WHAT IS COMPUTER SYSTEM?

Computer System is an electronic device that accepts data, processes and

stores the data and gives outputs according to programmed instructions. Hence
it is a programmable machine that can take in input data, store and manipulate
them, and provides output in predesigned format. It is made of interconnected
parts all of which serves a specific role or function. The computer system can be
subdivided into two main parts, namely the hardware and the software.

The Computer System

Computer System
Hardwre
(the physical part)

Software
(the program/instruction part)

COMPUTER HARDWARE
Computer hardware is the component that can be physically handled, that is, the
part of the system that we can see and touch. It is essentially made up of the
System Unit and Peripherals.
 INTERNAL EXTERNAL PROCESS INPUT OUTPUT STORAGE NETWORK
COMPONETS COMPONETS OR DEVICES DEVICES DEVICES DEVICES

BASED ON
LOCATION BASED ON FUNCTION

COMPUTER HARDWARE
Internal components are those components inside the system unit while external
components or peripheral are the devices outside the system unit.
The internal components include:

The motherboard,

The power pack,

The RAM (Random Access Memory),

The CMOS battery,

The processor,

The cooling fan,

The heat sink and so on.

Whereas the peripherals include: the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, the
speaker, the printer and so on.
COMPUTER S OFTWARE
Software are computer programs, or instructions, that cause the hardware—the
machines—to do work. Simply put, they are set of instructions that control the
operations of the computer. They can be divided into two primary categories
based on the types of work they do, which are operating software and
application software.
INPUT D EVICES
Computer input devices are the devices that are used to supply data and
instructions to the computer.

DEVICES USE
Keyboard For typing computer data and commands
Mouse For manipulating the cursor
Track Ball For manipulating the cursor
Touch Pad For manipulating the cursor
Joy Stick For manipulating the cursor and gaming
Scanner For reading printed patterns into the computer
Digital Camera For capturing digital images
Microphone To input audio signals
Light pen and graphic plate For drawing digital patterns

THE KEYBOARD

The keyboard is used both for text-based data input and for selecting
commands. Text typed with the keyboard can be letters of the alphabet,
punctuation symbols or numeric.
The standard keyboard is divided into groups of keys:

The typewriter or alphanumeric keys: These are all of the standard letters,
numbers, Tab, Shift, and the spacebar arranged in the usual QWERTY order.
 The Return key is replaced by an Enter key, and some special computer keys
(Alt and Ctrl) are added at the bottom.

The function keys: These are usually labelled F1 through F12, and have
different functions in each program you use (some programs may not have
any features that use them).

The cursor keys: These are keys that move the cursor or insertion point on
the screen. In addition to the up, down, left, right arrow keys, some keyboards
add diagonal keys. This block of keys also includes Insert, Delete, Home,
End, Page Up, and Page Down keys.

The numeric keypad: This has two functions. When the Num Lock light is
on, they functions as a 10-key calculator. When the Num Lock light is off,
they functions as another set of cursor movement keys.

Most keyboards carry a variety of additional keys, including Esc (Escape), Print
Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause. The use of these special keys varies from
system to system. In most systems:

Esc can be used to undo commands or actions and in keyboard

combinations,

Print Screen can be used to copy the current screen contents to the
Clipboard, from which you can then Paste the contents into a document
for printing,

Scroll Lock changes the action of the directional arrow cursors,

Backspace can be used to delete a character to the left of the insertion

point,

Pause can be used to hold the screen for some time when compiling some
programs,

Windows is used to open the start menu;

Shortcut is used to access shortcut menu.

Some keys are described as text control keys, such as Tab, Insert, Delete,
Backspace and Enter. While the shift, control (Ctrl) and alternate (Alt) keys are
regarded as modifier keys since they changes the behaviour of other keys that
are used together with them.

THE M OUSE
Typically the mouse has three buttons, namely the left, right and the scroll
button. The left button (usually called the primary button) is used for selecting
(clicking) text, icons and menu options. It is also used for moving or drag
selected objects to reposition or resize them. The right button (usually called the
secondary button) is used for accessing context sensitive help and shortcut
menus. And the scroll button is for scrolling up and down the screen.
The common mouse pointers and the meaning is has seen below.

Pointer Meaning
Normal You can point to and select icons and commands

Help Select You can click an object to get help on it

Busy The system is busy and cannot accept any input
Working The system is working in the background, but you can
still use the mouse
Unavailable You cannot perform the action you were attempting
Handwriting You can draw on the screen

Diagonal, You can change the height or width of an object

vertical and
horizontal resize
Move You can move an object
Link You can open a file or document by clicking the mouse
button

OUTPUT DEVICES
Output devices display information from the computer to the user. The main
output devices display data on a screen, print data on paper, and play data as
sound.

