A computer system consists of hardware, software, and data. It is a collection of related components designed to work together. Hardware refers to the physical parts of the computer like the computer itself and peripherals. Software includes the programs that run the computer like operating systems and applications. Data are unprocessed facts, while information is processed data. Common components of a computer system include input devices, processors, and output devices. Popular software categories are system software that controls the computer and application software for specific tasks. Common platforms are Windows operating systems paired with Intel processors.