and Smart Devices

T able 1.4 Comparing Computers

computer Smart device
Parameter Fit on palms (very small in 8 -
Can fit on a table/lap lZe corn
Size Can nm as long as the batt Para~"el
1

. uously when connected as

Power Can run con tm needs to be recharged frequ eryl has ch YJ ,
works with electricity . ent y iltg~. 1
be carried but are bulkier than Can easily to be carried from '1

Portability Laptops can - another as are light weight co~ne Place to 1

smart devices computer/laptops Pared to I

Can perform a variety of functions but t~ose Can perform a variety of f . \

Versatility
functions are mainly heavy of computing,
.
diverse c U s fro I
fi eId s e.g., can make a unction
. I vi.d eo, can track, a mobila ' can recordtn
au d10
e.g., can run various types of applications
track live locations and many meorernovern.e1u,

Computer/laptops have main input devices The smart devices mainly get touch
1/0 Devices input based
are keyboard and mouse
Computers /laptops have enormous storage Smart devices have limited storage co
Storage tively rnparq.
and store bulk of data
Connectivity Computers/laptops can connect to internet Smart devices have inbuilt modem/rout
using internal/external modem/routers easily connectivity. ers for

Now that you have an idea how calculators, computers and smart devices are similar or different
. d ·· d I
various parameters, let u s have a look at how modem computing evices eve oped or evolved.
on

1.5 Evolution of Comput ers

TI1e term 'computer generation' is often used in relation to the hardware of computers. Each phase
of computer development is known as a separate generation of compu ters. Each phase of deve-
lopment is characterised by type of switching circuits it utilizes. In the following lines, we briefly
talk about various computer generations and the key technology of tha t generation followed by
a table summarizing the key features, limitations and m ajor computers of all compute1 genera~ons.

~ \WiriUUW ~
The first generation computers were huge, slow, expensive and often unreliable.
It used vacuum tubes for circuitry.
Key Features Remarks
■ Big and clumsy computers that used vacuum tubes
■ very large space requirement
■ Not very reliable as Electric failure occurred regularly. ■ high electricity consumption.
■ Large air conditioners were necessary because the
computers generated lot of heat. ■ generated lot of heat.
■ Used stored program concept ■ slow operating speed,
■ Programming in machine language ■ restricted computing capacity
==~-:;~= ~;::-~ --=~ - - - - - - - - - _ jL _:•~ limited programming capabilities
Input az:id Output Devices : Either No Input Devices - - - - - - - - - -- -
(Hardw1red programs) or Control Panels with S ·th Memory Type : Magnetic Drums
(use_d m
_· UNNAC) wz c es storage : Punched cards and Paper Tape
Major Comp ute~s : ENIAC (Electro11ic Numerical Int .
Vn~wble 1:~t_omat1c Co,~puter), EDSAC (Electronic Del?rator And Calculator), EDVAC (Electronic Discrete
Jnruac d1v1swn of Remmgton Rand) Y 5torage A utomatic Cornputer), UNIVAC-I (built by
 18

Key Features Remarks

■ Large and Very Large Integrated circuits, (LSI and VLSI) ■ Compu ll.!r costs can,
■ Microcomputer series suc h as IBM and APPLE 1h01 !h(;'sc found c do'.v, 1
and homes. pIilccs in ~11 r,1h
developed. 111(J~t t'~J,
■ Portable computers developed. ■ Smaller and foster. Ofr1i/
■ Great development in data com munication. ■ More speed, I<clii.1bilit .
■ Different types of secondary memory with high stor.:igc ■ Persona l software I dy, Stort1g11tdh
n Ustry b Pub,111
capacity (up to Tera Bytes) and fast access developed. Ool'l1,,~ y
■ Programming in High u ,ve/ Languages, 4GLs

Input and Output Devices : Keyboard. mouse, joysticks, Memory : Memory chips
voice input, printers, plotters, speakers etc. Storage : Hard disk, Flo .
DVD fl h · ppy d1sks
._ as memories, blu-ray d·' C:r.,,
_J...__ _,_ _

isc~
Major Computers : Pentium (80286,80386,80486, PS,_ dual core, quad-core etc.), Power PC, A ' c10u<J
Macintosh, IBM, Dell, many RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computers) MD, l\pp1i,

IFTH GENER;\TioN..<;PREsENT & BEYe>Nof-:.A.rtifi~i~tJizte~11gt~~e:.. -~. ,

The fifth generation computers are technologically advance and are still being
:ieveloped to become more efficient, though there are some applications, such as
mice recognition, advanced robotics that are being used today. The use of parallel
Jrocessing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.

ey Features Remarks
■ Parallel-processing - many processors are grouped to Found applications in :
function as one large group processor. ■ Intelligent systems that could cont
. . 1
fOthe
■ Superconductors - a superconductor is a conductor route of a m1ss1le and defence-syste
through which electricity can travel without any that could fend off attacks ms
resistance resulting in faster transfer of information ■ Word processors that could be con.
between the components of a computer. trolled by means of speech recognition.
■ Programs that could translate docu.
ments from one language to another.
tput and Output Devices : Keyboard, mouse, joysticks, Memory : Memory chips
Jice input, printers, plotters, speakers etc. Storage : Hard disk, CD, DVD,
Flash memories, Blu-ray discs, cloud
:ajor Computers : Many Robots and Robotic Devices.

