CHAPTER 2

BASIC COMPUTER SYSTEM

What is a system?

Recall from your previous studies that

you know systems like Digestive system,
Circulatory system and so on. What
similarity can you understand from these
systems? For example digestive system is
composed of a group of components like
mouth, stomach, intestine, and so on. You
can also see that the output of one of the
components will become the input of the
other component.
So, System is the combination(collection)
of many components to achieve together a
specific goal.
Computer system
is also composed of physical components
(hardware) and non-physical component
(software) that work together in
coordination to achieve a common goal
(data processing).
So, What do you think the common goal
of computer system?
Components of Computer System

Computer system is a system that has two

fundamental components: Hardware component and
Software component.
Hardware is the physical component of the
computer system that we can see, touch and sense. It
includes devices the computer system use to interact
with the external world, to process the data it has
received, to store the data it has received and
processed.
Software, on the other hand, is the set of instructions
that tell the hardware how to perform a task. Without
software, the hardware is useless.
 Hardware Component
The main hardware components of a
computer system are:
1. Input devices
2. Mouse
3. Scanner
4. Joystick
5. Microphone
6. Touch screen
7. Touch screen
8. Track ball
9. Track ball and etc
 Keyboard
 A computer keyboard is a peripheral modeled after the
typewriter keyboard. Keyboards are designed for the input of
text and characters and also to control the operation of a
computer.
 The keys on the keyboard are grouped according to their
functions as follows:
Alphanumeric keys: The group of keys that comprises
the alphabets, punctuation marks, and digits.
Function keys: The group of keys found at the top of
keyboard labeled from F1 to F12.
-execute different commands based on the
applications that are running.
Numeric keypad: Found at the right most of the
keyboard, is the numeric keypad. These keys work with
the special key called NumLock – located at the left-top
corner of the numeric keypad
contnu’ed
 Cursor movement keys: The cursor movement keys, or arrow
keys, are used to move the cursor around the text on the screen.
These keys move the cursor left, right, up or down. The keys
labeled Page Up and Page Down move the cursor, the
equivalent of one page, up or down on the screen. Similarly, the
keys labeled Home and End move the cursor to the beginning
and end of the same line respectively.
 Editing keys: Editing keys are the keys which are used to make
our text stylish. They change what has been entered. Editing
keys include: Spacebar, Enter (Return), Delete, Backspace,
etc.
 Special keys: Special keys are keys that are used to execute
some commands. They also work in combination with other
keys to execute commands. These keys include: Shift, Alt, Ctrl
etc.
Mouse

A mouse is a device that is rolled about on a desktop

to direct a pointer on the computer’s display screen.
The pointer is a symbol, usually an arrow that is
used to select items from lists (menus) on the screen
or to position the cursor.
The cursor, also called an insertion point, is the
symbol on the screen that shows where data may be
entered next, such as text in a document.
Mouse consists of:
 Primary button (Left button)
 Secondary button (Right Button)
What types of operation can be done using
a mouse?
Answer
The following operations can be performed
using the mouse.
 Selection (Single click)
 Giving Commands (Double click)
 Dragging Objects (By pressing mouse button and
moving the mouse)
 Dropping Objects (By releasing mouse button)
Scanner

Scanners - which are often used in desktop

publishing - translate images of text,
drawings and photos into digital form.
The images can then be processed by a
computer, displayed on a monitor, inserted in
documents, stored on a storage device, or
transmitted to another computer.
Scanners are useful for data entry in that they
save time wasted for typing and also they
avoid errors that may occur during typing.
 What types of scanners are there?

