COMPUTER SYSTEM,
DEVICES AND
PERIPHERALS
-SALAMANDER
What is an Operating System?
The operating system is the most important
program that runs on a computer. Every general-
purpose computer must have an operating system
to run other programs. Operating systems perform
basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the
keyboard, sending output to the display screen,
keeping track of files and directories on the disk,
and controlling peripheral devices such as disk
drives and printers.
Operating systems provide a software
platform on which other application
programs can run. The application programs
must be written to run on top of a particular
operating system. Your choice of operating
system, therefore, determines to a great
extent the applications you can run.
Operating systems can be classified as
follows
Multi-user
Multiprocessing
Multitasking
Multithreading
Real time:
Multi-user
Allows two or more users to run programs at the
same time. Some operating systems permit
hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
Linux
Unix
Windows 2000
Multiprocessing
Supports running a program on more than one
CPU
Linux
Unix
Windows 2000
Multitasking
Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
Unix
Windows 2000
Windows multi point
Multithreading
Allows different parts of a single program to run
concurrently.
Linux
Unix
Windows 2000
Windows 7
Real time
Responds to input instantly. General-
purpose operating systems, such as
DOS and UNIX, are not real-time.
What are the devices of a computer?
System Unit
Motherboard / Mainboard / System Board
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
Primary storage
Expansion Bus
Adapter
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Optical Drive
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
System Unit-
The main part of a
microcomputer, sometimes
called the chassis. It
includes the following
parts: Motherboard,
Microprocessor, Memory
Chips, Buses, Ports,
Expansion Slots and Cards.
Motherboard / Mainboard / System Board
The main circuit board
of a computer. It
contains all the circuits
and components that
run the computer.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
The processor is the main
“brain” or “heart” of a
computer system. It
performs all of the
instructions and calculations
that are needed and
manages the flow of
information through a
computer.
Primary storage
Primary storage- (internal
storage, main memory or
memory) is the computer's
working storage space that
holds data, instructions for
processing and processed data
(information) waiting to be
sent to secondary storage.
Physically, primary storage is a
collection of RAM chips
Two (2) Types of Memory
ROM – (Read Only Memory) ROM is non-volatile,
meaning it holds data even when the power is ON
or OFF.
RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is volatile,
meaning it holds data only when the power is on.
When the power is off, RAM's contents are lost.
Expansion Bus
A bus is a data pathway
between several hardware
components inside or
outside a computer. It does
not only connect the parts
of the CPU to each other,
but also links the CPU with
other important hardware.
Adapters
-Printed-circuit boards (also
called interface cards) that
enable the computer to use a
peripheral device for which it
does not have the necessary
connections or circuit boards.
They are often used to permit
upgrading to a new different
hardware.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
- Installed in the back corner
of the PC case, next to the
motherboard. It converts
120vac (standard house
power) into DC voltages that
are used by other
components in the PC.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
- Also known as hard drive, is a
magnetic storage device that is
installed inside the computer. The
hard drive is used as permanent
storage for data. In a Windows
computer, the hard drive is usually
configured as the C: drive and
contains the operating system and
applications.
Optical Drive
An optical drive is a storage
device that uses lasers to
read data on the optical
media. There are three
types of optical drives:
Compact Disc (CD), Digital
Versatile Disc (DVD) and Blu-
ray Disc (BD).
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
- Designed to optically
access data stored on a
DVD. A laser moves back
and forth near the disk
surface and accesses data
at a very fast rate.
What are the input and output devices of a
computer?
The devices attached to a personal computer
can be classified into two- the input and
output devices. Input Device is composed of
a device that accepts data and instructions
from the user or from another computer
system. While, output device is any piece of
computer hardware that displays results after
the computer has processed the input data
that has been entered.
Input Devices
Two (2) Types of Input Devices
1. Keyboard Entry – Data is inputted to the
computer through a keyboard
2. Direct Entry – A form of input that does not
require data to be keyed by someone sitting
at a keyboard. Direct-entry devices create
machine readable data on paper, or magnetic
media, or feed it directly into the computer’s
CPU
Keyboard Entry
Keyboard - The first input
device developed for the PC.
Data is transferred to the PC
over a short cable with a
circular 6-pin Mini-din
connector that plugs into
the back of the
motherboard.
Three (3) Categories of Direct Entry Devices
Pointing Devices
Scanning Devices
Voice- Input Devices
Pointing Devices
An input device used to
move the pointer (cursor)
on screen.
Mouse
- The most common
'pointing device' used
in PCs. Every mouse
has two buttons and
most have one or two
scroll wheels.
