Introduction to Computer Systems

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A computer system consists of hardware and software. Hardware is the slang word for the physical components?keyboards, mice, circuit boards, monitors and cables. Hardware needs some maintenance, such as appropriate, safe cleaning, and must be protected from dust and heat. Dust buildup can even cause overheating. Some maintenance, especially moving computers, is best done while the equipment is off. Keep track of your hardware instruction manuals. Use a notebook to keep track of your equipment?serial numbers, dates of purchase, and problem logs. Don?t mix in your personal, social information with this technical tool. Be careful with the routing and attachment of cables. Bringing food, drink, and magnets around computers invites trouble. Software is the instructions that tell the computer what to do. The Operating System is needed to make the computer start and run. Windows is the Operating System (software) that runs most PCs. The Operating System (OS) is sometimes called Systems software for short. The Operating System provides the needed layer of interface between the computer hardware and the application software. A portion of the OS is called utility programs because they handle useful, specialized tasks such as formatting and copying disks. Virus checks should be periodically performed on your software. Backups are a good way to avoid lost data when bad things happen. Application software refers to the specific programs that you use to accomplish tasks, such as Microsoft Office or games like Freecell or Snood. Educational applications include Accelerated Math, Accelerated Reader, and on-line encyclopedias. Word-processing is an application for typing documents, such as letters or school reports. It offers many advantages... ... middle of paper ... ...em, you output data into storage and later use the stored data as input. Disk drives?hard, floppy, CD, and DVD?are the most common storage devices. They allow ?random? (direct) access to the data wanted. They are far superior to early sequential tape-drive storage. The storage method of both floppy disks (diskettes) and hard drives is magnetic. Magnets place and retrieve the data on the disks. Magnets also can erase data. Hard drives provide faster access to data than floppies, CDs and, of course, tape. Laser beams record and read both Compact Disks (CDs) and DVDs. The early computer CDs were CD-ROMs. They were read-only (couldn't be modified), having been imprinted by the manufacturer. Now you can buy CDs to burn at home, and CD-RW can be reused. The RW stands for rewritable. Flash memory is the new standard for quick portable storage and requires no moving parts.

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