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Definition of Computer

A computer is an electronic device which can accept input as data, store and
manipulate the data to generate information, which eventually is sent to an
output device. All these operations are carried out under the control of a set of
instructions called a program.

From the above definition, we can deduce the following:

1. A computer is an electronic device: That is a machine that uses and rely
on electricity in order to work.

2. It can accept input: That is it has a medium by which we can ‘fed it’ with
what we want it to do.

3. It can store data: This implies that the computer has a memory unit where
data it is to work upon is stored until needed.

4. It can manipulate data: This implies that the computer contain certain sec-
tions which can manipulate data by performing mathematical or logical
operations upon the data.

5. It can output information: This implies that whatever the computer is doing
can be seen immediately.

6. Works under a set of instructions: This is interesting! It implies that a change

in the computer instruction set will lead to a change in the computer’s
behaviour.

Storage Unit

Input Unit Control Unit Output Unit

e.g Keyboard, e.g Monitor,
Mouse, Light Printer, Disk
Pen etc. base storage etc.

Processing Unit
(Arithmetic and Logic Unit)

A complete computer system

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Types of
Computers
Analogue Computer
An analogue computer (analog in US English) is a form of computer that uses electrical, me-
chanical or hydraulic phenomena to model the problem being solved. A mercury filled thermom-
eter is an example of an analogue computer. The source of input for a thermometer is the tem-
perature, the hotter the temperature, the higher the reading on the thermometer. The mecury or
alcohol inside the thermometer processes the input by either rising when it is hot, or falling when
it is cold. The output is displayed by reading the level of the mercury. The interesting thing about
the analogue computer is that it is very fast! As a matter of fact, analogue computers are faster
than digital computers.

We can demonstrate the superior speed of an analogue computer using a wind vane (an instru-
ment which measures wind direction). A wind vane quickly changes direction the instant the
wind changes direction. A digital computer acting as a wind vane must first execute a set of
instructions to determine the next step of action, before it changes direction.

Although the analogue computer is faster than a digital computer, however, a digital computer is
more accurate than an analogue computer.

Below are examples of analogue computers.

Thermometer

Digital Computer
A digital computer is a machine designed for manipulating data according to a list of instruc-
tions. Unlike an analogue computer, a digital computer can store data (whether input or output
data).

The ability to store data while working on a part of the same data slows down the digital compu-
ter, however, it increases it’s precision.

See page 4 for examples of digital computers.

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Hybrid Computer
Hybrid computers are made by combining features of analogue computers and digital comput-
ers.

In general, analogue computers are extraordinarily fast, since they can solve most complex
equations at the rate at which a signal traverses the circuit, which is generally an appreciable
fraction of the speed of light. On the other hand, the precision of analogue computers is not
good; they are limited to three, or at most, four digits of precision.

Digital computers can be built to take the solution of equations to almost unlimited precision, but
quite slowly compared to analogue computers. For many real-time operations, the speed of
such digital calculations is too slow to be of much use (e.g., for very high frequency phased array
radars or for weather calculations), but the precision of an analog computer is insufficient.

Hybrid computers combines the speed of an analogue computer with the accuracy/precision of
a digital computer in solving real-time problems.

Below is an example of an hybrid computer.

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Brief History of
Computing Devices
Many years ago (1617 precisely), John Napier introduced a device made from wood and some
from ivory which was used for calculating. He called his device ‘Napier bones’. Later in 1642,
Blaise Pascal designed a machine for calculating, he called his device the ‘Pascaline’ digital
adding machine. But the politicians of his day did not allow the machine to survive commercially
– why? They were afraid of losing their position to machines!

Charles Babbage in 1822 conceived the first true general purpose computer called the Difference
Engine, he later conceived the Analytical Engine, he conceived and did not invent because he
never completed both machines! Why? Because the materials of his days could not be
assembled complete such a delicate machine! The first programmer was Ada Lovelace (a
lady!) she was a friend of Charles Babbage and she wrote on what Charles Babbage’s machine
will be able to do in the future. All she wrote is what computers of today are doing – why? Because
modern computers borrowed some ideas from Charles Babbage’s Difference and Analytical
Engines.

In 1890, Herman Hollerith designed the first machine to use electricity and punch cards to record
data. The machine was so fast that it took only six weeks to tabulate the 1890 census of the
United States of America. Hollerith founded a company the Computing-Tabulating-Recording
Company, which in 1942 became the International Business Machines Corporation or IBM.

In 1946 two computer scientists (John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert) designed the ENIAC
(Electrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator). A device which occupied a large room and
made use of 18,000 vacuum tubes, consumed a lot of electricity (180,000 watts), operated on
10 digits numbers (modern computers operate on 2 digits called binary), uses punch card as
keyboard, monitor and printer (as input and output!). The vacuum tubes were constantly being
replaced! Why? They were so unreliable! Blowing up now and then. Nonetheless, the ENIAC
assisted the US Military during the Second World War by calculating trajectory (or flight) of
weapons and by performing other functions.

UNIVAC 1 (UNIVersal Automatic Computer) was the first commercial computer. It was delivered
to the U.S. Census Bureau in 1952. The TX-0 (built in 1956) was the first general-purpose and
programmable computer which was designed using transistors by researchers at MIT. The PDP-
8 minicomputer (introduced in 1965) was the first commercially successful minicomputer.

The first important Personal Computers were produced at the end of the seventies by Apple,
Commodore and Tandy and in the early eighties by IBM.

Baslie
Pascal Charles Babbage
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Generation of
Computers
First Generation
Were large, occupy a lot of space, uses vacuum tubes and consumed a lot of electricity. Exam-
ples are ENIAC and UNIVAC 1. Started around 1946.

Second Generation
Were smaller and faster than the first generation. Occupied less space. Uses transistors and
consumed less electricity. Examples are TRADIC from Bell Laboratories, IBM 7000 series
mainframe computer and the TX-0 from MIT. Started around 1955.

Third Generation
Were smaller and faster than the second generation. Occupied less space. Uses integrated
circuits (about 2,300 to 4,600 transistors integrated within a small space – smaller than a 1
Naira coin) instead of transistors. Consumed less electricity. Examples are Kenbak-1 (1971),
the Micral (1973), the Altair (1975), Apple I (1976, 1977) and IBM System/370

Fourth Generation
Were smaller and faster than the third generation. Occupied less space. Uses integrated cir-
cuits (about 275,000 to 855,000 transistors integrated within a small space – smaller than a 1
Naira coin). Uses LSI (Large Scale Integration) circuit technology. Consumed less electricity.
Can address a lot of memory. Cannot run GUI (Graphic User Interface) programs effectively.
Can run many programs at the same time (multitasking), but not effectively.

Fifth Generation
Were smaller and faster than the third generation. Occupied less space. Uses integrated cir-
cuits (over 1,000,000 transistors integrated within a small space – smaller than a 1 Naira coin).
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) circuit technology. Consumed less electricity. Can address
a lot of memory. Run GUI (Graphic User Interface) programs effectively. Can also run many
programs at the same time (multiprocessing).
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Types of Digital
Computers
MAINFRAME A Mainframe computer
is a high level computer. It is designed
COMPUTER for organisations that require intensive
data computation. It can support over
one thousand users. Users connect to a
mainframe using terminals. A main-
frame computer is very expensive. An
example of a mainframe computer is
the IBM System/360

MINICOMPUTER
A Minicomputer is a mid level computer. It is
designed for organisations that perform complex
computations. Minicomputers are smaller than
mainframe computers. Some are as large as a
refrigerator. Minicomputers are often connected
together on a network. This allow for distributed
processing. Distributed processing ensures that
the workload is not on a single minicomputer,
rather, the workload is distributed amongst many
connected minicomputers. A mini computer is
cheaper than a mainframe computer but is more
expensive than a personal computer. An example
of a minicomputer is the PDP-8 (built by Digital
Research)

PERSONAL COMPUTER
A Personal computer or PC is a
computer that is designed to be
used by one person at a time. The
focus of this book is on the
Personal Computer
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Some types of
Personal Computers

Desktop Computer
Lies or stands on a flat desktop.
Some models are so tall that they
stand on the floor.

