Basic Computer skill

1. BASIC COMPUTER SKILL
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SYSTEM

2. Introduction To Computer System
• The word computer is derived from a Latin word “compute”. Which means “to calculate”, “to
count”, “to sum up” or “to think together”. Therefore, the word computer more precisely means a
“device that performs computation”.
• The computer was originally defined as a super fast calculator. It had the capacity to
solve complex arithmetic and scientific problems at very high speed. But nowadays in
addition to handling complex arithmetic computations , computers perform many other tasks
like accepting, sorting, selecting, moving, comparing various types of information.

3. Cont…
• A computer is described as an electronic device because; it is made up of electronic components
and uses electric energy (such as electricity) to operate.
• A computer is an electronic machine that accepts data from the user, processes the data by
performing calculations and operations on it, and generates the desired output results.
• It works on the data using the instruction issued, means that, the computer cannot do any useful
job on its own. It can only work as per the set of instructions issued.

4. Cont…

5. General Purpose Computers
• Designed for multipurpose functions.
• Theoretically used for any type of applications.
• Used in solving a business problem and also used to solve mathematical equation with same
accuracy and consistency.
Special Purpose Computers
• Made and used for any specific job.
• Designed for specific functions.

6. The Computer System
• The Computer System : is a collection of entities(hardware and software) that are designed to
receive, process, manage and Present information in a meaningful format.
Components Of Computer System
• Computer hardware
• Computer software

7. Computer Hardware
• Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer Such as the monitor,
mouse, keyboard, hard drive disk (HDD), System unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory,
motherboard and chips), etc. All of Which are physical objects that can be touched.
• Hardware components classified into four:
1. Input device
2. Processing device
3. Storage device
4. Output device

8. 1. Input Devices
•Input device:-accept data and convert into a form suitable for computer processing.
•Input device:-allows people to put data into the computer in a form that the computer can use.
Keyboard
• Is for the input of text and characters and to control the operation of a computer.
• Keys on a keyboard based on their function classified as
• Alphanumeric keys
• Numeric keypad
• Function keys
• Control key(home, end, insert, delete, page up, page down, control(ctrl), alternate(alt),
escape(esc).)
• Special purpose key(enter, shift, caps lock, num lock, space bar, tab, and print screen.)

10. Mouse
• A computer mouse is a handheld hardware input device that
controls a cursor in a GUI (graphical user interface) for
pointing, moving and selecting text, icons, files, and folders on
your computer. In addition to these functions, a mouse can
also be used to drag-and-drop objects and give you access to
the right-click menu.

11. Scanner
• A scanner is an essential input device that allows us to
convert a hard copy document into a digital file (.jpeg, .png,
.pdf, etc…). It basically uses optical technology that reads
characters or pictures from a paper and transfers them to a
computer’s drive for further manipulation. Like other
images, the scanned image can also be saved, edited,
emailed, and printed whenever we want.
• Scanners can be of different types, depending on the
different functionality. Some common types of scanners
include a photo scanner, flatbed scanner, drum scanner,
sheet-fed scanner, handheld scanner, etc…

12. Touchpad
• A touchpad (also called a trackpad) is a type of input
device for computers that does the same things as
a computer mouse. It is made up of a flat, touch-
sensitive surface which the user slides one or more fingers
on to move the cursor on the screen.

13. Joystick
• Is a pointing device that consists of a vertical handle
mounted on a base containing one or two buttons.
• The vertical handle of the joystick can be rotated
around 360 degrees.
• As the handle is rotated the cursor also moves on the
screen.
• Joystick is often used for playing games.

14. Microphone
• The word "microphone" (greek mikros "small" and phone "voice" or "sound") originally
referred to a mechanical hearing aid for small sounds.
• Therefore, microphones have a great role in inputting sound or voice data into the computer
for processing.

15. 2. Processing Device
• Processing devices are the components responsible for the processing of information within the
computer system.
• In this case there are two main types of computer hardware devices, external hardware devices,
and internal hardware devices.
• External hardware is external hardware used outside of the computer, and internal hardware is
internal hardware used within the computer.

16. List Of Processing Devices
1. CPU (Central Processing Unit)
2. Motherboard
3. GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

17. 1. CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• It is the brain of the computer. Sometimes referred as the
processor or central processor
• CPU is where most calculations take place. It is the most
important element of a computer system.
• It is responsible for every operation performed in the
computer system.
• Central processing device receives all the instruction and
data from the computer and presents output to users.

18. CPU Components
 The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs
arithmetic and logical operations.
 The control unit, this unit controls the operations
of all parts of computer.
 The memory unit or registers, which store
intermediate results of ALU.

19. 2. Motherboard
• It is the biggest board of the computer; it communicates
between CPU, RAM and the devices.
• The motherboard is a piece of PCB (printed circuit board)
used to connect all other components through it.
• This is an essential device of the computer; with the help of
this device, all other devices are connected to the laptop or
desktop computer.

