Basic Concepts of Computer :: 1

BASIC CONCEPTS OF COMPUTER

1.1 INTRODUCTION
A computer is a programmable machine designed to perform
arithmetic and logical operations automatically and
sequentially on the input given by the user and gives the
desired output after processing. Computer components are
divided into two major categories namely hardware and
software. Hardware is the machine itself and its connected
devices such as monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. Software are
the set of programs that make use of hardware for performing
various functions.

1.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this lesson you would be able to:
 familiarise yourself with characteristics of computers
 identify the basic components of a computer
 explain the importance of various units of a computer
 differentiate between system software and application
software
 explain the importance of operating system
 get acquainted with open source
 appreciate the need of computer security

1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTERS

The characteristics of computers that have made them so
powerful and universally useful are speed, accuracy,
diligence, versatility and storage capacity. Let us discuss them
briefly.
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Speed

Computers work at an incredible speed. A powerful computer

is capable of performing about 3-4 million simple instructions
per second.
Accuracy

In addition to being fast, computers are also accurate. Errors

that may occur can almost always be attributed to human
error (inaccurate data, poorly designed system or faulty
instructions/programs written by the programmer)

Diligence
Unlike human beings, computers are highly consistent. They
do not suffer from human traits of boredom and tiredness
resulting in lack of concentration. Computers, therefore, are
better than human beings in performing voluminous and
repetitive jobs.

Versatility

Computers are versatile machines and are capable of

performing any task as long as it can be broken down into a
series of logical steps. The presence of computers can be
seen in almost every sphere – Railway/Air reservation, Banks,
Hotels, Weather forecasting and many more.
Storage Capacity

Today’s computers can store large volumes of data. A piece

of information once recorded (or stored) in the computer,
can never be forgotten and can be retrieved almost
instantaneously.

1.4 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION

Fig.1.1: Computer System

 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 3

A computer system (fig.1.1) consists of mainly four basic

units; namely input unit, storage unit, central processing
unit and output unit. Central Processing unit further includes
Arithmetic logic unit and control unit, as shown in
Figure 1.2.

A computer performs five major operations or functions

irrespective of its size and make. These are

 it accepts data or instructions as input,

 it stores data and instruction
 it processes data as per the instructions,
 it controls all operations inside a computer, and
 it gives results in the form of output.

1.4.1 Functional Units:

a. Input Unit: This unit is used for entering data and
programs into the computer system by the user for
processing.
––––

Dotted lines (– – – –) indicate

flow of instruction solid lines
(–––––) indicate flow of data
Fig. 1.2: Basic computer Organization

b. Storage Unit: The storage unit is used for storing data

and instructions before and after processing.
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c. Output Unit: The output unit is used for storing the

result as output produced by the computer after
processing.

d. Processing: The task of performing operations like

arithmetic and logical operations is called processing.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) takes data and
instructions from the storage unit and makes all sorts of
calculations based on the instructions given and the type
of data provided. It is then sent back to the storage unit.
CPU includes Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and control unit
(CU)

 Arithmetic Logic Unit: All calculations and

comparisons, based on the instructions provided, are
carried out within the ALU. It performs arithmetic
functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division and also logical operations like greater than,
less than and equal to etc.

 Control Unit: Controlling of all operations like input,

processing and output are performed by control unit.
It takes care of step by step processing of all operations
inside the computer.

1.4.2 Memory
Computer’s memory can be classified into two types; primary
memory and secondary memory

a. Primary Memory can be further classified as RAM and

ROM.

 RAM or Random Access Memory is the unit in a

computer system. It is the place in a computer where
the operating system, application programs and the
data in current use are kept temporarily so that they
can be accessed by the computer’s processor. It is
said to be ‘volatile’ since its contents are accessible
only as long as the computer is on. The contents of
RAM are no more available once the computer is
turned off.
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ROM or Read Only Memory is a special type of memory

which can only be read and contents of which are not
lost even when the computer is switched off. It typically
contains manufacturer’s instructions. Among other
things, ROM also stores an initial program called the
‘bootstrap loader’ whose function is to start the
operation of computer system once the power is turned
on.

b. Secondary Memory

RAM is volatile memory having a limited storage capacity.

Secondary/auxiliary memory is storage other than the
RAM. These include devices that are peripheral and are
connected and controlled by the computer to enable
permanent storage of programs and data.
Secondary storage devices are of two types; magnetic and
optical. Magnetic devices include hard disks and optical
storage devices are CDs, DVDs, Pen drive, Zip drive etc.