Laptop Computer
Sits on the lap of the user.

Palmtop or Handheld
Computer
Sits on the palm/hand of the user.
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The parts of
a Desktop Computer
(Computer Hardware)

System Unit Monitor

Speaker

Keyboard
Joystick
Mouse

Microphone
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Computer Accessories,
Peripherals or Options
Computer accessories or peripherals expand your computer by enhancing it’s capabilities. For
example, adding a scanner to your computer gives you the freedom to transfer your pictures and
documents to your computer for storage purposes.

How to use accessories and peripherals.

1. By attaching them to the connectors/ports located at the back of the system unit or laptop.

2. By adding the accessory or peripheral into an empty slot inside your system unit/laptop.
For example, an extra memory, a more powerful processor or a larger hard drive.

Accessories/peripherals/options are either input devices, output devices or can serve as both
input and output device e.g. a monitor or VDU equipped with touch screen capability.

The following pages explain the various accessories, peripherals or options which can be used
to enhance a computer system.

Warning: Your computer or the accessory/peripheral or both (where applicable) must be turned
off before installation to prevent possible damage to either of them.
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Keyboard
Definition Microsoft Keyboard
A keyboard is a set of typewriter-like
keys that allow you to enter data into a
computer.
Data is anything (numbers, characters
etc.) that you type into the computer.

Enhanced Keyboard

A keyboard allow you to type letters or numbers into the computer. You can use a keyboard to tell
the computer what you want it to do.

Some keyboards contain more keys than others.

Four types of keyboard exists. These are XT Standard Keyboard (84 keys), AT Standard Key-
board (84 keys with a separate numeric keypad), AT Enhanced Keyboard (101 keys) and
Windows Keyboard (104 keys made popular by Microsoft keyboard)

The keyboard is divided into six areas: function keys, typing keys, cursor keys, numeric keypad,
computer keys, and status indicator.

The function keys (marked as F1 to F10 on standard keyboards and F1 to F12 on enhanced
keyboard and Windows keyboard), performs different tasks based on the program being used.
For example F1 in some programs display a help menu. While in other programs it is assigned
a different function (in the diagram below, the function keys are the ones within a black border).

The typing keys work just like those on a normal typewriter (see the diagram below).
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The cursor keys are program controlled. However, their normal task is to position the cursor on
the screen (see the diagram below).

The numeric keypad allow you to either position the cursor or to input numeric data.

The computers keys are not found on typewriters. They execute special task when used alone or
in conjuction with other keys.

Maintenance
1. Dirt, dust and hair can build up causing the keyboard to not function properly.

Procedure: Many people clean the keyboard by turning it upside down and shaking. A more
effective method is to use compressed air. Compressed air is pressurized air contained in a
can with a very long nozzle. Simply aim the air between the keys and blow away all of the dust
and debris that has gathered there. A vacuum cleaner and/or blower can also be used, but make
sure the keyboard doesn’t have loose keys that could possibly be sucked up by the vacuum
cleaner or blown away by the blower.

2. If the keyboard has anything spilt into it (ie: anything liquid), not taking the proper steps can
cause the keyboard to be destroyed.

Procedure: If anything is spilt onto the keyboard turn the computer off immediately. Once the
computer is turned off, quickly flip the keyboard over helping to prevent the substance from
penetrating circuits. While the keyboard is upside down, shake the keyboard over a surface you
do not mind getting wet or that can be cleaned up later. While still upside down, use a cloth to
help clean out what can be reached. After you you have cleaned the keyboard to the best of your
ability leave the keyboard upside down for at least one night allowing it to dry.

If a keyboard does not work after trying it again later it is recommended that it be replaced. If the
keyboard works, however some of the keys are sticky or cannot be pressed in you can attempt
to do additional cleaning in attempt to resolve the issue. Unfortunately many times any sticky
substance is spilt directly onto the keyboard it is usually a loss unless you plan on spending
many hours attempting to clean each key.

3. A keyboard that is used by multiple people, such as students or different employees, may
need to be disinfected to contain the spread of germs.

Procedure: Turn off the computer. Spray a disinfectant onto a cloth or damp a cloth with alcohol
and rub each of the keys on the keyboard. As mentioned earlier, never spray any type of liquid
onto the keyboard.
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Mouse
Definition
A mouse is a device which controls the
movement of the pointer on a screen.
A pointer is the arrow (or any other object)
that appears on your screen and move in the
direction of the mouse.

A mouse allows you to quickly tell the computer to do something. This is possible because you
can point and click on those things (on your computer screen) which you want the computer to
act upon.

To click is to press and release a mouse button once.

The plural form of mouse is mice.

Some mice have three buttons, others two while some have just a button. A mouse can either be
mechanical, optical, or wireless.

Mechanical Mouse: This mouse contains a metal or rubber ball on its under side. When the
ball is rolled in any direction, sensors inside the mouse detect this motion and move the on-
screen mouse pointer in the same direction. Moving the mouse to the left automatically causes
the ball to roll or wheel towards the left, this causes the sensors to move the on-screen mouse
pointer to the left.

Optical Mouse: An optical mouse uses a light-emitting diode (LED), an optical sensor, and
digital signal processing (DSP) instead of a mechanical mouse ball and sensors. Movement is
detected by sensing changes in reflected light, rather than by interpreting the motion of a rolling
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ball. An optical mouse has a small camera that ‘snaps’ the current location, if the location changes
due to the mouse movement, the optical mouse snaps the new location and informs the digital
signal processing unit, this causes the on-screen mouse pointer to change it’s location.

Wireless Mouse: A wireless mouse communicate with your computer using radio (rather than
an infrared) signal. When you purchase a wireless you also get a transceiver (a transceiver is a
device that can send and receive signals). The transceiver is connected to the computer (through
bluetooth or USB - Universal Serial Bus). The wireless mouse itself is powered by one or two
AAA batteries.

Maintenance
1. A dirty optical-mechanical mouse (mouse with a ball) can cause the mouse to be difficult to
move as well as cause strange mouse movement.

Procedure: To clean the rollers of an optical-mechanical mouse, you must first remove the
bottom cover of the mouse. To do this, examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction
the mouse cover should be rotated. As you can see in the below illustration, the mouse cover
must be moved counter clockwise. Place two fingers on the mouse cover and push the direction
of the arrows.

Once the cover has rotated about an inch, rotate the mouse into its normal position, covering the
bottom of the mouse with one hand and the bottom should fall off including the mouse ball. If this
does not occur, attempt to shake the mouse gently.

Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed, you should be able to see three rollers located
within the mouse. Use a cotton swab, your finger, and/or fingernail and move in a horizontal
direction of the rollers. Usually, there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the
roller, remove this dirt and/or hair as much as possible.

Once you have removed as much dirt and hair as possible, place the ball back within the mouse
and place the cover back on.

If the mouse still appears to be having the same issue, repeat the above process; if after several
attempts the mouse is still having the same issues, it’s likely that your mouse has other hard-
ware issues and we recommend that it be replaced.

Note: Cleaning your mouse pad with a damp cloth can also help improve a computer’s
mouse movement.

2. To help keep a mouse clean and germ free it can be helpful to clean the mouse.

Procedure: Use a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol or warm water and rub the surface of
the mouse and each of its buttons.
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Trackball
Definition
A trackball is a device which controls the
movement of the pointer on a screen.
A pointer is the arrow (or any other object) Ball
that appears on your screen and move in the
direction of the mouse.

Buttons

A trackball is a mouse lying on its back. You point to objects on your screen by rotating the ball
with your thumb, your fingers, or the palm of your hand. There are usually one to three buttons
next to the ball, which you use just like mouse buttons.

The advantage of trackballs over mice is that the trackball is stationary so it does not require
much space to use it. moreover, you can place a trackball on any type of surface, including your
lap. For both these reasons, trackballs used to be popular as pointing devices for portable
computers.

Maintenance
1. A dirty optical-mechanical mouse (mouse with a ball) can cause the mouse to be difficult to
move as well as cause strange mouse movement.

