ANSWER SHEET FOR 2017 ICT PAPER.

INTRODUCTION TO MICRO-COMPUTERS.

What is booting?

 Booting refers to the starting up of a computer. It is the entire process that makes the computer
ready to use.

Explain what happens in the computer during the booting process.

 When the power is switched on, internally, it first checks whether all the components are in
good working condition,i.e.the RAM,CMOS(Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)for
checking date and time, BIOS(Basic Input/output System) if no problem found it then loads the
operating system.

Types of booting

Cold booting:

 It happens when a computer which was originally off is switched on by pressing the power
button on the systems unit
 The Computer starts by checking all its components to determine whether they are functioning
properly

Warm Booting

 This happens when a computer that was originally on is forced to restart by pressing the restart
button on the system unit by pressing a combination of keys on the keyboard ( CTRL + ALT +
DEL)

What type of memory is used to store the boot up program (the first program to be executed on
switching on a computer?

 Read – only Memory (ROM)

Impact of computers in the society.

 Job displacement and replacement

 Computer crimes, e.g. piracy, fraud, hacking
 Health effects, e.g. repetitive strain injury, eye problems
 Cultural effects and immorality (DVD’s, pornographic literature on the Internet

What is a Computer virus?

 This is a program intentionally written to destroy data, information or the working of other
programs inn a computer system. Examples hurri,NQH kiss you, Satan bug, worm and Trojan
horse
Sources of computer virus.

 Pirated software- involves illegal duplication of copyrighted software.

 Through data transmission media.
 Freeware/shareware-it causes computer hardware/software to get lost.
 Through the internet-computer virus is disguised into a computer game and affect the computer
once it’s played (run).
 Sabotage by employees- involves deliberate destruction of computer components.

Characteristics/symptoms of a computer virus.

 Programs taking too long to load.

 Unusual error messages appearing often
 Changing in the size of a file.
 Corrupted programs.

State ways through which computer viruses may be controlled.

 Running antivirus software programs regularly (e.g. Norton, AVG (grisoft-virus), Mc fee and
Kaspersky.)
 Controlling the movement of storage media (e.g. floppy disks, flash disk, etc.) in and out of the
computer room
 Disabling the floppy disk drives

Identify and explain areas where computers are used to process data.
Supermarkets

 For stock control i.e. records of what is in store, what has been sold, and what is out of stock
 For calculating customer’s change
 For production of receipts
 It can be used as a barcode reader

Banks

 Manage financial transactions through the use of special cash dispensing machines called ATMs
used for cash deposit & withdrawal services
 Processing of cheques
 For preparation of payrolls
 Better record keeping & processing of documents
 Provide electronic money transfer facilities

Homes

 Entertainment e.g. watching movies, playing music, playing computer games

 For storing personal information/ documents
  For calculating & keeping home budgets

Industries

 To monitor and control industries processes through the use of robots

 For management control, i.e. to keep track of elders, bills and transactions
 For advertisement purposes, which enable an industry to attack more customers

Police stations

 Matching, analyzing & keeping databases of fingerprints

 For taking photographs & other identification details
 For record keeping
 For face recognition, scene monitoring & analysis which help the police carry out criminal
investigations speedily

Transport industry

 Airports; to control the movement of aircrafts, their take off & landing using radar equipment
 For making reservations (booking purposes)
 Storing flight information
 Automobile traffic control; to monitor vehicle traffic in busy towns
 In Railways corporations; to coordinate the movement of goods & wagons
 In shipping control, for efficient management of fleets, cargo handling & communication

Offices

 For receiving & sending of information through e- mails, fax, etc.

 Production of documents
 Keeping of records

Computers have continued to decrease in size but the processing power has increased. True or false?
Elaborate.

 It is true just because the CPU of a microcomputer is called a microprocessor which is very small
compared to the CPU of the minicomputers, mainframe and supercomputers.
 They consume less power since a laptop can operate on rechargeable battries.

NB: The trend in microcomputer technology in relation to size are becoming small and portable.

Identify the factors used to classify computers.