I. BCR – Bar Code Reader

II. OCR – Optical Character Reader
III. MICR – Magnetic Ink Character
Recognition
Reading assignment from a given material.
Joystick
Joystick is a pointing device that consists of
a vertical handle mounted on a base
containing one or two buttons.
The vertical handle of the joystick can be
rotated around 360 degrees.
 As the handle is rotated the cursor also
moves on the screen.
 Joystick is often used for playing games.
Microphone
 The word "microphone" (Greek mikros
"small" and phone "voice" or "sound")
originally referred to a mechanical hearing aid
for small sounds.
 Therefore, microphones have a great role in
inputting sound or voice data into the
computer for processing.
Touch screen

Touch screens or touch panels or touch screen

panels are display overlays which have the
ability to display and receive information on the
same screen.
The effect of such overlays allows a display to be
used as an input device, removing the keyboard
and/or the mouse as the primary input device for
interacting with the display's content.
ATM- Automated Teller Machine is an example
of touch screen.
Is an ATM is an input/output device?
Touch pad
 In Touchpad the cursor is controlled with the fingers. About
the same size as a mouse, touchpad is a flat, rectangular
device. As fingers are moved over the surface of the touchpad
the cursor moves on the screen.
Track ball
 Track Ball is another pointing device and a variant of the
mouse. It contains a rotating ball on top of the stationery
device. On rotating the ball the cursor moves on the screen.
The track ball also contains two buttons and the operations are
as similar for the mouse. It requires less desk space when
compared to the mouse.
Light pen
 The Light Pen is a light sensitive stylus or pen like device,
connected by a wire to the computer. There is a button in the
Light Pen. When the user brings the pen to the desired
location in the screen and presses the button, the computer
identifies the command and executes accordingly.
Processing devices - CPU

The CPU is the brains of the computer.

Sometimes referred to simply as the
processor or central processor, the CPU is
where most calculations take place.
In terms of computing power, the CPU is
the most important element of a computer
system
CPU

How many components do a cpu have?

List them?
Components of CPU
CPU has three components, namely:
 The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs
arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division) and logical (comparison, negation,
conjunction, and disjunction) operations.
 The control unit (CU), which extracts
instructions from memory, decodes, executes, and
control them, calling on the ALU when necessary.
 The Memory unit or registers, which store
intermediate results of ALU. Registers are found
near the CPU.
 Storage devices

 The data and instructions that are entered into the

computer system through input units must be stored inside
the computer before the actual processing can start.
 Similarly, the results produced by the computer after
processing must also be kept somewhere inside the
computer system before those can be passed onto the
output units.
 Moreover, the intermediate results produced by the
computer must also be preserved for ongoing processing.
 In short, the specific functions of the storage unit are to
store the following:
i. All data and instructions to be processed
ii. Intermediate results of processing, and
iii. Final results before sending them to output devices
Storage devices can be categorized as:
1. Primary storage devices
2. Secondary or auxiliary storage devices
Primary storage
 Cache memory
 The cache memory (pronounced as “cash” memory) is
placed in between the CPU and the main memory or
sometimes on the CPU itself.
 It is much faster than the main memory.
 Hence access time is much less than that of the main is 15 to
25 nanoseconds whereas that of the main memory is 80
nanoseconds.
 The cache memory is not accessible to users.
 It stores instructions and data which are to be immediately
executed by the CPU.
 Thus the cache memory increases the operating speed of the
system.
 RAM (Random Access Memory)

 Generally, RAM in a computer is considered as main memory or

primary storage: the working area used for loading, displaying and
manipulating applications and data temporarily for the users. Random
access memory is also called user memory.
 This type of RAM is usually in the form of integrated circuits (ICs).
 These days, most personal computers have slots for adding and
replacing memory sticks.
 RAM is also volatile - losing the stored information in an event of
power loss, and quite expensive.

Typical RAM sticks

 ROM (Read-only Memory)
Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage
media used in computers and other electronic
devices.
 As the name refers, information can be only
read from the ROM.
The information is burnt into the ROM at the
manufacturing stage.
Programs stored in ROM can only be read, they
cannot be changed.
The ROM is nonvolatile memory; i.e. it retains
the stored information even if the power is
switched off.
 Secondary storage
 are not directly accessible to the central processing unit
of a computer, requiring the use of computer's
input/output channels.
 Secondary storage is used to store data that is not in
active use.
 Secondary storage is usually slower than primary
storage, or internal memory, but also almost always has
higher storage capacity and is non-volatile.
 You cannot store data in the main memory of a PC
permanently, because its contents are erased when the
computer is turned off. That is why, main memory stores
data and instructions only temporarily.
 They are storage media such as Floppy disk/flash disk,
compact disks (CDs) and hard disks
Magnetic disks