Procedure: To clean the rollers of an optical-mechanical mouse, you must first remove the
bottom cover of the mouse. To do this, examine the bottom of the mouse to see which direction
the mouse cover should be rotated. As you can see in the below illustration, the mouse cover
must be moved counter clockwise. Place two fingers on the mouse cover and push the direction
of the arrows.

Once the cover has rotated about an inch, rotate the mouse into its normal position, covering the
bottom of the mouse with one hand and the bottom should fall off including the mouse ball. If this
does not occur, attempt to shake the mouse gently.
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Once the bottom cover and the ball are removed, you should be able to see three rollers located
within the mouse. Use a cotton swab, your finger, and/or fingernail and move in a horizontal
direction of the rollers. Usually, there will be a small line of hair and or dirt in the middle of the
roller, remove this dirt and/or hair as much as possible.

Once you have removed as much dirt and hair as possible, place the ball back within the mouse
and place the cover back on.

If the mouse still appears to be having the same issue, repeat the above process; if after several
attempts the mouse is still having the same issues, it’s likely that your mouse has other hard-
ware issues and we recommend that it be replaced.

Note: Cleaning your mouse pad with a damp cloth can also help improve a computer’s
mouse movement.

2. To help keep a mouse clean and germ free it can be helpful to clean the mouse.

Procedure: Use a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol or warm water and rub the surface of
the mouse and each of its buttons.
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Joystick
Definition
A joystick is an input device having a
lever that can move in all directions and
that controls the movement of an object
on the screen.
A lever is an handle that is used to operate
or control a machine, for example a gear box
has a lever.

Some computers have a joystick. You use a joystick when playing games. It has different buttons
for controlling different aspects of a game.

Maintenance
1. Avoid pulling the lever too hard
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Speaker
Definition
A speaker is a device that converts
electrical current into sound.

We hear sounds from games, movies, musical CDs etc. through the speakers.

Speakers have different buttons or knobs. These buttons or knobs control the power, volume
and in some cases the bass of the speakers.

Maintenance
1. Make sure you connect your speakers to the correct power outlet
2. If your speakers uses battery, ensure that you do not forget the battery inside the speakers
for a long time
3. Do not turn the speakers volume on both the computer and the speakers to the highest
level at the same time!
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Microphone
Definition
A microphone is a device that converts
your voice into electrical current.

You record your voice, or your favourite songs using a microphone.

On some computer systems, a microphone can be used to command and control all aspects of
computer operations.

Maintenance
1. Avoid turning the volumne of the microphone to the highest level from the computer. It
causes interference with the speakers.
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Headphones
Definition
Headphones is a combination of two
small speakers and a small microphone.

Headphones contain both a microphone and earphone speakers.

It is cheaper to purchase headphones than to purchase speakers and a microphone separately.

However, headphones are not ideal for a family computer.

Maintenance
1. Headphones that are used by multiple people may need to be cleaned frequently to help
prevent the spreading of germs and head lice.

Procedure: If the headphones being used are plastic and/or vinyl, moisten a cloth with warm
water and rub the head and earpieces of the headphones. As mentioned earlier in our clean-
ing tips, it is recommended that if your headphones are being used for a library or school that
you do not use any type of disinfectant or cleaning solvent as users may have allergic reac-
tions to the chemicals they contain.

Headphones that have cushions often also have the availability of replacement cushions.
Replacing these cushions can also help keep the headphones clean.
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Monitor
Definition
A monitor is a device that displays
whatsoever the computer want it to
display.

Flat Screen Monitor

This monitor consumes less electricity and
generate less heat.

It is very expensive.

Cathode Ray Tube Monitor

This monitor consumes a lot of electricity and
generate a lot of heat.

It is very cheap.

You see the things you are doing through the monitor. Such things include: drawing a picture,
watching a movie, typing a letter, playing a game.

Maintenance
1. Dirt, dust, and fingerprints can cause the computer screen to be difficult to read.

Procedure: The monitor screen can be cleaned with ordinary household glass cleaner. Be
sure to remove power from the monitor and spray the cleaner onto a lint free-cloth so the fluid
doesn’t leak into the electrical components inside the monitor. Vacuum or brush off any dust that
has settled on top of the monitor, and make sure no books or papers have been placed on the
air vents. Obstructed monitor vents can cause the monitor to overheat or even catch on fire.
Moreover, avoid plugging the monitor into the wrong power outlet. A t the end of the day’s work,
cover the monitor using a clean cloth.
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System Unit
Definition
A system unit is a metal box that con-
tains the motherboard and other compu-
ter parts.

Full-Tower
It is mostly placed on the floor,
beside a desk, in a standing
position.

Mini-Tower
It stands on a desktop or can be placed on a
raised surface beside the desk.

Desktop and Slimline

It lies on a desktop, just like a video machine.
Some desktop system unit are so flat that
they are called slimline desktop.

The system unit houses (and supply electricity to) most of the major components of a personal
computer (such as motherboard, hard drive, CDROM drive, floppy drive etc.)

Interestingly, the system unit is often and incorrectly referred to as the CPU, the hard disk, or the
case by non-specialists, even though each of these things is actually only a component of the
system unit.

Maintenance
1. Keeps the appearance of the computer looking new. During cleaning, if ventilation locations
are found, these can be cleaned helping the case keep a steady airflow to the computer, keep-
ing components cool and in good working condition.

Procedure: The plastic case that houses the PC components can be cleaned with a lint-free
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cloth that has been slightly dampened with water. For stubborn stains, add a little household
detergent to the cloth. It is recommended that you never use a solvent cleaner on plastics.

Make sure all vents and air holes are hair and lint free by rubbing a cloth over the holes and
vents. It is also helpful to take a vacuum around each of the hole, vents, and crevices on the
computer. It is safe to use a standard vacuum when cleaning the outside vents of a computer;
however, if you need to clean the inside of the computer, use a portable battery powered vacuum
to prevent static electricity.
Moreover:
1. Avoid plugging the system unit into the wrong power outlet
2. At the end of the day’s work, cover the system unit using a clean cloth
3. If the system unit is not powering up:
a) Make sure the power cord is properly connected to the power source
b) Test the power source using other equipment - if the power source is OK then call
your engineer.
c) Test the power cord of the system unit with the monitor - if it works, then the problem
not the power cord, call your engineer

Front View of a System Unit

Drives (CD-ROM, floppy disk drive

Power button: Press this

button to power up your com-
puter.

Reset button: Whenever

your computer stops re-
sponding, you can press this
button to reset the compu-
ter.

Turbo button: Pressing

this button increases the
computer speed. Modern
software can do that today,
therefore, this button is now
outdated.

Indicators: These are LEDs

(light emitting diodes). There is Keyboard Lock (keylock):
a LED to indicate power sup- Using a key, you can stop un-
ply, another indicates hard authorised access to your
drive activity, another indicate computer by locking it. The key
if the computer is in turbo comes with the system unit.
mode or not. However, it is now outdated.
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Back View of a System Unit

Power outlet

Fans

Ethernet Port: Used for Local Area

Network (LAN) connections

USB (Universal Serial Bus): For at-

taching USB printer, camera,
mouse, scanner etc

Communication Port (or Serial Port):

For attaching mouse, or any serial
device

Monitor : Connect your

screen here

Parallel Port

PS/2 Ports: For attaching mouse, or

PS/2 keyboard

PCI option slots: Remove any of

these coverings if you want to add
options to your system. Options in-
clude a second ethernet card (LAN
card), addition USB ports etc
 24

Read Only Memory

(ROM-BOIS)

Microprocessor/CPU
Power Supply

CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM
Drive

Floppy Drive
Ports (location)

Hard Disk Drive

Expansion
Cards
Expansion
Slots

Random Access
Memory (RAM)
 25

CD-ROM Drive
Definition
A CD-ROM drive or
player is a device that
can read information
from a CD-ROM
(Compact Disk).

CD-ROM
(Compact Disk)

CD-ROM
Drive

A CD-ROM drive allows you to access Compact Disks (CDs) on your computer.

Some CD-ROM drives can read and write to a compact disk (CD). Writing to a compact disk
implies that the CD-ROM drives can duplicate a compact disk. The proper name for a CD-ROM
drive that allow you to duplicate or create new compact disk is CD-Writer.

