing
voluminous and repetitive jobs.

Versatility

Computers are versatile machines and are capable of

performing any task as long as it can be broken down into
a series of logical steps. The presence of computers can be
seen in almost every sphere – Railway/Air reservation,
Banks, Hotels, Weather forecasting and many more.

Storage Capacity

Today’s computers can store large volumes of data. A piece

of information once recorded (or stored) in the computer,
can never be forgotten and can be retrieved almost
instantaneously.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 3

1.4 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION

Fig.1.1: Computer System

A computer system (fig.1.1) consists of mainly four basic
units; namely input unit, storage unit, central processing
unit and output unit. Central Processing unit further
includes Arithmetic logic unit and control unit, as shown in
Figure 1.2.

A computer performs five major operations or functions

irrespective of its size and make. These are

• it accepts data or instructions as input,

• it stores data and instruction

• it processes data as per the instructions,  it controls

all operations inside a computer, and  it gives results in
the form of output.

1.4.1 Functional Units :

a. Input Unit: This unit is used for entering data and

programs into the computer system by the user for
processing.
Dotted lines (– – – –)
indicate flow of instruction
solid lines ( –––––) indicate
flow of data
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 4

Fig. 1.2: Basic computer Organization

b. Storage Unit: The storage unit is used for storing data

and instructions before and after processing.
c. Output Unit: The output unit is used for storing the
result as output produced by the computer after
processing.

d. Processing: The task of performing operations like

arithmetic and logical operations is called processing.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) takes data and
instructions from the storage unit and makes all sorts
of calculations based on the instructions given and the
type of data provided. It is then sent back to the storage
unit. CPU includes Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and
control unit ( CU )

• Arithmetic Logic Unit: All calculations and

comparisons, based on the instructions provided,
are carried out within the ALU. It performs
arithmetic functions like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division and also logical operations
like greater than, less than and equal to etc.

• Control Unit: Controlling of all operations like input,

processing and output are performed by control unit.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 5

It takes care of step by step processing of all

operations inside the computer.

1.4.2 Memory

Computer’s memory can be classified into two types;

primary memory and secondary memory

a. Primary Memory can be further classified as RAM

and ROM.

 RAM or Random Access Memory is the unit in a

computer system. It is the place in a computer where
the operating system, application programs and the
data in current use are kept temporarily so that they
can be accessed by the computer’s processor. It is
said to be ‘volatile’ since its contents are accessible
only as long as the computer is on. The contents of
RAM are no more available once the computer is
turned off.
ROM or Read Only Memory is a special type of
memory which can only be read and contents of
which are not lost even when the computer is
switched off. It typically contains manufacturer’s
instructions. Among other things, ROM also stores
an initial program called the ‘bootstrap loader’ whose
function is to start the operation of computer system
once the power is turned on.

b. Secondary Memory

RAM is volatile memory having a limited storage

capacity. Secondary/auxiliary memory is storage other
than the RAM. These include devices that are peripheral
and are connected and controlled by the computer to
enable permanent storage of programs and data.

Secondary storage devices are of two types; magnetic

and optical. Magnetic devices include hard disks and
optical storage devices are CDs, DVDs, Pen drive, Zip
drive etc.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 6

• Hard Disk

Fig. 1.3: Hard Disk

Hard disks are made up of rigid material and are usually

a stack of metal disks sealed in a box. The hard disk and
the hard disk drive exist together as a unit and is a
permanent part of the computer where data and
programs are saved. These disks have storage capacities
ranging from 1GB to 80 GB and more. Hard disks are
rewritable.  Compact Disk

Compact Disk (CD) is portable disk having data storage

capacity between 650-700 MB. It can hold large amount
of information such as music, full-motion videos, and
text etc. CDs can be either read only or read write type.

• Digital Video Disk

Digital Video Disk (DVD) is similar to a CD but has

larger storage capacity and enormous clarity.
Depending upon the disk type it can store several
Gigabytes of data. DVDs are primarily used to store
music or movies and can be played back on your
television or the computer too. These are not rewritable.

