COMPUTER BASICS

Computing and IT: CMIT101

MK MOUTLANA
Durban University of Technology
W hat is a Computer?

An electronic device that stores, retrieves,

and processes data, and can be
program m ed w ith instructions. A
com puter is com posed of hardw are and
softw are, and can ex ist in a variety of
sizes and configurations.
 Hardw are & Softw are
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, CD-ROM, DVD or on a diskette
(floppy disk) and is loaded (i.e.
copied) from the disk into the
computers RAM (Random Access
Memory), as and when required.
Understanding - Basic
Components
Types of Computers
M ini and M ainframe Computers

Very powerful, used by large

organizations such an banks to
control the entire business
operation. Very expensive!

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.
 Hardw are Components
Input Devices -- "How to tell it what to do“

- 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 -- "How it shows you what it

is doing"

- The monitor (the screen) is how the

computer sends information back to you. A
printer is also an output device.
Hardw are Components
I NPUT DEVICES

• The Mouse
• Used to ‘drive’ Microsoft Windows
• The Keyboard
• The keyboard is still the
commonest way of entering
information into a computer
• Tracker Balls
• an alternative to the traditional
mouse and often used by graphic
designers
 Hardw are 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 Comnents
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.
 Hardw are Components

OUTPUT DEVI CES

• 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.
• Speech synthesisers
• Gives you the ability to not only to
display text on a monitor but also to
read the text to you
 Hardw are Components
Storage Devices -- "How it saves data
and programs“

- Hard disk drives are an internal,

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

- "Floppy" disk drives allow you to save

work on small disks and take the data with
you.
 Hardw are 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 1000 Gigabytes. A
Gigabyte is equivalent to 1024 Megabytes.
• Cost:
• Hard disks costs are falling rapidly and
normally represent the cheapest way of
storing data.
 Hardw are Components

Diskettes (Floppy Disks)

• Speed:
• Very slow!
• Capacity:
• Normally 1.44 Mbytes.
• Cost:
• Very cheap.
 Hardw are 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 750 Mbytes and more
Hardw are 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 -- "How the processor stores
and uses immediate data“
• 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).
 Hardw are Components
M emory
• ROM – Read Only Memory
• Read Only Memory (ROM) as the name
suggests is a special type of memory chip that
holds software that can be read but not written
to.

• A good example is the ROM-BIOS chip, which

contains read- only software.

• Often network cards and video cards also

contain ROM chips.
 Hardw are Components
How Computer M emory Is Measured
• Bit
• All computers work on a binary numbering
system, i.e. they process data in one's or
zero's called a bit.
• Byte
• This 1 or 0 level of storage is a byte consists
of 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 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.
 Hardw are Components
Microprocessors -- "The brain of the
computer“
-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.
 Hardw are Components

Some of the Factors

That Impact on a Computer's
Performance

• CPU speed
• RAM size
• Hard disk speed and capacity
 Softw are 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!
Softw are 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
Softw are Component
Application Software
• Word processing
applications
• Microsoft Word

• Lotus Word Pro

• WordPerfect

• Spreadsheets
• Microsoft Excel

• Lotus 123

• Database
• Microsoft Access

• Lotus Approach
Softw are Component
Application Software

• Payroll
• Sage software

• Presentation tools
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Lotus Freelance

• Desktop publishing
• Abode Photoshop
• M ultimedia applications
• Microsoft's Encarta CD-ROM
based encyclopaedias
 Information Netw ork

• 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 Netw ork
Uses of Netw ork

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 where
you need to train a large amount of people
on a single subject.
• These programs are normally supplied on
CD-ROM and combine text, graphics and
sound.
• Packages range from general
encyclopaedias right through to learning a
foreign language.
 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 pow er points are not

overloaded

• Also be aw are 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 w ork.

• If the hard disk stops w orking one day you

could lose all those years of w ork.

• 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 passw ords

• 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

• W hat 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.
 Softw are Copyright

• Be aware on software copyright

issues
• Freeware
• Shareware
• What about software that you find on
the Internet?
• Software site licenses
 Softw are 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
N ow Let us start our Com puters

and get going