Computer Instructor: HELNER D.

TAGHAP

COMPUTER SYSTEM, DEVICES AND PERIPHERALS

As an aspiring computer technician, it is very important to know the system that runs your
computer and different devices attached to it. Each device plays an important role, without each other
computer system will not work properly.

What is an Operating System?

The operating system is the most important
program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose
computer must have an operating system to run other
programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as
recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the
display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the
disk, and controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives
and printers.
For large systems, the operating system has
even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic
cop -- it makes sure that different program and users running
at the same time do not interfere with each other. The
operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring
that unauthorized users do not access the system.

Operating systems provide a software platform on which other application programs can run.
The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice
of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run.

An operating system or OS is a software on the hard drive that enables the computer hardware
to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a
computer and software programs would be useless.

As computers have progressed and developed, so have the operating systems. Below is a basic
list of the types of operating systems and a few examples of operating systems that fall into each of the
types. Many computer operating systems will fall into more than one of the below types.

➢ GUI - Short for Graphical User Interface, a GUI operating system contains graphics and icons
and is commonly navigated by using a computer mouse. Examples of GUI operating systems
are:
System 7.x, Windows 98, Windows CE
➢ Multi-user - A multi-user operating system allows for multiple users to use the same computer
at the same time and different times. Examples of operating systems that would fall into this
category are:
• Linux - is a free and open-source operating system developed by Linus Torvalds and
friends that was first announced August 25, 1991. The Linux kernel runs on numerous
different platforms including the Intel and Alpha platform and is available under the GNU
General Public License.

• Unix - Coined by Brian Kernighan, Unix or UNIX (not an acronym) is an operating system
developed by members of the MULTICS team at the Bell Laboratories starting in the late
1960's. Today, Unix is not just the work of a couple of programmers; organizations,
 Computer Instructor: HELNER D. TAGHAP
institutes, and other individuals have contributed significant additions to Unix and its
variants, making it a widely used and popular operating system.

• Windows 2000
➢ Multiprocessing - An operating system capable of supporting and utilizing more than one
computer processor. Examples of operating systems that would fall into this category are:
Linux, Unix, Windows XP
➢ Multitasking - An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple software processes to
run at the same time. Examples of operating systems that would fall into this category are:
Linux, Unix, Windows 7, Windows 8
➢ Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts of a software program to run
concurrently. Examples of operating systems that would fall into this category are:
Linux, Unix, Windows XP

Windows Operating System

The Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system used in over 92% of the personal
computers worldwide as of November 2009. In the course of your life as a student, one way or another
you will be able to use this program. It is therefore fitting to learn more about this operating system so
that you will be able to use its many features and capabilities in many of your lessons, projects, and
applications. There are several releases of Windows that are still in use until now, those are Windows
XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and there are latest which is the Windows 8 and Windows 10.

The following are the popular windows operating system:

1. Windows ‘95 - was released on August 24 1995.

2. Windows ’98 - It was released to manufacturing on May 15, 1998 and to retail on June 25, 1998.
3. Windows 2000 - It was produced by Microsoft and released to manufacturing on December 15,
1999 and launched to retail on February 17, 2000.
4. Windows XP - It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and generally released for
retail sale on October 25, 2001. This operating system was initially bugged down by security
problems prompting the release of three service pack (SP) to correct the system. Windows XP
SP1 in April 2008, Windows XP SP2 in August 2004 and Windows SP3 in April 2008.
5. Windows Vista - It was completed on 8 November 2006, and over the following three months,
it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business
customers and retail channels. On 30 January 2007, it was released worldwide and was made
available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website. The following are windows vista
editions: Home Basic Edition, Home Premium Edition, Business Edition, Enterprise Edition, and
Ultimate Edition.
6. Windows 7 - was released to manufacturing on 22 July 2009, and became generally available
on 22 October 2009, less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista.
Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time. The
following are the available six various Windows 7 editions:
a. Windows 7 Home Edition – This edition is design for home use. This product will not be
available in developed countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and European
countries but will be available only in the Philippines, China, Thailand, India and other
developing countries.
b. Windows 7 Home Premium – This edition is an upgraded home edition with features
that include internet parental control, Windows Media Center for home entertainment,
touch-screen controls and Window Aero which come out in Windows Vista. This edition
is available for sale worldwide and upgradable to the Professional or Ultimate edition
for a free using the Windows Anytime Upgrade tool.
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c. Windows 7 Professional. This edition is intended for business users and individual
power users which includes the features of Windows Home Premium. This product adds

with it the Windows XP Mode, File Encryption System, network connectivity to a

Windows Server setup, Mobility Center and other advanced features. This edition will
be available worldwide and upgradable to the Ultimate edition for a fee using the Windows
Anytime Upgrade tool.
d. Windows 7 Enterprise. This edition was designed to cater to the needs of the enterprise
and big companies market requiring volume license activation on a network. These
licensing allows the running of multiple virtual machines, includes such features as
BitLocker, DirectAccess and Branch Cache.
e. Windows 7 Ultimate. This edition contains the same features as Windows 7 Enterprise
but is available for individual license.
7. Windows 8 - The operating system was released to manufacturing on 1 August 2012, and was
released for general availability on 26 October 2012.
8. Windows 10 - this operating system entered a public beta testing process in October 2014,
leading up to and continuing through the consumer release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015,
and its release to volume licensing on August 1, 2015. To encourage its adoption, Microsoft
announced that during its first year of availability, Windows 10 would be made available free of
charge to users of genuine copies of eligible editions of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