1.4.3 Input / Output Devices :

These devices are used to enter information and

instructions into a computer for storage or processing and
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 7

to deliver the processed data to a user. Input/Output

devices are required for users to communicate with the
computer. In simple terms, input devices bring information
INTO the computer and output devices bring information
OUT of a computer system. These input/output devices are
also known as peripherals since they surround the CPU and
memory of a computer system.

a) Input Devices

An input device is any device that provides input to a

computer. There are many input devices, but the two
most common ones are a keyboard and mouse. Every
key you press on the keyboard and every movement or
click you make with the mouse sends a specific input
signal to the computer.

• Keyboard: The keyboard is very much like a standard

typewriter keyboard with a few additional keys. The
basic QWERTY layout of characters is maintained to
make it easy to use the system. The additional keys are
included to perform certain special functions. These are
known as function keys that vary in number from
keyboard to keyboard. (see fig. 1.4)
Alphanumeric Keypad/
Special-function Keys Function Keys
Cursor Movement
Keys

Numeric Keypad

Fig. 1.4: Keyboard

• Mouse: A device that controls the movement of the

cursor or pointer on a display screen. A mouse is a small
object you can roll along a hard and flat surface (Fig.
1.5). Its name is derived from its shape, which looks a
bit like a mouse. As you move the mouse, the pointer on
the display screen moves in the same direction.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 8

Fig. 1.5: Mouse

• Trackball: A trackball is an input device used to enter

motion data into computers or other electronic devices.
It serves the same purpose as a mouse, but is designed
with a moveable ball on the top, which can be rolled in
any direction.
• Touchpad: A touch pad is a device for pointing
(controlling input positioning) on a computer display
screen. It is an alternative to the mouse. Originally
incorporated in laptop computers, touch pads are also
being made for use with desktop computers. A touch
pad works by sensing the user’s finger movement and
downward pressure.

• Touch Screen: It allows the user to operate/make

selections by simply touching the display screen. A
display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger
or stylus. Widely used on ATM machines, retail point-
of-sale terminals, car navigation systems, medical
monitors and industrial control panels.

• Light Pen: Light pen is an input device that utilizes a

light-sensitive detector to select objects on a display
screen. (Fig. 1.6)
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 9

Fig. 1.6 Light Pen

• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR): MICR

can identify character printed with a special ink that
contains particles of magnetic material. This device
particularly finds applications in banking industry.

• Optical mark recognition (OMR): Optical mark

recognition, also called mark sense reader is a
technology where an OMR device senses the presence or
absence of a mark, such as pencil mark. OMR is widely
used in tests such as aptitude test.

• Bar code reader: Bar-code readers are photoelectric

scanners that read the bar codes or vertical zebra strips
marks, printed on product containers. These devices are
generally used in super markets, bookshops etc.

• Scanner: Scanner is an input device that can read text

or illustration printed on paper and translates the
information into a form that the computer can use. A
scanner works by digitizing an image. (Fig. 1.7)
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 10

Fig. 1.7 Scanner

b. Output Devices:

Output device receives information from the CPU and

presents it to the user in the desired from. The
processed data, stored in the memory of the computer
is sent to the output unit, which then converts it into a
form that can be understood by the user. The output is
usually produced in one of the two ways – on the display
device, or on paper (hard copy).

• Monitor: is often used synonymously with “computer

screen” or “display.” Monitor is an output device that
resembles the television screen (fig. 1.8). It may use a
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) to display information. The
monitor is associated with a keyboard for manual input
of characters and displays the information as it is keyed
in. It also displays the program or application output.
Like the television, monitors are also available in
different sizes.

Fig. 1.8: Monitor

• Printer: Printers are used to produce paper (commonly
known as hardcopy) output. Based on the technology
used, they can be classified as Impact or Non-impact
printers.

Impact printers use the typewriting printing

mechanism wherein a hammer strikes the paper
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 11

through a ribbon in order to produce output. Dot-matrix

and Character printers fall under this category.

Non-impact printers do not touch the paper while

printing. They use chemical, heat or electrical signals to
etch the symbols on paper. Inkjet, Deskjet, Laser,
Thermal printers fall under this category of printers.

