Computer Basics 1 COMPUTER BASICS The Information Processing

Computer Basics 1 COMPUTER BASICS

The Information Processing Cycle MAIN MEMORY INPUT PROCESSING AUXILIARY STORAGE OUTPUT

INPUT DEVICES (Hardware) Keyboard Mouse Microphone Scanner Touch screens Bar code scanner Voice recognition

OUTPUT DEVICES (HARDWARE) Useful information that leaves the system Output Hardware includes: • Monitor: soft copy • Printers: hard copy • Projector • Voice and music - speakers OUTPUT

MEMORY PROCESSING HARDWARE ROM RAM READ ONLY MEMORY RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY Small Main Memory Instructions are installed Temporary—it is erased permanently at the factory Cannot be changed These instructions check the computer’s resources and looks for Operating System when turned off. It is where programs and data is stored while being processed

PROCESSING HARDWARE Central Processing Unit: CPU The Brains or Intelligence of the computer. Controls input and output interprets instructions executes instructions. Silicon chip: integrated circuit board Pentium: name give to a particular chip Hertz: the speed of the CPU Gigahertz: executes a billion instructions per second Megahertz: executes a million instructions per second

Processors Come in Many Sizes Mainframe: Mainframe large, powerful, serving many connected terminals. Super Computers Minicomputer: Minicomputer mid-sized, serves more than one user at a time Microcomputer: PC, individual workstation Laptop: portable, small Handheld: Handheld Palm Pilots

What is Data? Facts used by a computer Words Numbers

What two numbers are used in Binary Code? 0 and 1 They are each called a BIT 8 BITS make a BYTE 1 BYTE makes a letter or number KILOBYTE = 1, 024 bytes MEGABYTE = 1, 048, 576 bytes GIGABYTE = 1, 024 megabytes TERABYTE = 1, 024 gigabytes

AUXILIARY STORAGE DEVICES Network Drive (H: drive) Hard Disk Drive (C: drive) Floppy Disk Drive with 3 ½” Floppy Disk (A: drive) Jump Drive/Thumb Drive I-Pod CD Read/Write Drive DVD Zip Drive AUXILIARY STORAGE

SOFTWARE Programs that Make the Computer Work Operating System Software Vista Windows XP: GUI (Graphical User Interface) Unix Linux Application Software Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, Front Page, Publisher Word. Perfect Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver

What is the Boot Process? The process of starting up a computer from a halted or powered-down condition. Commands in ROM memory are followed The process of loading the Operating System software into Main Memory Windows 98 Windows XP Unix