Introduction to Computers

Presented By
RAJANI TYAGI
Computer Basics
Introduction
The two basic computer components
Hardware
Software
Other common terms

Introduction
A computer is a fast electronic machine that
1) takes in data and instructions (input)
2) works with the data (processing)
3) puts out information (output)

The computer as we know it is a group of
pieces of hardware put together to get a job
done faster
It can quickly store, retrieve and process large
amount of data. It can perform complex and
repetitive procedure quickly
It has three main components:-
1. C.P.U.(central processing unit)
2. Memory
3. Input & Output device
1. C.P.U.:-It is the brain of the computer.
This is the component that actually executes
instructions organized in programs which tells
the computer what to do.
2. Memory:-It enables a computer to store data
programs and intermediate results.
3. Input device:-these devices are the medium
through which data and instructions are entered
into a computer. Eg.Keyboard, mouse, scanner
etc.
4. Output device:-these devices display the results
produced by the computer. Eg. Monitor, printer
etc
Data and Information
Data is facts and figures or programs that we entered
as input to computer system.
Data can be in the form of numbers, characters,
symbols, or even pictures.
It can be any object,behavior,condition etc. for
example-personal details of employees, Grades of a
student, picture of a person etc
EXAMPLE:-If we want to calculate gross salary of an
employee than name of the employee, designation,
department, basic salary etc. will be provided to
application and they will be treated as meaningful
information on final outcome .
Information can be said the final result
achieved after processing the data
A collection of these data which conveys some
meaningful idea is information.
Ex:-if we consider the above example their
name, designation , department ,basic salary,
HRA,TA,PF of an employee is data but after
processing these data item we get pay slip.
these pay slips referred to as information.
characteristics of computer system
The characteristics of computer are
1.Speed
2. Accuracy
3. Automatic
5. Storage
6. Reduction of cost

The two basic parts of a computer system
Hardware
The hardware is the
part of the computer
you can touch and see
Software
The software is a part of
the computer you
cannot touch but is very
important. The
software is all the
programming that
makes the computer
run; controlling
everything that the
computer does
Common computer hardware
Monitor : The monitor is the display screen .

Keyboard : The keyboard is used to type
information into the computer or input
information.

Mouse : The Mouse is the small hand held
device that attaches to the computer. It may
have two or three buttons. The mouse is used
to move the cursor (pointer) on the computer
screen

The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The most important part, also called the
Central Processing Unit or CPU, is a box that
includes many pieces that are not particularly
relevant to us at this time. These pieces, inside
of the box, perform the jobs of the computer.
Processor is the part of the computer that
actually does the computations.









Peripherals
A peripheral is an object attached to the
computer to help it perform some necessary
assignments none of the other parts can
handle. The most used peripherals are the
printer, a digital camera, a scanner, a
projector, an external drive

Software
As described earlier, the software is a part of the
computer you cannot touch but is very
important. The software is all the programming
or instructions that makes the computer run;
controlling everything that the computer
does. There are two kinds of software that help
the computer run:

Operating Systems
Applications

An Operating System is the base program on a
computer. It tells the computer how to work or
operate. The operating system also allow you to load
other programs that do specialized tasks on to your
computer. An operating system (OS) is a set of
programs that manages computer hardware
resources, and provides common services for
application software.
ex.
Microsoft Windows

Applications are programs put onto the
computer to do specialized tasks.
ex.
Word and WordPerfect
(used to type letters and more complicated
documents)
Explorer
(used to explore the Internet)

Microsoft Windows is the operating system found
on most personal computers. As an operating
system Windows manages all that the computer
does. Through Window's main screen called the
"Desktop" you can get to everything your
computer can do.


Windows Topics:
Icons
The "Start" button
Menus
The taskbar
Adjusting windows
Using "My computer"


Icons
On the desktop screen you will see several
small pictures. These pictures are called
"Icons." The "My Computer" picture below
is an example of an icon. Double clicking
the left mouse button on an Icons will start
the programs it represents. Another way to
start programs is by using the Start
button.

The "Start" button

The "Start" button is probably the most
used part of the Windows Desktop. The
start button is where you access all the
programs on the computer. When you click
on the "Start" button you will be shown a
menu of the major computer headings.
These headings provide access to the major
programs on your computer.

Menus
When you click on the "Start" button a
menu with options will appear. Moving the
mouse over the items in the menu causes
them to highlight. Clicking on a highlighted
item will open that program.