• Plotter: Plotters are used to print graphical output on

paper. It interprets computer commands and makes line
drawings on paper using multicoloured automated
pens. It is capable of producing graphs, drawings,
charts, maps etc. (Fig. 1.9)

Fig. 1.9 Plotter

• Facsimile (FAX): Facsimile machine, a device that can

send or receive pictures and text over a telephone line.
Fax machines work by digitizing an image.

• Sound cards and Speaker(s): An expansion board that

enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds.
Sound cards are necessary for nearly all CD-ROMs and
have become commonplace on modern personal
computers. Sound cards enable the computer to output
sound through speakers connected to the board, to
record sound input from a microphone connected to the
computer, and manipulate sound stored on a disk.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 12

1.5 COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Computer software is the set of programs that makes the hardware

perform a set of tasks in particular order. Hardware and software
are complimentary to each other. Both have to work together to
produce meaningful results. Computer software is classified into
two broad categories; system software and application software.

1.5.1 System Software :

System software consists of a group of programs that control the

operations of a computer equipment including functions like
managing memory, managing peripherals, loading, storing, and is
an interface between the application programs and the computer.
MS DOS (Microsoft’s Disk Operating System), UNIX are examples of
system software.

1.5.2 Application software :

Software that can perform a specific task for the user, such as word
processing, accounting, budgeting or payroll, fall under the
category of application software. Word processors, spreadsheets,
database management systems are all examples of general purpose
application software.

Types of application software are:

• Word processing software: The main purpose of this software

is to produce documents. MS-Word, Word Pad, Notepad and
some other text editors are some of the examples of word
processing software.

• Database software: Database is a collection of related data. The

purpose of this software is to organize and manage data. The
advantage of this software is that you can change the way data
is stored and displayed. MS access, dBase, FoxPro, Paradox,
and Oracle are some of the examples of database software.

• Spread sheet software: The spread sheet software is used to

maintain budget, financial statements, grade sheets, and sales
records. The purpose of this software is organizing numbers. It
also allows the users to perform simple or complex calculations
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 13

on the numbers entered in rows and columns. MS-Excel is one

of the example of spreadsheet software.

• Presentation software: This software is used to display the

information in the form of slide show. The three main functions
of presentation software is editing that allows insertion and
formatting of text, including graphics in the text and executing
the slide shows. The best example for this type of application
software is Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Multimedia software: Media players and real players are the

examples of multimedia software. This software will allow the
user to create audio and videos. The different forms of
multimedia software are audio converters, players, burners,
video encoders and decoders.

1.6 COMPUTER LANGUAGE

Computer language or programming language is a coded syntax

used by computer programmers to communicate with a computer.
Computer language establishes a flow of communication between
software programs. The language enables a computer user to
dictate what commands the computer must perform to process
data. These languages can be classified into following categories
(Fig. 1.10).

1. Machine language

2. Assembly language
3. High level language
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 14

Fig. 1.10: Computer Languages

1.6.1 Machine Language

Machine language or machine code is the native language directly

understood by the computer’s central processing unit or CPU. This
type of computer language is not easy to understand, as it only uses
a binary system, an element of notations containing only a series of
numbers consisting of one and zero, to produce commands.

1.6.2 Assembly Level Language

Assembly Level Language is a set of codes that can run directly on

the computer’s processor. This type of language is most appropriate
in writing operating systems and maintaining desktop applications.
With the assembly level language, it is easier for a programmer to
define commands. It is easier to understand and use as compared
to machine language.

1.6.3 High Level Language

High Level Languages are user-friendly languages which are similar

to English with vocabulary of words and symbols. These are easier
to learn and require less time to write.

They are problem oriented rather than ‘machine’ based.

Program written in a high-level language can be translated into

many machine languages and therefore can run on any computer
for which there exists an appropriate translator.