 Hard Disk

Fig. 1.3: Hard Disk

Hard disks are made up of rigid material and are usually

a stack of metal disks sealed in a box. The hard disk and
the hard disk drive exist together as a unit and is a
permanent part of the computer where data and programs
are saved. These disks have storage capacities ranging
from 1GB to 80 GB and more. Hard disks are rewritable.
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 Compact Disk

Compact Disk (CD) is portable disk having data storage

capacity between 650-700 MB. It can hold large amount
of information such as music, full-motion videos, and
text etc. CDs can be either read only or read write type.

 Digital Video Disk

Digital Video Disk (DVD) is similar to a CD but has larger

storage capacity and enormous clarity. Depending upon
the disk type it can store several Gigabytes of data. DVDs
are primarily used to store music or movies and can be
played back on your television or the computer too. These
are not rewritable.

1.4.3 Input / Output Devices:

These devices are used to enter information and instructions
into a computer for storage or processing and to deliver the
processed data to a user. Input/Output devices are required
for users to communicate with the computer. In simple terms,
input devices bring information INTO the computer and
output devices bring information OUT of a computer system.
These input/output devices are also known as peripherals
since they surround the CPU and memory of a computer
system.

a) Input Devices

An input device is any device that provides input to a

computer. There are many input devices, but the two
most common ones are a keyboard and mouse. Every
key you press on the keyboard and every movement or
click you make with the mouse sends a specific input
signal to the computer.

 Keyboard: The keyboard is very much like a standard

typewriter keyboard with a few additional keys. The basic
QWERTY layout of characters is maintained to make it
easy to use the system. The additional keys are included
to perform certain special functions. These are known
as function keys that vary in number from keyboard to
keyboard. (see fig. 1.4)
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Alphanumeric Keypad/
Special-function Keys Function Keys
Cursor Movement
Keys

Numeric Keypad

Fig. 1.4: Keyboard

 Mouse: A device that controls the movement of the cursor

or pointer on a display screen. A mouse is a small object
you can roll along a hard and flat surface (Fig. 1.5). Its
name is derived from its shape, which looks a bit like a
mouse. As you move the mouse, the pointer on the display
screen moves in the same direction.

Fig. 1.5: Mouse

 Trackball: A trackball is an input device used to enter

motion data into computers or other electronic devices.
It serves the same purpose as a mouse, but is designed
with a moveable ball on the top, which can be rolled in
any direction.
 Touchpad: A touch pad is a device for pointing (controlling
input positioning) on a computer display screen. It is an
alternative to the mouse. Originally incorporated in laptop
computers, touch pads are also being made for use with
desktop computers. A touch pad works by sensing the
user’s finger movement and downward pressure.
 Touch Screen: It allows the user to operate/make
selections by simply touching the display screen. A display
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screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or stylus.

Widely used on ATM machines, retail point-of-sale
terminals, car navigation systems, medical monitors and
industrial control panels.
 Light Pen: Light pen is an input device that utilizes a
light-sensitive detector to select objects on a display
screen. (Fig. 1.6)

Fig. 1.6 Light Pen

 Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR): MICR can

identify character printed with a special ink that contains
particles of magnetic material. This device particularly
finds applications in banking industry.

 Optical mark recognition (OMR): Optical mark

recognition, also called mark sense reader is a technology
where an OMR device senses the presence or absence of
a mark, such as pencil mark. OMR is widely used in
tests such as aptitude test.
 Bar code reader: Bar-code readers are photoelectric
scanners that read the bar codes or vertical zebra strips
marks, printed on product containers. These devices are
generally used in super markets, bookshops etc.

 Scanner: Scanner is an input device that can read text

or illustration printed on paper and translates the
information into a form that the computer can use. A
scanner works by digitizing an image. (Fig. 1.7)
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Fig. 1.7 Scanner

b. Output Devices:
Output device receives information from the CPU and
presents it to the user in the desired from. The processed
data, stored in the memory of the computer is sent to the
output unit, which then converts it into a form that can
be understood by the user. The output is usually
produced in one of the two ways – on the display device,
or on paper (hard copy).

 Monitor: is often used synonymously with “computer

screen” or “display.” Monitor is an output device that
resembles the television screen (fig. 1.8). It may use a
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) to display information. The
monitor is associated with a keyboard for manual input
of characters and displays the information as it is keyed
in. It also displays the program or application output.
Like the television, monitors are also available in different
sizes.

Fig. 1.8: Monitor

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 Printer: Printers are used to produce paper (commonly

known as hardcopy) output. Based on the technology
used, they can be classified as Impact or Non-impact
printers.

Impact printers use the typewriting printing mechanism

wherein a hammer strikes the paper through a ribbon in
order to produce output. Dot-matrix and Character
printers fall under this category.
Non-impact printers do not touch the paper while
printing. They use chemical, heat or electrical signals to
etch the symbols on paper. Inkjet, Deskjet, Laser, Thermal
printers fall under this category of printers.