System Requirements of an Operating System

Every operating system whether Windows and others need some basic hardware parts that form
the computer system to have essential functionality. These are usually indicated by the manufacturers
of the operating system as a result of their tests.

Minimum system requirements are the least hardware components inside the computer system that
would be needed to allow basic functionality of the operating system. The recommended components
would give a descent speed for the operating system to function. In most situations, however, it is
always good to have higher system requirements than recommended for the optimum speed and
performance of the operating system and the programs that would be installed and run later on.

System requirements for Windows XP Home and Professional editions are as follows:

WINDOWS XP SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Architecture Minimum Recommendation
Processor 233 Mhz 300 Mhz or higher
Memory Card 64 MB 128 MB or higher
Video Adapter and Monitor Super VGA (800x 600) or higher resolution
Hard Disk Drive free space 1.5 GB or higher (additional 1.8 GB in Service Pack 2
And additional 900 MB in Service Pack 3
Drives CD-ROM drive or DVD drive

WINDOWS 7 SYSTEM MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Architecture 32 bit 64 bit
Processor 1 GHz 32-bit 1 GHz 64 bit
Memory Card 1 GB MB 2 GB RAM
Graphics Card DirectX 9.0 capable
Hard Disk Drive free space 20 GB
Optical Drives CD-ROM drive or DVD drive
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What are the devices of a computer?

The physical, touchable, electronic and mechanical parts of a computer are called the hardware
which is composed of different devices attached to the computer.

The following list represents a basic set of devices found in most Personal Computers.

1. System Unit- The main part of a microcomputer, sometimes called the chassis. It includes the
following parts: Motherboard, Microprocessor, Memory Chips, Buses, Ports, Expansion Slots
and Cards.

2. Motherboard / Mainboard / System Board- The main circuit board of a computer. It

contains all the circuits and components that run the computer.
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3. CPU (Central Processing Unit) - The processor is the main “brain” or “heart” of a computer
system. It performs all of the instructions and calculations that are needed and manages the
flow of information through a computer.

4. Primary storage- (internal storage, main memory or memory) is the computer's working storage
space that holds data, instructions for processing and processed data (information) waiting to
be sent to secondary storage. Physically, primary storage is a collection of RAM chips.

Two (2) Types of Memory

a. ROM – (Read Only Memory) ROM is non-volatile, meaning it holds data even when the
power is ON or OFF.
b. RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is volatile, meaning it holds data only when the
power is on. When the power is off, RAM's data will lost.

5. Expansion Bus - A bus is a data pathway between several hardware components inside or
outside a computer. It does not only connect the parts of the CPU to each other, but also links
the CPU with other important hardware.
 Computer Instructor: HELNER D. TAGHAP

6. Adapters- Printed-circuit boards (also called interface cards) that enable the computer to use a
peripheral device for which it does not have the necessary connections or circuit boards. They
are often used to permit upgrading to a new different hardware.
NETWORK ADAPTER

7. Power Supply Unit (PSU) - Installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to the motherboard.
It converts 120vac (standard house power) into DC voltages that are used by other components
in the PC.

8. Hard Disk Drive (HDD) - Also known as hard drive, is a magnetic storage device that is installed
inside the computer. The hard drive is used as permanent storage for data. In a Windows
computer, the hard drive is usually configured as the C: drive and contains the operating system
and applications.
 Computer Instructor: HELNER D. TAGHAP
9. Optical Drive- An optical drive is a storage device that uses lasers to read data on the optical
media. There are three types of optical drives: Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
and Blu-ray Disc (BD).

10. Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) - Designed to optically access data stored on a DVD. A laser
moves back and forth near the disk surface and accesses data at a very fast rate.

What are the input and output devices of a computer?

The devices attached to a personal computer can be classified into two- the input and output
devices. Input Device is composed of a device that accepts data and instructions from the user or from
another computer system. While, output device is any piece of computer hardware that displays
results after the computer has processed the input data that has been entered.

Two (2) Types of Input Devices

1. Keyboard Entry – Data is inputted to the computer through a keyboard.

Keyboard - The first input device developed for the PC. Data is transferred to the PC
over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-din connector that plugs into the back of the
motherboard.

2. Direct Entry – A form of input that does not require data to be keyed by someone sitting at a
keyboard. Direct-entry devices create machine readable data on paper, or magnetic media,
or feed it directly into the computer’s CPU.