1.6.4 Compiler & Interpreter

These are the programs that execute instructions written in a high-

level language. There are two ways to run programs written in a
high-level language. The most common is to compile the program;
the other method is to pass the program through an interpreter.

a. Compiler

A compiler is a special program that processes statements

written in a particular programming language called as source
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 15

code and converts them into machine language or “machine

code” that a computer’s processor uses.
Compiler translates high level language programs directly into
machine language program. This process is called compilation.
(Fig 1.11)

Fig. 1.11: Compilation

b. Interpreter

An interpreter translates high-level instructions into an

intermediate form, which it then executes. Compiled programs

generally run faster than interpreted programs. The advantage
of an interpreter, however, is that it does not need to go through
the compilation stage during which machine instructions are
generated. This process can be time-consuming if the program
is long. (Fig 1.12)

Fig. 1.12: Interpretation

1.6.5 Open source software :

Open source refers to a program or software in which the source

code (the form of the program when a programmer writes a program
in a particular programming language) is available to the general
public for use and/or modification from its original design free of
charge.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 16

Open source code is typically created as a collaborative effort in

which programmers improve upon the code and share the changes
within the community.
The rationale for this movement is that a larger group of
programmers not concerned with proprietary ownership or
financial gain will produce a more useful and bug-free product for
everyone to use.

The basics behind the Open Source Initiative is that when

programmers can read, redistribute and modify the source code for
a piece of software, the software evolves. Open source sprouted in
the technological community as a response to proprietary software
owned by corporations.

Proprietary software is privately owned and controlled. In the

computer industry, proprietary is considered the opposite of open.
A proprietary design or technique is one that is owned by a
company. It also implies that the company has not divulged
specifications that would allow other companies to duplicate the
product.

1.7 OPERATING SYSTEM

An operating system is a software component of a computer system

that is responsible for the management of various activities of the
computer and the sharing of computer resources. It hosts several
applications that run on a computer and handles the operations of
computer hardware. Users and application programs access the
services offered by the operating systems, by means of system calls
and application programming interfaces. Users interact with a
computer operating system through Command Line
Interfaces (CLIs) or Graphical User Interfaces known as GUIs. In
short, an operating system enables user interaction with computer
systems by acting as an interface between users or application
programs and the computer hardware. Some of the common
operating systems are LINUX, Windows,etc.

1.8 WINDOWS XP DESKTOP ELEMENTS

Start Menu
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 17

When clicked on the start button, start menu appears on the screen
giving all the available options to start using the Windows (See Fig.
1.13). Desktop icons provide access to commonly used programs,
folders and files.

Fig. 1.13

Overview of the options available in the start menu.

Task Description

All Programs Displays a list of installed program,

which a user can start or use
My Documents Displays a list of documents used by
the current user
My Recent Documents Displays a list of recently used
documents by the current user

My Picture Displays a list of pictures/photos used

by the current user
My Music Displays a list of music/songs used by
the current user
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 18

Control Panel Displays a list of utilities to configure

the computer system and install
software and hardware
Printers and Faxes Displays a list of currently installed
printers and faxes in the current
computer system

Help and Support Start the XP help and support

program to find how to do a task in
windows
Search Helps the user to find any file or folder
from a list of document used by the
current user.
Run Starts an application program or
executes a DOS command
Log Off Log off the currently logged in user of
the system

Turn Off Computer Close currently opened program, log

off the current user and switch off the
computer system.
Task Bar

When you start the computer system, then start button and
task bar appears on the bottom of the screen and by default
remains visible when Windows is running (See Fig. 1.14).

Whenever a program is run or a window is opened, an icon

representing the program appears on the taskbar. To switch
between windows or program, click on the icon representing

the window on the task bar. When the program or window

is closed, the icon disappears from the task bar.

Task bar System Tray

Fig. 1.14
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 19

The system tray is part of the task bar and displays the current
time as well as the status icons.

1.8.1 Start a Program

To start a program, do the following;

1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Click on the All Programs, you will see a list of all the
program icons and program folders.
3. Point to the desired folder say Accessories and select the
desired program to run such as Paint.
1.8.2 Quit a Program

To quit a program, select the close button (×) in the upperright

corner of the window OR

Click on File menu and select Close option.