 Plotter: Plotters are used to print graphical output on

paper. It interprets computer commands and makes line
drawings on paper using multicoloured automated pens.
It is capable of producing graphs, drawings, charts, maps
etc. (Fig. 1.9)

Fig. 1.9 Plotter

 Facsimile (FAX): Facsimile machine, a device that can

send or receive pictures and text over a telephone line.
Fax machines work by digitizing an image.

 Sound cards and Speaker(s): An expansion board that

enables a computer to manipulate and output sounds.
Sound cards are necessary for nearly all CD-ROMs and
have become commonplace on modern personal
computers. Sound cards enable the computer to output
sound through speakers connected to the board, to record
sound input from a microphone connected to the
computer, and manipulate sound stored on a disk.
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Windows (See Fig. 1.13). Desktop icons provide access to

commonly used programs, folders and files.

Fig. 1.13

Overview of the options available in the start menu.

Task Description
All Programs Displays a list of installed program,
which a user can start or use
My Documents Displays a list of documents used by
the current user
My Recent Documents Displays a list of recently used
documents by the current user
My Picture Displays a list of pictures/photos used
by the current user
My Music Displays a list of music/songs used by
the current user
Control Panel Displays a list of utilities to configure
the computer system and install
software and hardware
Printers and Faxes Displays a list of currently installed
printers and faxes in the current
computer system
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 17

Help and Support Start the XP help and support program

to find how to do a task in windows
Search Helps the user to find any file or folder
from a list of document used by the
current user.
Run Starts an application program or
executes a DOS command
Log Off Log off the currently logged in user of
the system
Turn Off Computer Close currently opened program, log
off the current user and switch off the
computer system.

Task Bar
When you start the computer system, then start button and
task bar appears on the bottom of the screen and by default
remains visible when Windows is running (See Fig. 1.14).
Whenever a program is run or a window is opened, an icon
representing the program appears on the taskbar. To switch
between windows or program, click on the icon representing
the window on the task bar. When the program or window
is closed, the icon disappears from the task bar.

Task bar System Tray

Fig. 1.14

The system tray is part of the task bar and displays the
current time as well as the status icons.

1.8.1 Start a Program

To start a program, do the following;
1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Click on the All Programs, you will see a list of all
the program icons and program folders.
3. Point to the desired folder say Accessories and select
the desired program to run such as Paint.
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1.8.2 Quit a Program

To quit a program, select the close button (×) in the upper-
right corner of the window OR
Click on File menu and select Close option.

1.8.3 Getting Help

Online help and support provided is of great help in using
and learning windows. One can get help on a specific topic
or on current task which is being executed. To start help
 click on the Start button
 click on Help and support option
A list of help and support topics and online tutorial is
displayed on the screen (see Fig. 1.15). One can use the tabs
in the screen to search for the desired information in several
ways.

Fig. 1.15

 Click on a topic or task to know more about how to get

the job done or type in a search word to locate the help
on a specific topic.
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 19

 Click on the Index tab to locate specific topic listed

alphabetically and the follow the instructions displayed
on the screen.
 Click on Favourites tab to add Help Topics, search
results to your Favourites list to make them easy to
locate in the future
 Click on History to pick from a list of Help and Support
pages that you have read in the past.
 Click on Support to get various kind of online support
such as Microsoft online support, News Group on
Windows.
 Click on Option to configure the help and support
center as per your requirement.
To close Help and Support windows, select the close button
(×) in the upper-right corner of the window.

1.8.4 Searching Files and Folders

If you don’t know where a document or folder is located,
you can use the Search option to locate it in the local storage
such as Hard Disk, CD or in the network drive (if the system
is part of a network). The Indexing Service provided by the
Search maintains an index of all the files on your computer,
making searches faster.
To search for a file or folder
1. Click Start, and click on Search.
2. Select All files and folders from the left hand side
of the windows (see Fig. 1.16).
3. Type the name of the file or folder in part or full, or
type a word or phrase that exists in the file to be
searched.
4. If you do not know either piece of information select
one or more of the remaining options:
 In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network
you want to search.
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Fig. 1.16

 Click on When was it modified? to look for files

that were created or modified on or between
specific dates.
 To look for files of a specific size, click on What
size is it? Select a size.
 Click on More advanced options to specify
additional search criteria.
5. Once you finish specifying the search criteria, click on
Search to locate the file.
Similarly you can search for specific information on
Internet, or people in your address book, search for
a printer or a computer on your network.