Three (3) Categories of Direct Entry Devices

1. Pointing Devices - An input device used to move the pointer (cursor) on screen.
• Mouse - The most common 'pointing device' used in PCs. Every mouse has two
buttons and most have one or two scroll wheels.
 Computer Instructor: HELNER D. TAGHAP

• Touch screen- A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus.
Used in myriad applications, including ATM machines, retail point-of-sale terminals,
car navigation and industrial controls. The touch screen became wildly popular for
smart phones and tablets.

• Light Pen - A light-sensitive stylus wired to a video terminal used to draw pictures or
select menu options. The user brings the pen to the desired point on screen and
presses the pen button to make contact.

• Digitizer Tablet - A graphics drawing tablet used for sketching new images or tracing
old ones. Also called a "graphics tablet," the user contacts the surface of the device
with a wired or wireless pen or puck. Often mistakenly called a mouse, the puck is
officially the “tablet cursor”.

2. Scanning Devices- A device that can read text or illustrations printed on paper and
translates the information into a form the computer can use.

Image Scanner Bar Code Reader Swipe Card Reader

 Computer Instructor: HELNER D. TAGHAP

3. Voice- Input Devices - Audio input devices also known as speech or voice recognition
systems that allow a user to send audio signals to a computer for processing, recording, or
carrying out commands. Audio input devices such as microphones allow users to speak to
the computer in order to record a voice message or navigate software.

Microphone
Output Devices

1. Computer Display Monitor- It displays information in visual form, using text and graphics.
The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called the screen or video display
terminal.
Types of Monitor

a. CRT Monitors - Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) were the only type of displays for use
with desktop PCs. They are relatively big (14" to 16" deep) and heavy (over 15
lbs).

b. LCD Monitors – Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology has been used in laptops
for some time. It has recently been made commercially available as monitors for
desktop PCs.

c. LED Monitors (Light Emitting Diode) - A display and lighting technology used in
almost every electrical and electronic product on the market, from a tiny on/off light
to digital readouts, flashlights, traffic lights and perimeter lighting.
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2. LCD Projectors- utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution
between them. An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to
align so that light cannot pass through them. Each crystal, therefore, is like a shutter,
either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light.

3. Smart Board - A type of display screen that has a touch sensitive transparent panel
covering the screen, which is similar to a touch screen.

LCD Projectors Smart Board

4. Printer - A device that prints text or illustrations on paper.

Types of printer

a) Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer - spays ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers produce high-
quality text and graphics.

b) Laser Printer - Uses the same technology as copy machines. Laser printers produce very
high quality text and graphics.

c) LCD and LED Printer- Similar to a laser printer, but uses liquid crystals or light-emitting
diodes rather than a laser to produce an image on the drum.

d) Line Printer - Contains a chain of characters or pins that print an entire line at one time. Line
printers are very fast, but produce low-quality print.
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e) Thermal Printer- An inexpensive printer that works by pushing heated pins against heat-
sensitive paper. Thermal printers are widely used in calculators and fax machines.

f) Dot matrix Printer: A type of impact printer that produces characters and illustrations by
striking pins against an ink ribbon to print closely spaced dots in the appropriate shape. Dot-
matrix printers are relatively expensive and do not produce high-quality output. However,
they can print to multi-page forms (that is, carbon copies), something laser and ink-jet printers
cannot do.

g) Plotter Printer - A large device use to print large posters and documents.

h) 3D Printer - Prints 3D objects

Dot Matrix Printer Plotter Printer 3D Printer

5. Speakers - Used to play sound. They may be built into the system unit or connected with
cables. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your computer.

What is a Storage Media?

Aside from the devices attached on a PC, there are also the so called storage media that perform a
special task in computing system. Storage device is any apparatus for recording computer data in a
permanent or semi-permanent form.

Types of storage media

Floppy diskette- is a random access, removable data storage medium that can be used with personal
computers. The term usually refers to the magnetic medium housed in a rigid plastic cartridge
measuring 3.5 inches square and about 2millimeters thick. Also called a "3.5-inch diskette," it can store
up to 1.44 megabytes (MB) of data.
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Compact disc (CD) – also called optical disc is a nonmagnetic, polished metal disk used to
store digital information. The disc is read by the CD- ROM.

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)- an optical disc technology with a 4.7 gigabyte storage
capacity on a single-sided, one-layered disk, which is enough for a 133-minute movie.

USB flash disk- is a plug-and-play portable storage device that uses flash memory and
is lightweight enough to attach to a key chain. A USB drive can be used in place of a
floppy disk, Zip drive disk, or CD.

External hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer
through a USB or FireWire connection, or wirelessly. External hard drives typically have
high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers or serve as a network
drive.

LS-120- is a drive which supports a special floppy diskette which can store up to 120MB
of information as well as being backwards compatible and still supporting the standard
1.44MB floppy diskettes.

Zip disk-is a small, portable disk drive used primarily for backing up and archiving
personal computer files.