1.8.3 Getting Help

Online help and support provided is of great help in using and

learning windows. One can get help on a specific topic or on current
task which is being executed. To start help
 click on the Start button
 click on Help and support option

A list of help and support topics and online tutorial is displayed on

the screen (see Fig. 1.15). One can use the tabs in the screen to
search for the desired information in several ways.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 20

Fig. 1.15

 Click on a topic or task to know more about how to get the

job done or type in a search word to locate the help on a
specific topic.
 Click on the Index tab to locate specific topic listed
alphabetically and the follow the instructions displayed on
the screen.

 Click on Favourites tab to add Help Topics, search results to

your Favourites list to make them easy to locate in the future

 Click on History to pick from a list of Help and Support pages

that you have read in the past.

 Click on Support to get various kind of online support such

as Microsoft online support, News Group on Windows.
 Click on Option to configure the help and support center as
per your requirement.

To close Help and Support windows, select the close button ( ×) in

the upper-right corner of the window.

1.8.4 Searching Files and Folders

If you don’t know where a document or folder is located, you can

use the Search option to locate it in the local storage such as Hard
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 21

Disk, CD or in the network drive (if the system is part of a network).

The Indexing Service provided by the Search maintains an index of
all the files on your computer, making searches faster.

To search for a file or folder

1. Click Start, and click on Search.

2. Select All files and folders from the left hand side of the
windows (see Fig. 1.16).

3. Type the name of the file or folder in part or full, or type a

word or phrase that exists in the file to be searched.

4. If you do not know either piece of information select one or

more of the remaining options:

 In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want

to search.
Fig. 1.16
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 22

 Click on When was it modified? to look for files that

were created or modified on or between specific dates.
 To look for files of a specific size, click on What size is
it? Select a size.
 Click on More advanced options to specify additional
search criteria.
5. Once you finish specifying the search criteria, click on Search
to locate the file.
Similarly you can search for specific information on Internet,
or people in your address book, search for a printer or a
computer on your network.

1.8.5 Changing System settings

By using Control Panel’s tools you can customize the way Windows
look and work! Also you can install new hardware, add and remove
(install/uninstall) software programs, change the look and feel of
your desktop and much more. It also includes a number of
administrative tools in Administrative Tools option for better
administration of Windows in terms of User Management, Event
viewer, Component Service etc.
To start Control Panel and use the available tool, do the following;
 Click on Start
 Click on Control Panel
 Select the desired tool to use
For example to create a new or modify the settings for an existing
user click on ‘User Account’ icon in the control panel.
1.8.6 Using 'My Computer'for browsing your disk drives
Your disk drives hold all the information on your computer: all the
files, folders, programs as well as the documents.
My Computer displays the contents of floppy, hard disk, CD-ROM,
and network drives. One can also search for and open files and
folders, and use options in Control Panel to modify computer’s
settings.
 To use My Computer, click on Start, and then click on My
Computer or double click the My computer icon on the
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 23

desktop. My computer windows opens to show all the drives

present on your computer. (see
Fig. 1.17).

Fig. 1.17
Display the storage Contents
 To see what’s on your hard disk, under Hard Disk Drives,
double-click the drive you want to see such as C:, D: etc.
 To find a file or folder on a CD-ROM, or other media, under
Devices with Removable Storage, doubleclick on the
respective storage media you want to see.
 To find a file in a folder, under Files Stored on This
Computer, double-click a folder.

1.9 FILE MANAGEMENT IN WINDOWS

File management in windows can be done through Windows Explorer
or My Computer. Windows Explorer displays the hierarchical list of
files, folders, and storage drives (both fixed and removable) on your
computer. It also lists any network drives that have been mapped to
as a drive letters on your computer. Windows Explorer can be used to
copy, move, rename, and search for files and folders. For example, to
copy a file, you can open a folder that contains the desired file to be
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 24

copied or moved, and then just drag and drop the file to When files or
folders are deleted from hard disk, Windows places them in the Recycle
Bin, from where they can be retrieved, until the Recycle Bin is made
empty. Files or folders deleted from a removable storage media such
as network drive are permanently deleted and are not sent to the
Recycle Bin.