Troubleshooting Computer Operations

While working on your computers, you may encounter certain problems, e.g., your system won't
boot, or boot repeatedly or heats up or shows a blue screen. For such problems, you should knoll'
basic troubleshooting techniques, which is what we are going to talk about in this chapter.

. 1 General Tips
In case of any problem, keep in mind, some general tips given below and apply them first of all
before doing any further troubleshooting. Whenever any problem arises, keep in mind and
follow the following tips to help you find a solution :
~) Always check the cables. Firstly check all related cables and connections of your computer.
 20
" tern Disk or Disk Error" Message .
(B) Non-Sys you boot up your computer, it usually mean
t this message w 1,en d . s the
(i) If you ge fl h d ·ve or some other external storage ev1ce in your c re is
DVD USB as n , . 01.llp
a CD, . ' . .th your computer's booting process. Remove the disk fr 1.1.tet,
which is interfering w1 01.ll the
drive and restart the computer.
If not this case, then it means that ~n-Systca dlsk or dhrk error
aperating system on the hard disk has get Replace on,t press 41ny key when l't:•dy
I .. . .• . . ,1 •
~ ~
corrupted . You need get. it reinstalled
. ··'l ;, ' , -: . .. .• ~.,; , ' '" , • •

from the maintenance engmeer.

c. Windows Shutting Down Message Will Not Disappear
. Windows will freeze during the shutdown process. If this happens, the Windows.
Some times T £ini h h . is
Shutting Down message screen will stay active on your screen. 0 . 5 5 utting down the
<: ~}'\computer, press and hold the power button for about 10 seconds, or until the computer turns off.
~ omputer Begins Randomly Rebooting or Crashing J
(i) Check for overheating. Make sure the vents in the case are not blocked. Confirm that
there is good air flow around the computer.
(ii) Update your antivirus software and scan for viruses.
(iii) If problems persist, call your maintenance engineer.

5 . Problems with the Monitor

There can be following reasons behind monitors not working properly.

~ N~icture on th~ Monitor

1 l\
c\
(i) Confirm the computer i~ turned on.
(ii) Check the brightness control, located on your monitor or your keyboard, and make
sure it is not set too low.
·c heck the connections for the monitor and surge protector, and m ake sure the surge
(iii) ...._ ~

protector is turned on."\

(B) Monitor Goes Blank Periodically

You may have the screensaver enabled. If the screen saver is en abled, just move your mouse back
and forth and your original screen will appear. You can chan ge the screen - saver settings by
going to your Control Panel (or r.our System Preferences if you' re u sing a Mac).
r \
V 6. No Sound/ Speaker Problem
¢) Ensure that the sound card driver is installed on your
computer and is working properly. If not, either
1. What type of memory and storage were install it yourself or get it installed from a hardware
used in different generations of engineer.
computers ?
¢) C~eck the volume control on y our computer. In
2. What would you do if a program is
Wmdows, the sound icon will usually be on the task-
completely unresponsive ?
bar, and you can also access the sound options in the
3. What would you do if your monitor
goes blank periodically ? Control Panel. On Macs, the sound options are found at
4. What would you do if "Non-System Disk
the top of the screen or in System Preferences.
or Disk Error" message appears on your ¢) Make sure the speakers are turned on, if using
monitor ? external speakers.
 The creation of transistor sparked the roducti
com~uter. Transistor was a small devi~ used t~n of a wave of second generation
a resistor. Transistors had many advanta es transfer electronic signals across
~ compared to vacuum tubes.
Key Features
Remarks
■ Transistors replaced vacuum tubes.
■ Smaller in size compared to 1st generatio ■ Not Gen_eral -purpo s ~ computers _
n computers mos tly suitable lo sdentific and bulk
■ Generated lesser heat than earlier computers. ·
■ Lower electricity consumption.
data processing tasks only; not for
business purposes.
■ More reliable and faster.
■ 111c machines were cootly.
■ Programming in machine language as well as assembly ■ Frequent maintenance fl:.'qum.xJ.
language.