Both CD-ROM drives and CD-Writers operate at different speeds such as: 2X, 4X, 8X, 12X,
16X, 24X, 32X, 48X, 52X and so on (X is used as a symbol for speed). The higher the speed,
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the faster the drive.

If you look at the surface of a compact disk using a powerful microscope, you will discover that
the compact disk is made up of tiny pits - however, some areas however do not contain pits. The
combination of pit or no pit is used to represent on/off (the binary state of digital computers).

Maintenance
1. A dirty CD-ROM/CD-Writer drive can cause read errors with CD disks. These read errors
could cause software installation issues or issues while running the program.

Procedure: To clean the CD-ROM drive we recommend purchasing a CD-ROM cleaner from
your local retailer. Using a CD-ROM cleaner should sufficiently clean the CD-ROM laser from
dust, dirt, and hair.

1. Don’t touch the shiny surface of the compact disk. Touching it creates finger prints on the
disc surface, this make the disk unreadable
2. If your CD Player cannot read data from your old CD’s, try cleaning it using a CD lens
cleaner. If problem persist, be ready to change your CD player

Below are various ways you can store your cds.

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DVD-ROM Drive
Definition
A DVD-ROM drive or
player is a device that
can read information
from a DVD-ROM (Dig-
ital Video Disk).

DVD

DVD-ROM
Drive (Internal)

DVD DVD-ROM
R O
M
Drive (External)

A DVD-ROM drive allows you to access Compact Disks (CDs) and Digital Video Disks (DVDs)
on your computer.

Some DVD-ROM drives can read and write to a DVD disk. Writing to a DVD disk implies that
the DVD-ROM drives can duplicate a DVD disk. The proper name for a DVD-ROM drive that
allows you to duplicate or create new DVDs is DVD-Writer.
 28

Both DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Writers operate at different speeds. The higher the speed,
the faster the drive.

If you look at the surface of a DVD disk using a powerful microscope, you will discover that the
DVD disk is made up of tiny pits - however, some areas do not contain pits. The combination of
pit or no pit is used to represent on/off (the binary state of digital computers).

Maintenance
1. A dirty DVD-ROM/DVD-Writer drive can cause read errors with DVD disks. These read
errors could cause software installation issues or issues while running the program.

Procedure: To clean the DVD-ROM drive we recommend purchasing a DVD-ROM cleaner

from your local retailer. Using a DVD-ROM cleaner should sufficiently clean the DVD-ROM laser
from dust, dirt, and hair.

1. Don’t touch the shiny surface of the compact disk. Touching it creates finger prints on the
disc surface, this make the disk unreadable
2. If your DVD Player cannot read data from your old DVD’s, try cleaning it using a DVD lens
cleaner. If problem persist, be ready to change your CD player
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3½ Floppy Drive
Definition
A 3½ floppy drive is a device
that can read information from a
3½ floppy diskette, it can also
store information to a 3½ floppy
diskette.
Floppy Diskettes

Floppy Disk Drive

A floppy drive allows you to read the content of your floppy diskette. It can also write or store your
letters, drawings and games into a floppy diskette.

Once stored, you can take the floppy diskette around with you, and access the content of the
floppy disk at will.

Maintenance

1. Dirty read/write heads on the floppy drive can cause errors during the reading and/or writing
process.

Procedures: The floppy drive can be cleaned in two different ways. The first method of clean-
ing a floppy drive, and our recommended method, is to purchase a kit at your local retail store
designed to clean the read/write heads on your floppy drive.

The second method of cleaning the floppy drive is only recommended for experienced compu-
ter users. Open the floppy drive casing and physically swab the read/write heads with a lint-free
foam soaked in pure alcohol or spirit. When performing these steps, be extremely careful when
cleaning the heads to ensure that you do not knock them out of alignment causing the floppy
drive to not work. To help prevent the heads from getting out of alignment, use a dabbing motion
lightly putting the swab on the head and removing it, do not perform a side-to-side motion with
the swab.
 30

Printer
Definition
A printer is an output device
which can print text and
graphics on paper.

Laser Printer: Is the fastest

amongst printers. It uses
laser to transfer the image to
be printed unto a magnetic
drum. Powder is sprinkled
onto the drum and trans-
ferred onto paper. Finally, an
heating device (fuser roller)
is used to make the powder
permanent on the paper.

Dot Matrix Printer: Re-

produce images and text
using a series of dots. The
more the dots the shaper
the image/ text. The dots
are created using pins
which strikes a inked
ribbon (like the ribbon of a
typewriter) to produce
images/text on a piece of
paper

Inkjet Printer: Reproduce

images and text by spray-
ing ink through nozzles unto
paper. Modern inkjet print-
ers are very fast and can
reproduce sharp colours.
They can also reproduce
picture quality images by
printing on special water
proof papers.
 31

A printer allow you to print your letters and drawings on a piece of paper.

Different printers exists. The most popular ones are laser printers, inkjet printers, and dot-
matrix printers. Some printers can reproduce black, gray and coloured documents, others can
reproduce only black and gray documents.

Maintenance
1. Cleaning the outside of a printer can help keep the printer’s appearance looking good; and
in the case of a printer that is used by many different people, keep the printer clean of germs.

Procedure: First, make sure to turn off the printer before cleaning it. Dampen a cloth with water
or rubbing alcohol and wipe the case and each of the buttons or knobs on the printer. As men-
tioned earlier, never spray any liquid directly onto the printer.

2. With some printers it may be necessary to clean the inside of the printer to help keep the
printer running smoothly.
Procedure: Because of numerous types of printers, different steps in cleaning printers, and
printer manufacturer policies on cleaning the inside of the printer, we recommend you obtain the
printer cleaning steps from your printer manufacturer.
 32

Power Supply
Definition
The power supply converts
the alternating current (AC)
line from your home to the
direct current (DC) needed
by the personal computer.

In a personal computer (PC), the power supply is the metal box usually found in a corner of the
case. The power supply is visible from the back of many systems because:

1. It contains the connectors for your power-cord

2. Because of the cooling fan

A typical failure of a PC power supply is often noticed as a burning smell just before the computer
shuts down. Another problem could be the failure of the vital cooling fan; such failure allows
components in the power supply to overheat. Failure symptoms include random rebooting or
failure in Windows for no apparent reason.

Maintenance:

Warning! Leave maintenance of the Power Supply to qualified technicians only! High voltage
within the power supply can cause injury!

As a computer user, the best you can do is to use a blower to loosen the dirt within the power
supply by blowing into the cooling fan vents.
 33

Scanner
Definition
A scanner is an input device which
uses a laser to pass over a document
in order to store the document’s con-
tent in a computer.

We use a scanner to transfer things (such as our photographs, certificates and other docu-
ments) into a computer or directly to a printer.

Maintenance
1. Flatbed scanners commonly become dirty with dust, fingerprints, and hair. When a scanner is
dirty, the images may have distortions.

Procedure: Clean a flatbed scanner’s surface by spraying a window cleaner onto a paper
towel or cotton cloth and wipe the glass until clean. As mentioned earlier, never spray a liquid
directly onto the component.

To clean the outside of the scanner, the same towel or cotton cloth can be used.
 34

Web Cam
Definition
A web Cam is an input device which
transfer pictures into a computer as a
series of images.

Since web cams can continiously transfer images into a computer, some people uses web
cams to produce low quality videos for personal use. Web cams are also popular amongst
Internet users since it allow them to transmit their videos to other surfers in real time (a surfer is
any person who browses the Internet).

Most web cams connect to a computer through the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port.

Maintenance
1. Web cams commonly become dirty with dust, fingerprints, and hair. When this happens, the
images may have distortions.

Procedure: Clean a flatbed web cam’s surface by spraying a window cleaner onto a paper
towel or cotton cloth and wipe the glass until clean. As mentioned earlier, never spray a liquid
directly onto the component.

To clean the outside of the web cam, the same towel or cotton cloth can be used.
 35

Motherboard
Definition
A motherboard is the largest board
inside a casing or system unit.