1.9.1 Using Windows Explorer

target folder or drive. (see fig. 1.18)

Fig. 1.18
Windows offer another utility "Windows Explorer" which helps you in
working with files and folders on your computer.

To open Windows Explorer,

 Click on Start,

 Point to All Programs,

 Point to Accessories, and then click on Windows
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 25

Explorer (see Fig. 1.19)

Fig. 1.19

The left pane of the Explorer window shows a hierarchy of all the
drives, folders and desktop items on your computer. A drive or folder
that contains other folders has a plus sign to the left of the icon. Click
the plus sign to expand it and see the folders inside. (see Fig. 1.20)
1.9.2 Opening drives and folders
Two drives nearly all computers have are a floppy drive (drive A:) and
a hard drive (drive C:). If you have more than one drive, then they are
named D:, E: and so on. If you have a CD drive or a DVD drive, it also
is named with a letter. Opening a hard drive is easy. Just double click
the icon representing the drive you want to open. Files and folders
contained in the drive are now shown in the opened window. Now for
opening a folder,
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 26

double click its icon.

Fig. 1.20

1.9.3Copying or Moving a file or Folder using My

Document
 Click on Start, and then click on My Documents.

 Click the file or folder to be copied. More than one file or folder
can be copied at a time.

 To select more than one consecutive files or folders, click the

first file or folder, press and hold down SHIFT key, and then
click the last files or folders.

 To select non-consecutive files or folders, press and hold down

CTRL key, and then click each of the files or folders to be copied.
 Under Edit menu, select Copy.
 Select the target drive or folder to which you want to copy the
files

 Under Edit menu, select Paste to copy the desired file or folder
to the target drive.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 27

1.9.4 View file details

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents.

2. Double-click the folder that contains the files to be viewed.

3. On the View menu, click Details (see Fig. 1.21).

4. It will display all the details about the files such as Name, Type,
size etc.

Fig. 1.21

1.9.5 Copying and moving files using Explorer

 Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and
then click Windows Explorer.

 Make sure the destination for the file or folder you want to move
is visible (see Fig. 1.22).
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 28

Fig. 1.22
 Drag the file or folder from the right pane and drop it on to the
destination folder in the left pane to move the file or folder there.

 If you drag an item while pressing the right mouse button, you
can move, copy, or create a shortcut to the file in its new
location.

 To copy the item instead of moving it, press and hold down CTRL
while dragging.

 If you drag an item to another disk, it is copied, not moved. To

move the item, press and hold down SHIFT while dragging.

 Dragging a program to a new location creates a shortcut to that

program. To move a program, right-click and then drag the
program to the new location.

1.9.6 Create a new folder

Folders help you to organize your files. You can create a folder either
by using My Computer window or through Windows Explorer. You can
create a Folder in any existing disk drive or folder or on the windows
desktop. The steps for creating a folder are:
1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 29

2. Under File menu click New and select Folder. (see Fig. 1.23)

3. A new folder is displayed with the default name, New Folder.

4. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.

5. A new folder can also be created directly on the desktop by right-

clicking a blank area on the desktop, pointing to New, and then
clicking Folder.

1.9.7 Rename a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents

2. Click on the file or folder you want to rename.

3. Under File menu click on Rename ( see Fig. 1.23).

4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER key.

5. Alternately file or folder can also be renamed by rightclicking it

and then clicking on Rename.

1.9.8 Delete a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents

2. Click on the file or folder you want to delete.

3. Under File menu click on Delete ( see Fig. 1.23).

4. Files or folders can also be deleted by right-clicking the file or

folder and then clicking Delete.

5. Deleted files or folders are stored in the Recycle Bin, till they
are permanently removed from the Recycle Bin.

6. To retrieve a deleted file, double-click the Recycle Bin icon on

the desktop. Right-click on the file to be retrieved, and then click
Restore.