Touch screen
- A display screen that is
sensitive to the touch of a
finger or stylus. Used in myriad
applications, including ATM
machines, retail point-of-sale
terminals, car navigation and
industrial controls. The touch
screen became wildly popular
for smart phones and tablets.
Light Pen
- A light-sensitive stylus wired to
a video terminal used to draw
pictures or select menu options.
The user brings the pen to the
desired point on screen and
presses the pen button to make
contact.
Digitizer Tablet
- A graphics drawing tablet used
for sketching new images or
tracing old ones. Also called a
"graphics tablet," the user
contacts the surface of the
device with a wired or wireless
pen or puck. Often mistakenly
called a mouse, the puck is
officially the "tablet cursor."
Scanning Devices
- A device that can read
text or illustrations
printed on paper and
translates the information
into a form the computer
can use.
Voice- Input Devices
- Audio input devices also known as
speech or voice recognition
systems that allow a user to send
audio signals to a computer for
processing, recording, or carrying
out commands. Audio input
devices such as microphones allow
users to speak to the computer in
order to record a voice message or
navigate software.
Output Devices
Computer Display Monitor
It displays information in visual form, using
text and graphics. The portion of the monitor
that displays the information is called the
screen or video display terminal.
CRT Monitors
- Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT)
were the only type of
displays for use with
desktop PCs. They are
relatively big (14" to 16"
deep) and heavy (over 15
lbs).
LCD Monitors
– Liquid Crystal Display
(LCD) technology has
been used in laptops for
some time. It has
recently been made
commercially available
as monitors for desktop
PCs.
LED Monitors (Light Emitting Diode)
- A display and lighting
technology used in almost every
electrical and electronic
product on the market, from a
tiny on/off light to digital
readouts, flashlights, traffic
lights and perimeter lighting
LCD Projectors
- utilize two sheets of polarizing
material with a liquid crystal
solution between them. An electric
current passed through the liquid
causes the crystals to align so that
light cannot pass through them.
Each crystal, therefore, is like a
shutter, either allowing light to pass
through or blocking the light.
Smart Board
- A type of display
screen that has a touch
sensitive transparent
panel covering the
screen, which is similar
to a touch screen.
Printer
- A device that prints text or
illustrations on paper.
Types of printer
Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer
Laser Printer
LCD and LED Printer
Line Printer
Thermal Printer
Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer
- spays ink at a sheet
of paper. Ink-jet
printers produce
high-quality text and
graphics.
Laser Printer
- Uses the same
technology as copy
machines. Laser
printers produce very
high quality text and
graphics.
LCD and LED Printer
- Similar to a laser
printer, but uses liquid
crystals or light-emitting
diodes rather than a
laser to produce an
image on the drum.
Line Printer
- Contains a chain of
characters or pins that
print an entire line at
one time. Line printers
are very fast, but
produce low-quality
print.
Thermal Printer
- An inexpensive printer
that works by pushing
heated pins against heat-
sensitive paper. Thermal
printers are widely used
in calculators and fax
machines.
Speakers
- Used to play sound.
They may be built into
the system unit or
connected with cables.
Speakers allow you to
listen to music and hear
sound effects from your
computer.
What is a Storage Device?
Aside from the devices attached on a PC,
there are also the so called storage
devices that perform a special task in
computing system. Storage device is any
apparatus for recording computer data
in a permanent or semi-permanent form.
Types of storage devices
Floppy diskette
Compact disc (CD)
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD
Jump disk and USB flash disk
Hard disk
LS-120
Zip disk
Floppy diskette
is a random access, removable
data storage medium that can be
used with personal computers.
The term usually refers to the
magnetic medium housed in a
rigid plastic cartridge measuring
3.5 inches square and about
2millimeters thick. Also called a
"3.5-inch diskette," it can store up
to 1.44 megabytes (MB) of data
Compact disc (CD)
– also called optical disc
is a nonmagnetic,
polished metal disk used
to store digital
information. The disc is
read by the CD- ROM
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
an optical disc technology
with a 4.7 gigabyte
storage capacity on a
single-sided, one-layered
disk, which is enough for
a 133-minute movie.
Jump disk and USB flash disk
is a plug-and-play portable
storage device that uses
flash memory and is
lightweight enough to
attach to a key chain. A USB
drive can be used in place
of a floppy disk, Zip drive
disk, or CD.
Hard disk
Hard disk- is the main,
and usually largest, data
storage device in a
computer. The operating
system, software titles
and most other files are
stored in the hard disk
drive.