The motherboard is where all the components of a computer system are connected. The CPU
or processor is connected to the motherboard, add-on cards are also connected to the
motherboard.

Maintenance
1. Dust and especially particles of cigarette smoke can build up and corrode circuitry causing
various problems such as computer lockups. Note: When inside the computer take the nec-
essary precautions and try to avoid unplugging any cables or other connections.

Procedure: Our recommendation when cleaning the Motherboard from dust, dirt, or hair is to
use compressed air. When using compressed air, hold it in the up-right position; otherwise, it is
possible chemicals may come out of the container that could damage or corrode the Motherboard
or other component within the computer. Also, ensure when using compressed air that you al-
ways blow the dust or dirt away from the motherboard, or out of the case.

Another good alternative to compressed air is to use a portable battery powered vacuum that
can effectively remove the dust, dirt, and hair from the motherboard completely and prevent it
from getting trapped within the case. However, do not use a standard electricity powered vacuum
as it can cause a lot of static electricity that can damage the computer. When using the vacuum
it is vital that you stay a couple inches away from the motherboard and all other components to
help prevent contact as well as to help prevent anything from being sucked into the vacuum.
Ensure that you do not remove any small components with the vacuum such as jumpers. You can
use a blower instead of a vacuum, it works the same way as the compressed air does. Tip:
When cleaning the inside of the case also look at any fans and/or heat sinks. Dust, dirt, and hair
often collect around these components the most.
 36

CPU or Processor
Definition
A CPU or processor is the brain of a
computer system, it controls other
areas of the computer and it is respon-
sible for calculations and for decision
making.

Slot processor
Plugs into a slot
on a motherboard.

Socket processor
Plugs into a socket
on a motherboard.

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) or processor executes instruction fed into the computer, it
also controls the operations of a computer system. It’s operation is similar to the working of the
human brain.

The processor in a personal computer or laptop is called microprocessor. The faster the micro-
processor, the faster your computer system. The speed of the microprocessor is measured in
either million of instructions per second (Mhz - Megaherzt) or billions of instructions per second
(Ghz Gigaherzt) or trillion of instructions per second (Thz Teraherzt).

The processor cannot be seen from the outside of the computer. It resides inside a computer.

Maintenance
1. Dust and especially particles of cigarette smoke can build up and corrode circuitry causing
various problems such as computer lockups. The cooling fan above the heatsink can stop work-
ing, leading to heat build up which result in computer lockups.

Procedure: Our recommendation when cleaning the processor and heat sink from dust, dirt, or
hair is to use a blower. Your may also us a brush. However, a brush can build up static electricity
which may damage components on the motherboard.
 37

Heat Sink and Cooling Fan

Definition Definition
A heat sink is a special metal A cooling fan is placed over an
that is placed over the proces- heat sink in order to lower the
sor in order to lower ithe tem- temperature of the heat sink.
perature of the processor

Cooling Fan

Heat Sink

The faster the processor, the faster your computer and the greater the heat generated by the
processor. To cool the processor (so that it does not overheat and stop working) an heat sink
with a cooling fan are needed.

The heat sink is mounted on top of the processor and the cooling fan is mounted on top of the
heat sink. The heat sink draws out the heat generated by the processor, while the cooling fan
blows off the heat drawn by the heat sink.

Maintenance
1. Dust and especially particles of cigarette smoke can build up and corrode circuitry causing
various problems such as computer lockups. The cooling fan above the heatsink can stop work-
ing, leading to heat build up which result in computer lockups.

Procedure: Our recommendation when cleaning the fan and heat sink from dust, dirt, or hair is
to use a blower. Your may also us a brush. However, a brush can build up static electricity which
may damage components on the motherboard
 38

Memory Module
Definition
A memory module contains seven or
more memory chips. The chips stores
the instructions the CPU is to work
upon and the result of the instructions
that the CPU has worked upon.

Connecting Points

Chips Connecting Points

A memory module contains memory chips. The chips stores whatever the computer is currently
working on.

Two types of memory in use today are SIMMS and DIMMS. A SIMMS memory module has
either 30 or 72 connecting points. A DIMMS memory module has 168 connecting points.
 39

Add-On Cards
Definition Internal Modem Card
Add-on cards (or expansion boards) An internal modem allow a computer to
be connected to a telephone line.
extends the computer’s capability. Through a modem, messages can be
sent (to other computers) and recieved
(from other computers).

Video Card
A monitor (see page 6) or VDU (Visual Display
Unit) connects to a video card. Through such a
connection, you will be able to see what your
computer is doing.

Sound Card
A sound card generate sounds and send the
sound to external speakers.

Add-on cards plug into the computer motherbaord. They add to or extend the capability of a
computer system. For example, a sound card allow the computer to generate sound. A modem
allow the computer to communicate with other computers.
 40

Cables
Definition
Cables are group of wires that
transfer electrical current be-
tween two devices.

Printer Cable
A printer cable allow you to connect
a computer printer to a computer
system.

Monitor Cable
A monitor cable allows you to connect a
monitor to a computer system

Networking Cables
Networking cables allow you to connect
to other computers (or printers or other
intelligent devices) either through a
modem or a network card.

Cables provide a connection between the computer and other devices (such as printers and
monitors).
 41

Uninterruptible Power Supply

(UPS)
Definition
A UPS a power supply equipment
which provides alternative power during
a power outage by switching to its’
built-in batteries.
Power outage refers to power failure.

A UPS stores electrical charges using batteries. Whenever there is a power outage, a compu-
ter connected to a UPS can continue to work for a specific period - such as 18 minutes and
above.

The hard disk in a computer system that is not connected to a UPS will quickly get damaged if
its location is prone to frequent power outages.
 42

Hubs and Switches

Definition
A hub is a device that connects two
or more devices on a network.

The most popular way for client computers to connect to a server (or to other client computers)
is through a hub.

A hub is a device which allow two or more computers to connect to one another.

Hubs can also be use to connect computers to computing devices such as a printer or to other
computers that are miles away (using a radio connection).

A switch performs the same function of a hub. The only difference between a switch and a hub is
that the switch ‘remembers’ the identity of each computer connected to it. This makes the proc-
ess of sending a message faster as mesages are sent directly to the target computer.

On the other hand, a hub ‘broadcast’ the message to all computers connected to it. The broad-
cast contains ‘destination identification information’, if the identification information matches
any of the computers, the computer accepts the message and the proces goes on and on.
 43

Computer Memory or
Storage Media
Computer memory is used to store:
1. Instructions that control the operations of the computer
2. Results from mathematical and logical calculations
3. Instructions that apply the computer resources to achieve a particular goal,
for example, typing a letter
4. Lastly data that has been processed or that will be further processed
on a later date.

The first three functions above is handled by a part of the computer memory called primary
memory. Function four above is handled by secondary memory.

Examples of primary memory are:

1. SIMMS
2. DIMMS
3. DDR

Page 38 has additional information on the primary memories.

Examples of secondary memory are:

1. Hard Disk Drive
2. Floppy Diskette
3. Flash Drive
4. CD-ROM
5. DVD-ROM
 44

Hard Disk Drive

Hard drive
Definition
A hard disk drive is a device that
can store large amount of data.

Hard Disk/Platter:
Where your letters
and documents are Read/Write Head: Responsible
actually stored. It is for ‘writing’ (i.e saving your
made from metal, letters and other documents) on
hence the term the hard disk. It also ‘read’
‘hard disk’ (recall you letters and other
documents) from your hard disk.

A Hard disk drive allow you to store your letters, drawings and games on its hard disk (located
inside). The space on some hard drive is so large that it can contain the whole books in a large
library.

The hard drive cannot be seen from the outside of the computer.

A hard drive and it’s hard disk are built together within the same compartment.

Maintenance
1. While hard drives cannot be cleaned physically, they can be cleaned with various utilities on
the computer to help it run fast and more efficiently. Utilizing these utilities will prevent the hard
drive from slowing down.

2. If you want your hard drive to live longer, ensure you purchase an UPS (uninteruptable power
supply) for your computer. This will keep your computer from crashing during power outages,
and will protect your computer from low and high voltage occurrences.
 45

An UPS is far superior to a surge protector and will save your computer from almost any power
type of disaster.