20. 3.GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)
• GPU (graphics processing unit), known as graphics card, is used for
processing good videos and pictures, but it is not the main
component of the computer since the computer uses onboard
graphics connected to the motherboard and are what control the
standard graphics.
• They are used in processing high-quality images and videos.
• GPU is used to view video and pictures on the computer system with
good quality. It handles all the graphics data of the computer.

21. 3. Storage Device
• A storage device is any type of computing hardware that is used for storing, porting or
extracting data files and objects. Storage devices can hold and store information both temporarily
and permanently. They may be internal or external to a computer, server or computing device.
• There are two different types of storage devices:
Primary storage devices
Secondary storage devices
Primary storage devices
• Generally smaller in size, primary storage devices are designed to hold data temporarily and are
internal to the computer. They have the fastest data access speed. These types of devices include
RAM, ROM and cache memory.

22. RAM
• Is random access memory.
• RAM is volatile memory, which means that the information
temporarily stored in the module is erased when you restart
or shut down your computer. Because the information is
stored electrically on transistors, when there is no electric
current, the data disappears. Each time you request a file or
information, it is retrieved either from the computer's storage
disk or the internet. The data is stored in RAM, so each time
you switch from one program or page to another, the
information is instantly available. When the computer is shut
down, the memory is cleared until the process begins again.
Volatile memory can be changed, upgraded, or expanded
easily by users.

23. ROM
• Is read only memory
• ROM is non-volatile memory. Which means the information is
permanently stored on the chip. The memory does not depend
on an electric current to save data. Data is written to individual
cells using binary code. Non-volatile memory is used for parts
of the computer that do not change, such as the initial boot-up
portion of the software, or the firmware instructions that make
your printer run. Turning off the computer does not have any
effect on ROM. Non-volatile memory cannot be changed by
users.

24. Secondary Storage Devices
• Secondary storage devices usually have larger storage capacity, and they store data permanently.
They can be either internal or external to the computer. These types of devices include the hard disk,
the optical disk drive and USB storage device.
Hard Disk
• A computer hard drive (or a hard disk or HDD) is one
kind of technology that stores the operating system,
applications, and data files such a documents, pictures
and music that your computer uses. The rest of the
components in your computer work together to show
you the applications and files stored on your hard
drive.

25. USB flash drives
• Is Universal serial bus.
• Is a plug-and-play portable storage device.
• A USB flash drive can store important files and data backups,
carry favorite settings or applications, run diagnostics to
troubleshoot computer problems or launch an OS from a
bootable USB.
Optical disk
• An optical disk is any computer disk that uses optical storage
techniques and technology to read and write data.

26. 4. Output Device
• Output device is any hardware device used to send data from a computer to another device or
user.
• Output device receive the processed data from the computer and transform it in the form of audio,
video, or physical reproductions.
• Examples of output devices:
Monitors and projectors (video).
Headphones and speakers (audio).
Printers and plotters (physical reproduction in the form of text or graphics).

27. Monitor
• Monitors are the most crucial output devices of a
computer. Without it, the computer is incomplete. The
monitor is a versatile device of the computer for the
visual display of all types of information.
• The monitor is designed to display symbolic and
graphical information. It shows all the data and
information as soft copy on its screen. It acts as an
interface between the CPU and the user.

28. Printer
• A printer is an electronic external output
device of the computer used to print digital
information on paper as a hard copy. Since
the main task of printers is to convert the
data from soft copy to hard copy on the
computer.

29. Plotter
• A plotter is an output device that prints
graphics with high-quality images in many
color formats.
• A plotter is a hardcopy output device.

30. Screen Projector
• The multimedia screen projector is also an output device.
• Using the projector for educational purposes, projects,
data graphs, or showing documentaries makes it
possible to broadcast video in a comprehensive format to
understand information by viewers better.
• Since the output results by a multimedia projector are
displayed on a large screen, it can be seen by a vast
gathering of people in a meeting/conference room,
classroom, or even in the hall.

31. Speaker
• A speaker is a hardware output device connected with a computer
to produce the audio. The sound produced by computer speakers
is made by a hardware component whose name is a sound
card that is pre-installed with the computer.
• Speaker can now be found on many devices, for example, on a
TV, radio, telephone, and others.
• The audio signal is sent through the computer’s sound card to
produce the sound coming from a computer speaker.
• The speaker is inbuilt with the motherboard is called internal
speaker. One can need an external speaker separately when
producing the sound from the computer in a more loud way.

32. COMPUTER SOFTWARE
• Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform
a well-defined function. A program is a sequence of
instructions written to solve a particular problem.
• Software tells the computer how the tasks are to be
performed or hardware carries out these tasks. Different sets
of software can be loaded on the same hardware to perform
different kinds of tasks.
Types of software
software can be broadly classified into two categories:
1. System software, and
2. Application software.