1.8.5 Changing System settings

By using Control Panel’s tools you can customize the way
Windows look and work! Also you can install new hardware,
add and remove (install/uninstall) software programs, change
the look and feel of your desktop and much more. It also
includes a number of administrative tools in Administrative
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 21

Tools option for better administration of Windows in terms

of User Management, Event viewer, Component Service etc.
To start Control Panel and use the available tool, do the
following;
 Click on Start
 Click on Control Panel
 Select the desired tool to use
For example to create a new or modify the settings for an
existing user click on ‘User Account’ icon in the control
panel.
1.8.6 Using 'My Computer'for browsing your disk
drives
Your disk drives hold all the information on your computer:
all the files, folders, programs as well as the documents.
My Computer displays the contents of floppy, hard disk,
CD-ROM, and network drives. One can also search for and
open files and folders, and use options in Control Panel to
modify computer’s settings.
 To use My Computer, click on Start, and then click
on My Computer or double click the My computer
icon on the desktop. My computer windows opens
to show all the drives present on your computer. (see
Fig. 1.17).

Fig. 1.17
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When files or folders are deleted from hard disk, Windows

places them in the Recycle Bin, from where they can be
retrieved, until the Recycle Bin is made empty. Files or folders
deleted from a removable storage media such as network drive
are permanently deleted and are not sent to the Recycle Bin.

1.9.1 Using Windows Explorer

Windows offer another utility "Windows Explorer" which helps
you in working with files and folders on your computer.
To open Windows Explorer,
 Click on Start,
 Point to All Programs,
 Point to Accessories, and then click on Windows
Explorer (see Fig. 1.19)

Fig. 1.19

The left pane of the Explorer window shows a hierarchy of all

the drives, folders and desktop items on your computer. A
drive or folder that contains other folders has a plus sign to
the left of the icon. Click the plus sign to expand it and see
the folders inside. (see Fig. 1.20)
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1.9.2 Opening drives and folders

Two drives nearly all computers have are a floppy drive (drive
A:) and a hard drive (drive C:). If you have more than one drive,
then they are named D:, E: and so on. If you have a CD drive
or a DVD drive, it also is named with a letter. Opening a hard
drive is easy. Just double click the icon representing the drive
you want to open. Files and folders contained in the drive are
now shown in the opened window. Now for opening a folder,
double click its icon.

Fig. 1.20

1.9.3 Copying or Moving a file or Folder using

My Document
 Click on Start, and then click on My Documents.
 Click the file or folder to be copied. More than one file
or folder can be copied at a time.
 To select more than one consecutive files or folders,
click the first file or folder, press and hold down SHIFT
key, and then click the last files or folders.
 To select non-consecutive files or folders, press and
hold down CTRL key, and then click each of the files
or folders to be copied.
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 Under Edit menu, select Copy.

 Select the target drive or folder to which you want to
copy the files
 Under Edit menu, select Paste to copy the desired file
or folder to the target drive.

1.9.4 View file details

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents.
2. Double-click the folder that contains the files to be
viewed.
3. On the View menu, click Details (see Fig. 1.21).
4. It will display all the details about the files such as
Name, Type, size etc.

Fig. 1.21

1.9.5 Copying and moving files using Explorer

 Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories,
and then click Windows Explorer.
 Make sure the destination for the file or folder you want
to move is visible (see Fig. 1.22).
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Fig. 1.22

 Drag the file or folder from the right pane and drop it
on to the destination folder in the left pane to move the
file or folder there.
 If you drag an item while pressing the right mouse
button, you can move, copy, or create a shortcut to the
file in its new location.
 To copy the item instead of moving it, press and hold
down CTRL while dragging.
 If you drag an item to another disk, it is copied, not
moved. To move the item, press and hold down SHIFT
while dragging.
 Dragging a program to a new location creates a shortcut
to that program. To move a program, right-click and
then drag the program to the new location.

1.9.6 Create a new folder

Folders help you to organize your files. You can create a folder
either by using My Computer window or through Windows
Explorer. You can create a Folder in any existing disk drive
or folder or on the windows desktop. The steps for creating
a folder are:
 Basic Concepts of Computer :: 27

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents

2. Under File menu click New and select Folder. (see Fig.
1.23)
3. A new folder is displayed with the default name, New
Folder.
4. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
5. A new folder can also be created directly on the desktop
by right-clicking a blank area on the desktop, pointing
to New, and then clicking Folder.

1.9.7 Rename a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Click on the file or folder you want to rename.
3. Under File menu click on Rename (see Fig. 1.23).
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER key.
5. Alternately file or folder can also be renamed by right-
clicking it and then clicking on Rename.

1.9.8 Delete a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Click on the file or folder you want to delete.
3. Under File menu click on Delete (see Fig. 1.23).
4. Files or folders can also be deleted by right-clicking the
file or folder and then clicking Delete.
5. Deleted files or folders are stored in the Recycle Bin,
till they are permanently removed from the Recycle Bin.
6. To retrieve a deleted file, double-click the Recycle Bin
icon on the desktop. Right-click on the file to be
retrieved, and then click Restore.
7. To permanently delete a file, press and hold down SHIFT
key and drag it to the Recycle Bin.