DEVICES USE
Monitor Produces output inform of displays on a screen.
Printer Produces computer-generated text or graphics on
paper, transparencies, or similar media.
Speaker Produces audio output.
Plotter Produces output by drawing graphs and other pictorial
images on paper, sometimes using attached pens.

THE M ONITOR
The monitor or Visual Display Unit (VDU) displays an image on a screen.
Monitors can either be Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors or Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD) monitors. CRT is common associated with PCs while LCD is
found in laptops and palmtops.

A Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor

A Flat-screen Liquid Crystal Display Monitor

The tasks of Operating System can be shared into computer, hardware
and file management, data integration, and network access. Examples
of Operating Systems are the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and
Command Line Interface (CLI). The Graphical User Interface
Operating Systems include Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 98,
Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 7 and Linux Ubuntu. The
Command Line Interface Operating Systems include UNIX and MS-
DOS.
APPLICATION S OFTWARE
Application software is a computer program designed to enable people perform
a certain type of work with the computer. An application can manipulate text,
numbers, graphics, or a combination of these elements depending on the work
for which it was designed. Some application packages are focused on a single
task while others, called integrated software, include several applications.
CATEGORIES OF APPLICATION PACKAGES
Word Processing Packages: These are programs that are used for creating,
editing, formatting, and publishing of text. Examples include Microsoft Word,
Word Star, Lotus WordPro and Corel Word Perfect. We will yet discuss about
word processors in greater details.

Spreadsheet Packages: These application programs are commonly used for

forecasting, budgets, and other finance-related tasks. They are made up of rows
and columns whose intersection form cells; each cell can hold text or numeric
data or a formula that uses values in other cells to calculate a desired result.
Examples include Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, and Corel QuattroPro.

Database Packages: These are packages that are used to create and maintain
databases. Examples of "desktop" database applications include Microsoft
Access, Corel Paradox, and Lotus Approach. Examples of "enterprise"-level
database products include SQL and Oracle.

Graphics Packages: These packages are used to perform various kinds of

computer graphic designs several fields, including entertainment, science,
education, medicine, and business. The most common of these graphics
packages are those that are used for desktop publishing works involving 3D
graphics, editing bitmaps, drawing and painting like Adobe Photoshop, Corel
DRAW and Microsoft Publisher. Other examples of graphics packages are
AutoCAD, Auto Sketch, and Harvard Graphics.
Accounting/Payroll Programs: These are packages that can be used to manage
personal or organisational finances. Some common examples of these programs
are Sage Line50, Sage Peachtree, Quicken and Microsoft Money.

Statistical Packages: Statistical packages are computer programs that are

specialised for statistical analysis. Examples of these packages are SPSS
(Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), SAS, STATISTICA, Mathematica
and many more.
THE BOOTING PROCESS
Booting refers the process of starting or resetting a computer, in which the
computer loads the operating system. The types of booting are the cold boot and
the warm boot. Both of them are discussed below.

Cold Booting: This is a start-up process that begins with turning on the
computer's power. Typically, a cold boot involves some basic hardware
checking by the system followed by loading of the operating system from disk
into memory.

Warm Booting: This is the process of making the system to reload the operating
system. This can be achieved by using the Restart command on system running
Microsoft Windows operating system or pressing the Reset button of the
computer (if present).
COMPONENTS OF THE WINDOWS D ESKTOP
Icons: Icons are small images on a computer screen that represent something
such as a program, file, folder or device. They are found in graphical
environments and can be activated by a mouse click. Icons allow the user to
control certain computer actions without having to remember commands or type
them at the keyboard – thus enhancing the computer’s user friendliness.

Taskbar: The taskbar is a bar at the bottom of a computer screen that shows
buttons programs which are running currently, the start button and other things.
It may contain up to four subsections which are the Start button, the Quick
Launch toolbar, the Taskbar buttons of running applications and the
Notification Area. The Notification area shows programs that are running at the
background such as Date and Time, Antivirus, Network connection and the
likes.
Background: The desktop background is on the picture that is displayed behind
the icons on the screen. Background also describes the colour or patterns on
which characters are displayed in other environments. The user can set
backgrounds according to their preferences.

THE PROCESS OF SHUTTING DOWN THE COMPUTER

This refers to the process of turning the computer off via the operating system.
Although you can also turn-off the system unit manually through its power
on/off switch, it is not always advisable to do so as this might shorten the
lifespan of the system.

Shut the computer system down, click on the Start button and from the lower
right corner of Start menu click on Turn off (or Shut down, depending on which
option you have there).