 Floppy Disk: Floppy disks are read and written by a

floppy disk drive.
 Floppy disk is cheap, and portable, but it has small
storage capacity (1.44 MB) and by now is replaced by
USB-flash disks with a storage capacity of 2 to 4 GB
and above.
 Hard disk: A hard disk drive (HDD is a digitally
encoded non-volatile storage device which stores data
on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces.
 Capacity of HD is measured in Giga Bytes (GB) and
they come in varies sizes: 4GB, 10GB, 40GB, 80GB
and above.
Optical disk

 Optical disks are a storage medium from which data is read and to which it is written
by lasers.
 Optical disk includes:
 Compact Disk (CD)
 A compact disk (CD) is an optical disk used to store digital data. It was originally
developed for storing digital audio.
 Types of CDs:
 CD-R: A CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) is a write once, read-only optical
magnetic media commonly known as optical disc.

 CD-RW (Compact Disc Rewritable): CD-RW is a rewritable optical disc format,

Known as CD-Erasable (CD-E).

 CD-ROM (Compact Disk – Read Only Memory): it is a version of the CD that

allows the information to be stored so that the user can only read from the disks.
 Once data is recorded on a CD-ROM, new data cannot be stored and the disk cannot be
erased. They can only be used with a computer equipment’s

 DVD (Digital Versatile Disc): DVD (sometimes called "Digital Versatile Disc” or
“Digital Video Disc” is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data
storage, including movies with high video and sound quality.
 A typical DVD can often hold more data than 6 CDs. DVDs can store an entire
Flash Memory
USB flash drives -thumb drives, handy
drives-, which are used for general storage
and transfer of data between computers.
Flash memory is highly portable and it
can store much data but it is expensive.
 Storage Capacity Measurement
 Bit (Binary Digit): A bit of storage is like a light switch; it can be
either on (1) or off (0).
 A single bit is a one or a zero, a true or a false, a "flag" which is
"on" or "off".
 The bit is the smallest unit of storage used in computing.
 Byte: A byte is a contiguous sequence of a fixed number of bits.
 In recent years, the use of a byte to mean 8 bits has become nearly
ubiquitous.
Byte = 8 bits = 1 character
KB (Kilo byte): A kilo byte is 2 10 bytes = 210 x 8 bits
MB (Mega byte): A mega byte is 220 bytes = 220 x 8 bits
GB (Giga byte): A gigabyte is 230 bytes = 230 x 8 bits
TB (Terabyte): A terabyte is 240 bytes =240 x 8 bits
 Example: If a storage device is 23 GB, find the memory capacity in
a) Byte
b) bit
Solution:
c) 1 GB = 230byte

23 GB = y
y = 23 GB x 230 byte/1 GB
y = 23x230 byte

b) 1GB = 8 x 230 bit

23 GB = y
y = 23 GB x 8 x 230 bit/1 GB
y = 23 x 8 x 230 bit
Output devices

Output devices are parts of the computer

that are designed to receive output from
the computer and provide it to the user.
Examples of output devices are monitors,
speakers, and printers.
Display devices – Monitor

A monitor is an output device similar to a television screen that

receives video signals from the computer and displays the
information for the user.
 It is the most commonly used output device for displaying text
and graphics from a computer.
 There are two main types of monitors:

1. CRT: Abbreviation of cathode-ray tube, the technology used

in most televisions and computer display screens.
 A CRT works by moving an electron beam back and forth
across the back of the screen and are most common on desktop
computers.
2. LCD: Short for liquid crystal display, a type of display used in
digital watches and many portable computers.
 They are flat screens and are commonly used on laptops and
some desktop systems.
Monitors differ in several ways. However, the major
differences are the resolution and the number of
colors it can produce at those resolutions.
Resolution refers to how clear the image is on the
monitor. It is a width X height measurement of
computer monitor display capabilities in pixels.
Pixels are individual dots that are used to display an
image on a computer monitor. The more pixels a
screen can show, the higher the quality
A monitor that displays information only in black
and white is called a monochrome monitor while
the one capable of displaying color is called a color
monitor.
 Printer