 Physical size and processing power. Examples supercomputers, mainframe, minicomputers and
microcomputers.e.g.Desktop, Laptop and Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs)
 Functionality. Examples Digital, Analog and Hybrid computers.
 Purpose. Examples General purpose and Special purpose computers.

What is an operating system?

 Is the main program that controls the execution of user applications and enables the user to
access hardware and software resources of a computer
Parts of an operating system.

 Shell: is the outer part of an operating system used to interact with operating system.
 Kernel: is the core of the operating system regarded as the operating system. It is also
responsible for managing and controlling computer resources such as the processor, main
memory, storage devices, input and output and communication devices.

Functions of an operating system in resource management.

Processor scheduling (CPU)

 Refers to allocating each job waiting for execution processor time at each given interval.

Resource allocation

 Each resource in a computer is given a unique identification number called an interrupt

request (IRQ). The operating system uses the IRQ number to identify the resource being
executed.
 Poor resource allocation would result to an undesirable condition referred to as deadlock which
is a situation where a particular job holds a requested resource and fails to release it, yet it is
requesting for a resource held by the other job.

Memory management

 Data and instructions entered into the computer are temporarily held in the main memory
before and after processing. The operating system determines which task remains in the
memory awaiting for execution and which one will be kicked out back to secondary storage.

Input/output management

 The OS coordinates between these various I/O and other peripheral devices making sure that
data is transmitted securely.

Communication control and management

 The OS is responsible for managing various communication devices and provide an environment
within which communication protocol operates. A protocol is refers to the rules that governs
communication between devices on a network.

Error handling

 The OS has many ways of alerting the user of errors that may arise out of illegal operations,
hardware or software failure.
 The OS does this by monitoring the status of the computer system and performing audit checks
on users
 , hardware and software.

Interrupt handling

 An interrupt is a break from the normal sequential processing of instructions in a program.

Types of Operating System.

They can be classified according to:

1. Number of tasks:
 Single program OS this OS allows processing of one application program in the main
memory at a time.
 Multitasking OS. This type allows a single CPU to execute what appears to be more than
one application programs apparently at the same time.

2. Number of users.
 Single-user OS is designed for use by only one person.
 Multi-user OS allows more than one user to interactively use a computer.

3. User interface.
 The term User interface refers to the interaction between the user and a computer.
 Command-line based OS. Lets the user type a command at a command prompt.
 Menu driven interface. Provides the user with a list of options to choose from.
 The graphical user interface (GUI). Is the latest effort to make the user-interface
more user friendly.

Factors to consider when choosing an operating system.

 The hardware configuration of the computer such as the main memory capacity, processor
speed and hard disk capacity.
 The type of computer in terms of size and make.
 The application software intended for the computer
 User-friendliness of the operating system
 The documentation available.
 The cost of the operating system.
 Reliability and security provided by the operating system.
 The number of processors and hardware it can support.
 The number of users it can support.

How an operating system organizes information.

Rapid access: the organisation method should allow quick access.

Ease of update: the organisation method should allow ease of update and the OS must be able
to keep a record of the date of modification.

Economy of storage: the organisation method should use the least storage possible because
memory is a scarce resource.
 Simplicity of maintenance: the organisation method should enable quick navigation through the
file and make it easy for it to be maintained.

Reliability: the organisation method must be reliable.

Most OS organise information in a three-tier hierarchy:

i. Drives

The OS recognizes storage media or devices as drives. They are labeled such as letters A-Z

ii. Folders and subfolders

Is also known as a directory in some OS. Is a named storage location where related files can be stored.

iii. Files

A file is a collection of related data given a unique name for ease of access, manipulation and storage on
a backing storage.

Types of files

 System file contains information that is critical for the operation of the computer.
 Application file hold programs that are executable.
 Data file contains user specific data.

Advantages of a flash disk over a floppy disk.

 Smaller in size than a floppy hence easily portable.

 Has a high data storage capacity compared to a floppy disk.
 Flash disk are reliable than floppy disks.

What is a computer system?