3. Backup, backup, backup, any data you cannot afford to lose to at least two separate
physical drives. So backup data to floppies, Zip disks, CD-RWs etc.

The time to backup is when you create something you can’t afford to lose. Don’t wait until tomor-
row.

4. Run Scandisk and Defragment at least once a month. This will keep your hard drive
healthy and prevent crashes. Alternatively, purchase Norton Utilities and use it to keep your hard
drive healthy.

5. Never unplug peripherals from the computer when it is powered up. Unplugging with
the power on can short out the connector socket or the motherboard.

The only exception to this rule is if you know a peripheral is “hot pluggable”. If you do not know
what “hot pluggable” means then ignore this exception.

6. Do keep at least 100 MBs of your C: drive free for Windows to use. If you use Windows
Me or Windows XP then you should have 200 MBs of free space on your C: drive.
If you do not have enough free space you will choke Windows and it will start dumping data to
your hard drive, or it will just get really, really, slow.

7. Use the ADD/Delete tool in the Windows Control Panel to delete unneeded programs from
your drive.

You can also use Cleansweep included in Norton Utilities to clean up your drive. If you do use
Cleansweep or another hard drive cleaner, do not delete shared files unless you back them up.
The cleaners do a rotten job of knowing if another program uses shared files.

8. Do not let a lot of programs load up when you start your computer. They use valuable
memory and Windows Resources (Windows internal workspace).
All programs in your Windows System Tray (in the lower left of your screen) are running on your
computer. Close them if you don’t need them or run them and configure them not to load when
you boot up.

Other programs running in the background can be found by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete at the
same time.

9. Do use a virus checker regularly. Everyone should use a virus checker. The best type of
protection is continuous monitoring from a dedicated anti-virus program like Norton Antivirus.
The second best thing is to use is the free online virus checker Housecall provided by Trend
Micro
 46

Zip Drive
Zip Disk Drive
Definition
A zip drive is a device that can
read information from a zip disk,
it can also store information to a
zip disk.

Zip Disk

A Zip drive allow you to store your letters, drawings and games on a zip disk. Once stored,
you can take the zip disk around with you.

A zip drive can be attached to a computer internally or externally.

 47

USB Flash Drive

Definition
A USB Flash Drive is a stor-
age device that uses flash
memory rather than spinning
discs to store data.

USB Flash Drives are typically small, lightweight, removable and rewritable storage devices. As
of April 2007, memory capacities for USB Flash Drives currently are sold from 32 megabytes
up to 64 gigabytes.

To access the data stored in a flash drive, the drive must be connected to a computer, either by
plugging it into a USB host controller built into the computer, or into a USB hub. Flash drives are
active only when plugged into a USB connection and draw all necessary power from the supply
provided by that connection.

However, some flash drives, especially high-speed drives utilizing the USB 2.0 standard, may
require more power. These drives will not work unless plugged directly into a host controller (i.e.,
the ports found on the computer itself).

Flash drives are more resistant to scratches and dust. Scratches and dust were problematic for
previous forms of portable storage, such as compact discs and floppy disks. The durable solid-
state design of flash drives means they often survive casual abuse. This makes them ideal for
transporting personal data or work files from one location to another, such as from home to
school or office or for carrying around personal data that the user typically wants to access in a
variety of places. A drawback to the small size is that they are easy to misplace, leave behind,
or otherwise lose.

Flash drives are also a relatively dense form of storage, where even the cheapest will store
dozens of floppy disks worth of data. Many can hold more data than a CD (700 MB). Top of the
line flash drives can store more data than a double-sided dual-layer DVD - even 64 GB and ore.
 48

Like all flash memory devices, flash drives can sustain only a limited number of write and erase
cycles before failure. Mid-range flash drives under normal conditions will support several hun-
dred thousand cycles, although write operations will gradually slow as the device ages.

Flash drives are much more tolerant of abuse than mechanical drives, but can still be damaged
or have data corrupted by severe physical impacts. Improperly wired USB ports can also de-
stroy the circuitry of a flash drive, a danger in home-built desktop PCs.

Before removing your flash drive from your computer, ensure that you have properly stopped the
flash drive by following the steps below (the steps below apply to users of Windows 2000 and
above):

1. Place your mouse pointer over the Safely Remove Hardware icon on your system tray

Click here

2. Click on it, a popup menu (shown below) will appear. Click on the USB item you want to
safely remove from the list within the popup menu

From the popup menu above, I clicked on Safely remove USB Mass
Storage Device - Drive (H:) - my flash drive. The second USB device
shown above is my printer.

3. If you do not have any active opened folder or files from you flash drive, the popup
message box below will appear

4. You can now safely remove your flash drive!

 49

Floppy Diskette
Definition
A floppy disk is a soft magnetic disk.
The disk inside the case flops (that is
it bends back and forth).

We store letters, drawings and games on a floppy diskette.

A floppy diskette can store over one million and forty-four thousand characters. Once again, a
character is either an alphabet or a number or a symbol (A, 2, and * are all examples of charac-
ters)

The content of a floppy diskette can be accessed using a floppy disk drive.
 50

Zip Disk
Definition
A zip disk is a storage
device that looks like a 3½
floppy diskette.

A zip disk can store many letters, drawings and games.

Infact a single zip disk can store the content of 66 diskettes and above!

You access the content of a zip disk by using a zip drive.

 51

CD-ROM
Definition
A CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only
Memory) is an optical disk which can store
large amount of data.
Optical disks are written to or read from using
lasers. Laser is a special type of light.

Compact

disc

A CD-ROM may contain musical data (audio cd), video data (video cd), or personal computer
data (program cd).

A CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) can contain over six hundred and fifty million
characters! A character is either an alphabet or a number or a symbol (A, 2, and * are all exam-
ples of characters).

You access the content of a CD-ROM by using a CD-ROM drive.

Maintenance
1. Dirty CDs can cause read errors and/or cause CDs to not work at all.

Procedure: Cleaning CDs should be done with a CD cleaning kit but can also be done with a
normal clean cotton cloth or shirt. When doing this with a clean cotton cloth or shirt, wipe against
the tracks, starting from the middle of the CD and wiping towards the outer side of the CD.
Never wipe with the tracks; doing so may put more scratches on the CD.

It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD

cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used.
 52

DVD-ROM
Definition
A DVD-ROM (Digital Video Disk Read-Only
Memory) is an optical disk which can store large
amount of data (more than twenty CD-ROMs).
Optical disks are written to or read from using lasers.
Laser is a special type of light.

DVD
Video

DVD-ROMs look so similar to CD-ROMs that the only way of knowing which is which is by
looking at the inscription on them. That is, DVD will be inscribed on a DVD-ROM, while Com-
pact Disk will be inscribed on a CD-ROM.

A single DVD-ROM can store the content of twenty CD-ROMs! Hence it is used to store video
data.

You access the content of DVD-ROM by using a DVD-ROM drive.

Maintenance
1. Dirty CDs can cause read errors and/or cause CDs to not work at all.

Procedure: Cleaning CDs should be done with a CD cleaning kit but can also be done with a
normal clean cotton cloth or shirt. When doing this with a clean cotton cloth or shirt, wipe against
the tracks, starting from the middle of the CD and wiping towards the outer side of the CD.
Never wipe with the tracks; doing so may put more scratches on the CD.

It is recommended when cleaning a CD that water is used. However, if the substance on a CD

cannot be removed using water, pure alcohol can also be used.
 53

Computer Network
Definition
A computer network is the
interconnection of comput-
ers and computing de-
vices.
Computing devices include
printers, scanners etc.

A computer network is a group of computers connected to one another for the purpose of shar-
ing resources (such as printers).

When computers are connected together, users can communicate with one another from their
computer using either e-mail (Electronic Mail), chat programs (such as Yahoo! Messenger,
GoogleTalk or MSN), PC to PC voice call (using a microphone/headset) etc.