The taskbar
In the bottom section of the screen, there is (or there may
be) a long object. It is called the Taskbar:
On the left side of the taskbar, there is an object labeled
Start or . The appearance of this object depends on the
type of Windows you are using but it plays the same role.
Windows has the ability to run several programs at once
and to easily switch back and forth between running
programs. All programs currently running are shown on
the windows "taskbar." The taskbar is a gray bar with
pictures on in it that runs across the very bottom of the
screen. The taskbar can be recognized by the "Start"
button located on its left hand side and the clock on its
right. To switch between programs that are running at the
same time, click on the program buttons shown on the
taskbar. This is demonstrated below.
Adjusting a window's size

Common to all Windows programs is the
ability to adjust the shape and size of the
window you are working in. Some of the
ways you can change a window includes;
moving, closing, maximizing, minimizing and
restoring it. The following diagram and chart
explains how to adjust a window.


Using my computer

The "My Computer" program is a tool that lets
you see everything that is stored on your
computer. It is useful for finding, organizing
and storing files on your computer. Files
represent stored information that you have
named. Think of "My Computer" as a filing
cabinet for your computer.
You can open the "My Computer" program by
double clicking on the "My Computer" icon on
the "desktop" as shown below.


The icons in the" My Computer" window represent all the drives,
folder and files on your computer.
Drives:
Drives are like filing cabinets for computer files. To see what is
stored on a drive double click on its icon and a list of files and
folders will appear. These files and folders will be arranged
alphabetically. To open any of these files double click on them.
The A: drive icon opens files saved on a floppy disk. You may only
open this drive when you have put a floppy disk into the drive slot
of the computer.
The C: drive icon on most home computers represents the hard
drive. This is the drive where all the programs that your computer
runs are stored. You can also store files that you have created on
this drive. If you do not think that the C: drive is your hard drive,
look for a drive that has the same picture for an icon.
The D: drive icon represents the CD-ROM drive. Double clicking on
this icon will show you all the files stored on a CD-ROM.

Folders:
Folders help you organize your files by dividing up a
drive into alphabetically organized sections. Double
clicking on a folder will open it. Each folder can also
hold other folders and files.

Files:
Files are information stored by a program. For example
a file created in "WordPerfect" will be saved with the
ending ".wpd." Double clicking on a file will open it.
Internet Topics:
What is the Internet?
What is the Internet used for?
Web addresses
Web Browsers
Connecting to the Internet
Introducing Internet explorer
The menu bars options
The Navigation Bars Option
The location bar
Favorites

What is the Internet?
The Internet is a world wide collection of networked
computers which are able to exchange information with
one another very quickly. The computers that make up
the Internet exchange information using the same cables
and general technology that your home phone uses. Most
people use the Internet in two ways, e-mail and the World
Wide Web.
History lesson:

The Internet was originally developed by university researchers
and was funded by the United States Defense
Department. The Defense Department wanted its computer
network to be able to communicate effectively even if some
sections were knocked out. The Internet provides many
possible pathways for information to travel between
computers.

Advantages

Communication:
The foremost target of internet has always been the communication. And
internet has excelled beyond the expectations .Still; innovations are going
on to make it faster, more reliable. By the advent of computers Internet,
our earth has reduced and has attained the form of a global village.

Now we can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is
sitting in the other part of the world. Today for better communication, we
can avail the facilities of e-mail; we can chat for hours with our loved ones.
There are plenty messenger services in offering. With help of such
services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship
where you can share your thoughts, can explore other cultures of different
ethnicity.




Information
Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is
offering. The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of
information. Any kind of information on any topic under
the sun is available on the Internet. The search engines like
Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can
almost find any type of data on almost any kind of subject
that you are looking for. There is a huge amount of
information available on the internet for just about every
subject known to man, ranging from government law and
services, trade fairs and conferences, market information,
new ideas and technical support, the list is end less.

Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'tre why many people
prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, media of internet has become
quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor.
Downloading games, visiting chat rooms or just surfing the Web are
some of the uses people have discovered. There are numerous
games that may be downloaded from the Internet for free. The
industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal
attention by game lovers. Chat rooms are popular because users
can meet new and interesting people. In fact, the Internet has been
successfully used by people to find life long partners. When people
surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music,
hobbies, news and more can be found and shared on the Internet.


Services
Many services are now provided on the internet such as
online banking, job seeking, purchasing tickets for your
favourite movies, hotel reservations.