7. To permanently delete a file, press and hold down SHIFT key

and drag it to the Recycle Bin.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 30

Fig. 1.23
1.10 COMPUTER SECURITY
Security has always been an overriding concern of human kind. For
many organization, information plays a very important role in running
business. Therefore, it becomes necessary to safeguard information
from reaching the illegal hands. When data takes the shapes of digital
form, a different security procedure is required. This branch of security
is called computer security.

Information technology has also some loopholes associated with it, like
the possibility of stealing of vital information and intentionally
implanting destructive or malicious programs on the other's computer
system. The motive behind such activities is to show down the pace of
an organization and harm it economically. We shall discuss now about
these malicious programs which are often called virus, worms, Trojan
horse, logic bomb, spyware and so on.
1.10.1 Virus
Virus is a program which has been written to interfere with the normal
functioning of the computer. It does this by clogging the memory of the
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 31

system by making copies of itself or it may destory critical information

used by other computer prgrams.

There are three main types of viruses: Boot sector viruses which
infect the boot sector in the hard disk and affect the partition table,
File viruses attach with executable files. The commonly infected files
are those with COM or EXE extensions. The third, System viruses
infect specific system files such as command.com. Computer viruses
can be grouped into Time Bomb, Trojan Horse, Worm etc. Time Bomb
will start on a particular date, at a particular time. The computer will
loose its ability to function properly.

The virus known as Trojan Horse will enter into a computer through
an e-mail or free programs that have been down loaded from the
internet and casue plenty of damage. Viruses known as Worms are
constructed to infiltrate on the legitimate data processing programs
and alter or destroy the data. Worm programs often use network
connections to spread from one computer system to another system,
thus, worms attach system that are linked through communication
lines.

1.10.2 Protecting computer system using antivirus

software
In case the virus is present, it becomes our duty to use some anti-virus
software for preventing virus attacks in future. Anti-virus software
falls into two categories: Scanners and Integrity checkers.

A scanner is a program that will detect the virus by checking the files
on the disk, the boot sector of the disk and programs in the memory
by looking for the signature of the virus. The signature is a piece of
program code that is unique to the virus. It is very necessary to update
regularly the virus scanner that you have bought. This is essential
because new viruses are constantly appearing.
Integrity checkers work using simple checksums or complicated
algorithms or cryptographic checksums which check if a file has been
modified. It may be boring for you to check for virus every time you
run the system. But you should not worry. Help is at hand with
HomeGuard a unique device which once fitted to the computer
automatically scans in the background for viruses. If there are viruses
found in the system, HomeGuard will clean it up automatically without
even having to press a key.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 32

1.10.3 Precautions to be taken against viruses

 Install a memory-resident program in RAM that will detect and
warn if a virus is present.
 Do not allow hardware engineers or sales persons to put a write
enabled floppy into your computer uless they can guarantee that
it is not infected.
 Backup copies of all programs and data files should be kept.
 Backup copies of programs should be held as read-only disks to
prevent infection.
 At least 2 copies of the backup must be kept.
 Never boot your machine with a floppy from an unknown source.
 Always write-protect your disk when you use it in another
machine.

INTEXT QUESTION 1.1

1. What are the characteristics of a computer?

2. How many types of printers are commonly used?

3. State TRUE or FALSE

(a) All code or data is stored and processed in computers using

two symbols; 0 and 1.

(b) Machine code is also known as source code.

1.11 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT

In this lesson, you have learnt about computer organization, its
characteristics (speed, accuracy, diligence, versatility, and storage
capacity) that have contributed towards making it such a popular
device. The differences between concepts like hardware/software,
system/application software, ROM/RAM was also explained. Various
types of input, output and secondary storage devices along with their
usages, were also studied.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 33

1.12 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. What are the basic units of a computer system?

2. What is application software? Explain with the help of examples.

3. Write short notes on

a. Operating system

b. Compiler

c. Assembly language

d. Control unit

1.13 ANSWER TO INTEXT QUESTIONS

Intext Question 1.1

1. Computer characteristics :

• Speed

• Accuracy
• Diligence

• Versatility

• Storage capacity

2. Two types or Impact & Non Impact Printer

3. (a) true

(b) false