Within a computer network, documents such as letters and drawings can be sent between com-
puters without using diskettes or zip disks.
 54

Server
Definition
A server is a computer
on a network that man-
ages network re-
sources.
Network resources in-
clude internet connection,
printers, scanners etc.
Server

Printer

A server is a very powerful computer. It has lots of memory and one or two hard drives with lots
of storage space.

As its name implies, a server is a computer which can serve other computers (called clients)
with requested information or services.

For example, an organisation having ten computers and a printer, can configure one of the
computers to be the Print Server. Other computers will be able to print through the Print Server
to the single printer connected to it.
 55

Client
Definition
A client is a computer on a
Client network that accesses the
resources of a server.

Clients

Any computer that connects to a server for the purpose of using the facilities on the server is
called a client.

Client computers generally connects to a server because they lack the facility or service they are
requesting from the server.

For example, in a cybercafe, only the server is connected to the internet. Whenever a client
computer requires information from the internet, it sends its’ request to the server, the server
makes the necessary connection and send the result back to the client computer.
 56

Computer Lab

A computer lab is a room which contains many computers, printers, scanners and other elec-
tronic equipment designed for public use.

It is expected that libraries, schools, government buildings, science labs, and research centers
all maintain a computer lab. In addition, some cybercafes provide labs with computers to use for
an hourly fee.

Computers in these labs may have software installed to limit, trace, or block certain activities.
Due to the high number of computers in a lab, many lab administrators choose to use remote
administration software (such as VNC) to monitor and control client activities.

Computer labs in schools often have classroom management software installed to manage and
control student computer activity from the teacher’s computer, to monitor or prevent web brows-
ing and to remotely control student computers. An example of such a software is NetGauge -
School Edition. For more information on this software please call 08030677646, callers out-
side Nigeria can call 234 803 677646.
 57

Computer Worm
A computer worm is a program written with the intention of spreading itself automatically to other
computers via a computer network.

The majority of computer worms do not carry a payload (a payload is additional program code
that not only spread the worm but also delete files found on infected systems).

The first implementation of a worm was by Researchers John F Shoch and Jon A Hupp of Xerox
PARC in 1978. Shoch and Hupp originally designed the worm to find idle processors on the
network and assign them tasks, sharing the processing load, and so improving the 'CPU cycle
use efficiency' across an entire network. They were self-limited so that they would spread no
farther than intended.

Today however, wicked programmers design worms that can effectively cripple network serv-
ices. Examples are: Mydoom, Sobig and Morris Worm.

Below are ways by which worms can spread:

Email Worms Spread via email messages. Once activated the worm will send itself out trying
to infect other systems on the local network or on the Internet.

Instant messaging worms The spreading method used by this worm is by sending links to
infected websites to everyone on the local contact list. The only difference between these and
email worms is the way chosen to send the links. Examples of programs that can be used
include MSN and Yahoo! Messenger

IRC Worms Chat channels (such as Yahoo! of MSN) are the main target and the same infec-
tion/spreading method is by sending infected files or links to infected websites. Infected file
sending is less effective as the recipient needs to confirm receipt, save the file and open it
before infection will take place.

File-sharing networks worms The worm will place a copy of itself in a shared folder under a
harmless name. Any use who clicks to open such file is quickly infected and spreading of the
infected file will continue.

Internet Worms An infected machine aggressively scans random computers on both its local
network and the public Internet attempting an exploit, if successful, the worm spreads to that
machine.

Computer Virus
Unlike biological viruses, computer viruses do not simply evolve by themselves, moreover, they
do not come into existence spontaneously. They are deliberately created by programmers to do
what the programmers have programmed them to do.

In a nut-shell, a computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer
without permission or knowledge of the user.

A virus infects a file by copying itself into the file. Some viruses can modify themselves while
copying, creating a new variant which makes it difficult for antivirus programs to detect them.
 58

A virus can only spread from one computer to another when an infected file is executed on an
uninfected computer, for instance by a user sending it over a network or carrying it on a floppy
disk, CD, or USB drive.

Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses. A worm can spread
itself to other computers without needing to infect a file.

A Trojan horse is a form of malware that presents itself as a legitimate program. Trojan horses
do not copy their code into other computer files.

The computer ‘virus’ comes from the term virus in biology. A computer virus reproduces by
making copies of itself in the computer's memory, storage, or over a network. This is similar to
the way a biological virus works. Computer viruses can also be programmed to reproduce a
modified copy of themselves making it difficult for anti-virus scanners to detect them.

Some viruses are programmed to damage the computer by damaging programs, deleting files,
or reformatting the hard disk. Others are not designed to do any damage, but simply replicate
themselves and perhaps make their presence known by presenting text, video, or audio, mes-
sages. Even these benign viruses can create problems for the computer user. They typically
take up computer memory used by legitimate programs. As a result, they often cause erratic
behavior and can result in system crashes. In addition, many viruses are bug-ridden, and these
bugs may lead to system crashes and data loss.

There are many viruses operating in the general Internet today, and new ones are discovered
every day. Some viruses infect the boot sector of a disk while others infect files on a disk, a third
group can infect both boot sector and files on a disk. Chernobyl, CIH, Bliss, Elk Cloner, (c)Brain
are examples of viruses.

Data Transmission
Data transmission is the movement of any kind of information from one space to another. His-
torically this could be done by messengers, a bonfires and smoke, drums, trumpets, and later by
Morse code over copper wires.

In recent computer terms, it means sending a stream of bits or bytes from one location to an-
other using any number of technologies, such as copper wire, optical fiber, laser, radio, or infra-
red light. Practical examples include moving data from one storage device to another and ac-
cessing a website, which involves data transfer from web servers to a user's browser.

Data can be transmitted in two ways, either serially or in parallel.

Serial transmission transmit bits over a single wire individually. Although only one bit is sent at a
time, high transfer rates are possible. Data can be transmitted over longer distances as a check
digit or parity bit can be sent along the data. A check bit or parity bit is used to verify the integrity
of the data being transmitted, to ensure none of the bits are lost during transmission.

Parallel transmission uses multiple wires and transmit bits simultaneously. It is much faster than
serial transmission as one byte can be sent rather than one bit. This method is used internally
within the computer, for example the internal buses, and sometimes externally for such things as
printers.
 59

Data Processing
Data processing is any computer process that converts data into information or knowledge.
Because data are most useful when well-presented and actually informative, data-processing
systems are often referred to as information systems to emphasize their practicality. Neverthe-
less, both terms are roughly synonymous, performing similar conversions; data-processing sys-
tems typically manipulate raw data into information, and likewise information systems typically
take raw data as input to produce information as output.

During the 1970s, computer programmers and system analysts call their systems data processing
systems, today however, such systems includes the word information, such as information sys-
tems, information technology systems, or management information systems.

More generally, the term data processing can apply to any process that converts data from one
format to another, although data conversion would be the more logical and correct term. From
this perspective, data processing becomes the process of converting information into data and
also the converting of data back into information.

Data processing can be done either in real time, batch or online.

Batch Processing
Batch processing is the execution of a series of programs or commands on a computer without
human interaction.

Batch jobs or processes are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction,
so all input data is avaible through scripts or specified when starting the batch process from the
commandline (the commandline is a prompt that allow a computer user to specify commands to
execute or files to run by typing such commands or files). This is in contrast to interactive pro-
grams which prompt the user for such input.

The following are benefits of batch processing:

n Allows sharing of computer resources among many users
n Schedule the time for job processing to when the computing resources are less busy
n It avoids idle CPU cycles by eliminating time consuming human interaction and supervi-
sion. For example if a user is to execute 200 commands daily, it will take nearly 400 min-
utes for the user to type each command, however, if the commands are stored in a file
(script) the computer can execute all the commands one at a time without waiting for the
user to type them one after the other.

Batch processing was made famous on mainframe computers. Since this class of computer
was so expensive, batch processing was used for the reasons listed above.

Batch processing has grown beyond its mainframe origins, and is now frequently used in UNIX
environments. Similarly, Microsoft DOS and Windows systems refer to their command-scripting
language as batch files and Windows has a job scheduler.
 60

Data Validation
In computer science, data validation is the process of ensuring that a program operates on
correct and useful data. It uses various programming techniques that check for correctness or
meaningfulness of data that are input to the system.