33. 1. System Software
• The system software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control, and extend the
processing capabilities of the computer itself.
• System software is generally prepared by the computer manufacturers.
• System software is a type of software that is designed to provide a platform for running and
operating other software, namely application software. You need system software to run
application software.

34. Cont…
• These software products comprise of programs written in low-level languages, which interact
with the hardware at a very basic level.
• System software serves as the interface between the hardware and the end users.
• The purposes of system software are:
provide basic functionality to the computer,
control computer hardware, and
Act as an interface between user, application software and computer hardware.
• system software would be the operating system. Using the system software – you can operate
application software, such as Microsoft word.
• Every computer or machine has hardware, but that hardware is not enough to run applications like
Microsoft word. You need system software to run the hardware and operate applications on it.

35. Examples Of System Software
1. Operating System
• Is a type of system software.
• Operating system is a program that controls the execution of application programs and acts as an
interface between the user of a computer and the computer hardware. Operating system is the
program running at all times on the computer.
• There are different kinds of operating system: - Microsoft window, Mac, Ubuntu, liunxs….

36. Cont…
Windows
• The windows operating system is perhaps one of the most
well-known system software. Many laptops and desktops
use the windows OS.
• Using the windows OS, you can install various application
software, like Microsoft word, Google chrome, Firefox, and
many other applications.

37. Cont…
Macintosh Operating System (MAC OS)
• The Macintosh operating system (Mac OS) is an operating
system (OS) designed by Apple Inc. To be installed and
operated on the apple Macintosh series of computers.
• Mac OS is designed to operate on apple manufactured PCs
and by default.

38. Cont…
2. Device Driver
• A device driver is a particular form of software that allows one hardware device (such as a
personal computer) to interact with another hardware device (such as a printer). A device driver
may also be called a software driver.
• It is a type of system software that introduces a new device to the operating system and facilitates
the communication between the operating system and the device.
3. Language Software
Languages are used for writing instructions or software.
Machine language:- the only language a computer directly understands. Strings of binary numbers.
Assembly language:- easier than machine language & machine dependent.
• Represent most commonly used instructions with symbols and needs special translating
program

39. Cont…
High level language (HLL):- resemble some human language & easier for human programmers.
Fortran, basic, c++,java
Language translators:- for HLL either compiler or interpreter for assembly language assembler
Compiler :- execute later entire program into machine language(object code)
C, c++, java
Interpreter :- execute immediately statement by statement & no object code is saved.
Basic & VB

40. Cont…
4. Utility Software
• To support ,enhance expand existing programs.
• Data backup and restoration software, disk partition, disk defragmentation, and similar software
can also fall under the category of system software, being that they are utility programs.
• E.G.
Backup:-duplicate data for safety
Data recovery:- restore damaged data
Virus protection:- antivirus software protection
Data compression:- compress huge files and save memory

41. 2. Application Software
• Application software, on the other hand, is a type of software or program that is designed to
complete a specific task. For example, Microsoft word is application software, and it allows you
to write documents.
• There are four categories of application software.
Productivity software
• Make the users more productive at performing general tasks.
• E.G. Word processing, spread sheets, presentation, database managers, accounting etc.

42. Cont…
Education / reference software
• To learn any subject or to refer for additional information.
• E.G. Encyclopedia, dictionaries, computer based tutorials (CBT)
Entertainment software
• The purpose of this software is for entertainment and time passing.
• For example games.
Home / personal software:
• For domestic and personal use.
• E.G. Cook books, medical guide, gardening, etc.

43. Differences Between
System Software And Application Software
system software Application software
is designed to use the hardware of the machine. is designed to help the user complete tasks.
is independent, it runs with or without
applications.
is dependent, you can not run application
software without having working system software
needs to run whenever the machine is turned on.
It turns on when you turn on your computer and
stops running when you turn it off.
can be turned on and off at any time (as long as
the system is running).
interacts very closely with the hardware of your
machine
Not directly interact with the hardware of your
machine
uses the memory and processing aspects of the
hardware much more.
uses the memory and processing aspects of the
hardware not much more.
is usually written using low-level language is written using a high-level language like Java or
C++.

44. Lab Practice
1. How can I find out which graphics card I have in my PC?
Answer
A. Click start.
B. On the start menu, click run.
C. In the open box, type "dxdiag" (without the quotation marks), and then click ok.
D. The directx diagnostic tool opens. Click the display tab.
E. On the display tab, information about your graphics card is shown in the device section. You
can see the name of your card, as well as how much video memory it has.

45. Cont…
2. Check your total RAM capacity.
Answer
A. Click on the windows start menu and type in system information.
B. A list of search results pops up, among which is the system information utility. Click on it
C. Scroll down to installed physical memory (RAM) and see how much memory is installed on
your computer.
3. Check your total PC information.
A. Click on the windows start menu and type This PC or My computer .
B. Right click on This PC or My computer .
C. Select properties and see

46. THANKS!…