 Printer is a device that produces a paper copy, sometimes

called a hard copy of data stored in a computer.
 Broadly speaking, there are two types of printers:

1. Impact printers
2. Non-impact printers
 Impact printers:
 With this type of printer, a pin or a hammer strikes the
paper and the ribbon together to form a character, like
a typewriter.
 Impact printers are less expensive but they are noisy
and have low print quality. The best example of impact
printer is Dot-matrix.
Non- impact printers:
 This type of printer does not involve actually
striking the paper. Instead, it uses ink spray or
toner powder. It has low noise and can print
graphics. They are more expensive.
Examples of non-impact printers are:
 Ink jet printers: spray ink onto paper to form
characters and graphics. Most color printers are
ink jet printers
 Laser printers: works like a copy machine using
toner and a heat bar. It is faster and more
expensive that the other printers. Now most of the
office printers are laser jet printers
 Plotter
 A Plotter is also a printer that produces hard copy output.
 Plotters produce high quality color graphics output by
using pens for creating images.
 Plotters help to draw maps from stored data.
 Plotters are ideal for Engineering, Drafting and many
other applications that require graphics.
 Speaker
 Speaker is an output device that allows you to hear voice,
music, and other sounds from your computer.
 It is used in computer system to produce sound or voice
output.
 The sound is input from external world into computer
system via microphone and is output to external world
via speaker.
Software Component

 Computer software is a set of step-by-step instructions given to the

computer in the form of programs or procedures or routines in order to
accomplish any specified task or to process the raw data and convert it
into meaningful information.
 In short the software is the intelligence of the computer.
 Software is “Soft” because you can’t touch the instructions, in the way
that you touch the computer equipment – the “hard” ware.
 Software is the set of instructions that tells the computer

i. What to do
ii. How to do it
iii. When to do it
 If software is stored on non-volatile storage such as integrated circuits,
it is usually referred to as firmware/built-in.
System software
System software includes the computer’s
basic operating system.
The term also usually covers any software
used to manage the computer and the
network.
Thus we can say that systems software
includes operating systems, device
drivers, programming tools, utilities
and more.
 Operating system

 An operating system is the most important program that runs on a

computer. Every computer must have an operating system to run other
programs.
 An operating system (OS) is a computer program that manages the
hardware and software resources of a computer. At the foundation of all
system software, the OS performs basic tasks such as
 Controlling and allocating memory
 Prioritizing system requests
 Controlling input and output devices
 Facilitating networking, and
 Managing files.
 the operating system is considered as the boss of the whole system.
 The basic function of operating system :
 Input /output management
 Memory mgt
 File mgt
Device driver

Computers and their operating systems cannot

be expected to know how to control every
device, both now and in the future.
To solve this problem, operating systems
essentially dictate how every type of device
should be controlled.
In short, device driver is a type of system
software that introduces a new device to the
operating system and facilitates the
communication between the operating system
and the device.
Utility software

UtilityPrograms are generally used to

support, enhance or expand existing
programs in a computer system.
 Examples of utility programs are:
 Backup – to duplicate the data or information for safety.
 Data Recovery – to restore data that is physically damaged
or corrupted.
 Virus Protection – Antivirus software which will eliminate
viruses from affected files or protect files from being
infected from viruses.
 Data Compression – used to compress huge files and save
memory storage.
Application software

Unlike system software, application software

consists of programs that help the end-user to
perform specific, productive tasks, such as
word processing or image manipulation.
Basically, there are four categories of
application software.
 Productivity Software: The purpose of this software
is to make the users more productive at performing
general tasks. For example, word processing, spread
sheets, presentation, database managers, accounting
etc.
 Home / Personal software: The purpose of this
software is mainly for domestic and personal use. For
 Education / Reference software: The
purpose of this software is mainly to
learn any subject or to refer for additional
information. For example: Encyclopedia,
Dictionaries, Computer Based Tutorials
(CBT), etc.
 Entertainment software: The purpose of
this software is for entertainment and
time passing. For example games.
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR
ATTENTION!