Input and Output Devices : Teletypewriters

and punched cards Memory Type : Magnetic Core
- - ---:--- - - - :=-~=:---:-=-~ ~ - - -- - -- LS~t~o::.'ra.~gce_:.:~ M~a~gnetic Tape, Hard-disk
Major Computers : IBM 1400 and 7000 Series, Control Data 3600 etc. --

ljfflffllllftantli • ·: ., ;~~ ~lfl'IP

The development of integrated circuit (IC) in 1961, signaled the beP"inning of the th' d .
·
the integrate d arcm
· ·t techn ology, w hich h ad red uced the size and0 -cost
- =• Lr generation rompulers
of computers enormously.
The IC is a complete electronic circuit on a small chip of silicone, which is also
known as semi-conductor. Other than that, the Magnetic Core Memory was
t[!]UI
.U1Jllltflllf....
replaced by a device called the microchip. Also the first 256 bit RAM was
...
introduced and it was the basis for development of lK bit RAM.
.
....
~
- ----.·-..-
---
.
An integrated circuit (IC) is a small electronic device made out of a .

--
---- t . --
--.,
semiconductor material. --.I -

_,. 1111,,1,111,,1,11
Key Features Remarks
■ Integrated circuits ■ Proved to be highly reliable, relatively
■ Computers smaller, faster and more reliable inexpensive, and faster.
■ Lower power consumption

■ High-level languages developed ■ Less human labour was required at

■ Size of main memories reached about 4 Megabytes and assembly stage.
storage drive capacities reached up to 100 MegaBytes
Input and Output Devices : Keyboards, printers Memory Type : Core Memory & DRAM chips
Storage : Hard disk, Floppy Disk
Major Computers : IBM-360 series, ICL-1900 series, IBM-370/168, ICL-2900, Honeywell Model 316,
Honeywell-6000 series, ICL-2903, CDC-1700

~J
In 1971 Intel created the first microprocessor and the era of fourth generation
computers started. During the fourth generation, hardware technology such as
silicone chips, microprocessor and storage devices were invented.
A microprocessor is a specialized chip which is developed for computer memory and logic.
(Contd )
 Chapter 1 : BASIC COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 19
¢) Isolate the problem. If possible, try to isolate the problem. For example, if you can' t get
the cursor to move on the screen, try to determine if the issue is with the mouse. Por this if
you have an extra mouse, replace and check again. If the problem persists, not mouse but
some other issue is the real cause. When trying to isolate the problem, only make onl'
change at a time.
¢) Try restarting your computer. Sometimes when you seem to stuck up, try restarting your
computer from the standard shutdown/restart menu, without forcing any shut down
procedure by pressing the reset hardware button etc.
¢) Take notes about error messages. If your computer gives you error messages, bt: sure to
write down as much information as possible. If the basic troubleshooting steps don' t
work, you may need the information.
¢) Remember the steps you've taken, or write them down.

1.6.2 Some Troubleshooting Techniques involving Computer Parts or Operating System

Let us now talk about some troubleshooting techniques which may either be because of some
computer part problem (hardware problem) or operating ~ystem problems (software problems) :

f
l . rogram Runs Slowl or Isn't .:'Yorking Ri~ \ ').0 )
(i) If a :erogram is running slowly or otherwis~ isn rwotluig as intended, the first thing
you !hould try is closing the program and re-openin~ it. ')
(ii) LY~u can also shut down your co~puter, wait a few seconds, and boot it up again. Some
minor problems will wQrl<_themselves out when you do t~s.1
(iii) ~~k - with the company for any
known problems or updates to the
file_ gptions '[IM Y{tndOffl t:itlP
~"'\ software. "'\
AVJoJ --- AgpqlionS Procmn Ser\~ ~ Ne~ Uwi

'(:_)frogram is Completely Unresponsive

TISk S~b.ls
(i) If a program has become completely [ECh 1s_~tion_e.sic c ~ orgariSltion [Co.. . R.\.f'mO
unresponsive, you can press (and V' C~ter hardwn ~ t , , g • Google Ch .., R.unng
L,;.Otta (0:) R.i.,mg
hold) the Control, Alt, and Delete
keys to open the Task Manager.
You can then select the program
I ~ TISk 11 ~ t,;h To II titW flsk.. . I J
that isn't working and click End
Task. If you are using a Mac, you ,Procmes: g3 CPU Us.gt: 10% Ph)llic•I Mtmory. 66'-
can press Option, Command, Esc to
@c.,; open a similar dialog box.

(J Problems Starting or Shutting Down the Computer

There can be multiple reasons behind this.

(A) Power Button Will Not Start Computer

(i) If your computer does not start, begin by checking the power cord to confirm that it is
plugged in securely into the back of the computer case and the power outlet.
(ii) If you are using a laptop, the battery may not be charged . Plug the AC adapter into ~,e
wall and then try to tum on the laptop. If it still doesn't start up, you may need to wait a
few minutes and then try again.