E-Commerce
Ecommerce is the concept used for any type of
commercial business deals that involves the transfer of
information across the globe via Internet. It has become a
phenomenon associated with any kind of shopping,
almost anything. You name it and Ecommerce with its
giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service
will make you available at your door steps. It has got a real
amazing and wide range of products from household
needs, technology to entertainment
Disadvantages
Theft of Personal information
If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as
your personal information such as name, address, credit card
number etc. can be accessed by other culprits to make your
problems worse.
Spamming:
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which
provide no purpose and needlessly obstruct the entire
system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you,
and so instead of just ignoring it, you should make an effort to
try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can
become that much safer.
Virus threat
Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal
functioning of your computer systems..


Web addresses

As described earlier the Web is a collection of documents (Web
pages) stored on computers around the world. Just like every
house has a postal code, each Web page has an address describing
where it can be found. On the Web these addresses are called
URLs. Each URL has several parts which can be demonstrated using
the address: http://www.google.com

http:// This part of the address indicates that it is a Web
page. www. This indicates that the Web page you are looking at is
part of the World Wide Web. google.com This part of the address
is the domain name and indicates the unique address of a Web
site. The domain name also often indicates what the site is about,
for example www.dog.com is a Web site about dogs.
The "/" symbol indicates you have moved into a specific directory
in the Web sites. .
Web browsers

Web browsers are programs used to explore the
Internet. There are many Web browser programs
available including Netscape Navigator, Internet
Explorer and Opera. Internet Explorer is the
Internet browser made by Microsoft and comes
with Windows operating system.
Connecting to the Internet

To connect to the Internet you must first open your Internet
browser.
To open your Internet browser :
Left click on the "Start" button at the bottom left of your
screen.

In the menu that appears move the mouse over the word
"Programs." A new menu will appear showing various
programs on your computer.

Look for the following menu item and left click on it,
Internet explorer will begin to run.


Introducing Internet Explorer

There are four main parts to your web
browser, a Menu Bar, a Navigation Bar, a
Location Bar, and a Display Window

Data communication
Fundamental characteristic of data
communication
Data communication component
Data representation
Data flow
Categories of network


Each layer is responsible for a particular aspect of data
communication.
For example, one layer may be responsible for establishing
connections between devices, while another layer may be
responsible for error checking during transfer.
The layers of the OSI model are divided into two groups:

the upper layer and lower layer.
The upper layers focus on user applications and how files
are represented on the computers prior to transport. the
lower layers that concentrate on how the communication
across a network actually occurs.

The acronym used to remember
these layers is: All People Seem
To Need Data Processing.

Physical Layer

The physical layer is concerned with the interface to
the transmission medium.
At the physical layer, data is transmitted onto the
medium (e.g. coaxial cable or optical fiber) as a stream
of bits.
The physical layer defines the electrical, mechanical,
procedural, and functional specifications for activating,
maintaining, and deactivating the physical link
between end systems
Devices:-
Hubs, Fast Ethernet, Token Ring Hardware

Transmission mode
Physical topology
Data rate

Data link layer
This layer is responsible for providing reliable
transit of data across a physical link.
The data-link layer is subdivided into two sub
layers:
the logical link control (LLC) sub layer
the media access control (MAC) sub layer
X.25, 802.3, 802.3, 802.5/Token Ring,
The LLC sub layer provides support for
connections between applications running on a LAN

For multiple stations to share the same medium and still uniquely identify
each other, the MAC sub layer defines a hardware, or data-link address called
the "MAC address".
The MAC sub layer provides orderly access to the LAN
medium
Network Layer
the establishment, maintenance, and orderly
termination of virtual circuits

transport fault detection and recovery

Transport Layer: Responsible for breaking the
data into segments, establishing an end-to-
end logical connection between machines,
and providing for error handling.

Packet switching
Datagram network
Message Switching
Message Switching, also known as store-and-
forward switching, refers to a switching
technique involving transmission of messages
from node to node through a network. The
message is stored at each node until such time
as a forwarding path is available.

What you have seen in this example is an
example of a store and forward network. In
this scheme, messages are received and
stored while a route to or closer to their
destination is being determined. Once the
route has been established, then the message
is sent to either its final destination or another
intermediate storage and forwarding point.


The transmission of binary data across a link
can be accomplished in either parallel or serial
mode .
In parallel mode , multiple bits are sent with
each clock tick .
In serial mode , 1 bit is sent with each clock
tick .

One way to send parallel data
3 ways to send serial transmission