The simplest data validation verifies that the characters provided come from a valid set. For
example, when typing the cost of an item, it is expected that only numeric data should be permit-
ted as input to the system, that is 0 to 9.

Incorrect data validation can lead to data corruption or a security breach. Data validation checks
that the data are valid and sensible/reasonable before they are processed. Methods used for
validation are:

Format Check: Which ensures that the data is in an expected format, e.g., dates have to be in
the format DD/MM/YYYY (DD = Day, MM = Month, YYYY = Year).

Data Type Checks: Check the data type of the input and give an error message if the input
data does not match with the chosen data type, e.g., In an input box accepting numeric data, if
the letter 'O' was typed instead of the number zero, an error message would appear.

Range Check: Checks that the data lie within a specified range of values, e.g., the months
within a year should lie between 1 and 12.

Limit Check: Unlike range checks, data is checked for one limit only. For example, data should
not be greater than 2 (>2).

Presence Check: Checks that important data are actually present and have not been missed
out, e.g., customers may be required to have their telephone numbers listed.

Check Digits: Used for numerical data. An extra digit is added to a number which is calculated
from the digits. The computer checks this calculation when data are entered, e.g., The ISBN for
a book. The last digit is a check digit calculated using a modulus 11 method.

Batch Totals: Checks for missing records. Numerical fields may be added together for all
records in a batch. The batch total is entered and the computer checks that the total is correct,
e.g., add the 'Total Cost' field of a number of transactions together.

Spelling Check: Looks for spelling and grammar errors.

Consistency Checks: Checks fields to ensure data in these fields corresponds, e.g., If Title =
"Mr.", then Sex = "M".
 61

Computer Software
A computer software is a set of programs which controls a computer system.

Every computer system requires two types of programs in order to work smoothly.

These programs are:

1. Operating System
2. Application programs

Operating System
An operating system is a set of computer programs which controls the microprocessor, man-
ages various computer resources (such as hard drive, CD-ROM drive, printers etc.) and trans-
late/interprete commands and mouse movement.

Without an operating system, no application program can work.

Examples of popular operating systems include Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and
Windows XP. Others are Linux, OS/2, MS-DOS, MacOS, and Unix.

Application Programs
Application programs allow you to apply the computer resources to solve a particular problem
or to arrive at a particular result.

For example to type a letter, you can make use of Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word applys the
computer resources such as keyboard, hard drive, memory etc. to generate the letter.

The more application programs that are designed for an operating system, the more popular
that operating system becomes. The popularity of Microsoft Windows today hinges on this fact.

The major areas covered by application programs are:

1. Games
2. Tutorials
3. Accounting
4. Spreadsheet
5. Word-Processing
6. Computer Graphics
7. Desktop Publishing
8. Database Management System others are Communication and Security

Games
There are so many types of computer games in the market today. The essence of these games
is to compete against other players (computer or human). However some games allow you to
just have fun alone.

Below are some popular games and how to play them.

 62

Super Mario
Super Mario is a game whose sole objective is to make sure that your character (Mario) re-
mains alive in the midst of many dangerous attackers and obstacles.

How to play
Alt key - Jump up
Ctrl key - Increases speed
Esc key - Exit the program
S - Show status
Left Arrow key - Move Left
Right Arrow key - Move Right

Paranoid
The purpose of Paranoid is to keep the ball bouncing on the bat. Once the ball falls off the bat,
you lose a ball.

How to play
Left Shift key - Move bat left
Right Shift key - Move bat right
Spacebar key - Start the game
F10 - Exit the program

Accolade Grand Prix Circuit

Learn how to drive! This program teaches you how to drive a racing car on different tracks in
different countries.

How to play
To select a game type and to enter your name
Left, Right, Up and Down Arrow keys - Moves between options Enter Key
- Move to the racing tracks
section
To select a racing car
Left, Right, Up and Down Arrow keys - Move between tracks
Enter/Spacebar Key - Move to the racing cars section

To select a racing car

Up and Down Arrow keys - Move between racing cars
Enter/Spacebar Key - Start the game

While driving a racing car

Up Arrow key - Increases speed (accelerator)
Down Arrow key - Decreases speed (brakes)
Left Arrow key - Turn steering wheel left
Right Arrow key - Turn steering wheel right

Spacebar Key - (Professional mode) Changes gear

To quit the program

Press Esc until you see the question
Exit to DOS (Y/N)
Press Y
 63

Tutorials
Over the years, computer assisted learning has successfully taught useful skills to many people
around the world. This is because it adopts a learn-at-your-own-pace approach.

Most offer specialise information (in engineering, mathematics, programming etc.) while others
provide general information.

Popular learning programs include Encarta Encyclopedia, Amy First Primer etc.

Accounting
A good accounting package takes the bone out of accounting. This it does by handling all ac-
counting calculations. All the accountant has to do is to provide the various account titles, the
account types and their current values.

With the information provided, an accounting program can generate a trail balance and even a
balance sheet! Moreover, it can track debtors and show you your creditors.

Popular accounting programs include Sage, Peachtree Accounting, DacEasy.

Spreadsheet
The primary function of a spreadsheet program is to analyse data. Data is only useful after it has
been successfully analsyed. Infact, modern spreadsheet are so versatile that they can analyse
virtually anything you want them to analyse!

The following are some of the things a spreadsheet program can do:
1. It can calculate the percentage scores of students and award position based on the
percentage.

2. It can can store and analyse the daily transactions of a business.

3. It can create complex tables.

Examples of popular spreadsheet programs include, Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 etc.

Word-Processing
The most popular usage of computer systems today is in the area of word-processing. Word-
processing deals with the creation and formating of units of text.

Every organisation depend on their word-processing department in order to prepare various

documents.

Popular word-processing prograns include Lotus WordPro, Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect.

Computer Graphics
The art of using a computer system to create complex designs is known as computer graphics.
Today’s computer assisted design (CAD) program can be used to create models of ships,
houses, aircraft and virtually anything that has a fixed shape!
 64

Examples of popular computer graphics programs are: CorelDraw!, AutoCad, Illustrator etc.

Desktop Publishing
Using a computer system connected to a laserjet printer to create complex documents (such as
magazines and newspaper) is known as desktop publishing.

Unlike word-processing, a desktop publishing program allows you to easily place your text and
graphics on any part of the page.

The most popular example of a desktop publishing program is Adobe PageMaker

Database Management System (DBMS)

The process of using a computer system to store the personal details of pupils, teachers, clean-
ers, gardeners, security guards etc. is called database management system. However, a data-
base is not limited to the storing of the above information. A doctor can have a database of all
his/her patient stored in a computer system.

Most database management systems allow the user to interact with the database by modifying
or searching or retrieving information from the database. Oracle, Microsoft Access and Borland
Paradox, MySQL, SQL Server, DB2 are examples of database management systems.

Communication
Using a computer system to send instant messages, e-mails and voice mail is referred to as
communication. Computer communication has become so versatile that voice can be sent over
the Internet Protocol; this is known as VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). Examples of commu-
nication software are: Sendmail, Qmail, Exchange Server, Yahoo! Messenger, GoogleTalk, MSN
etc.

Security
With the advent of the Internet, security software are quickly becoming a group on it’s own. Apart
from anti-virus software (which protects your PC from virus attacks), security software exists
which safeguard your PC from being hijacked by cyber-criminals who can turn your PC into a
zombie and use it to send messages to other computers or use your PC to try and convert other
PCs into zombies as well.

Security software will continue to play a very important role in the future as man rely more on
computer communication.
 65

Computer Programming
Personally, I find computer programming to be the most exciting aspect of computing. Of course
this is a personal view, am not ready to defend my view against the wonderful geeks who de-
signed the microprocessor (with the aid of a computer program), or the designers who produce
wonderful designs (using a program written by programmers). Anyway, the computer is dead
without computer programming. Like a car without petrol, or tea without sugar, or an aromatic
stew without salt.

Programming is all about creativity. The more creative you are, the easier it is for you to design
computer programs. Using a set of commands from a programming language, you can create
computer based solutions.

Before you can write computer programmers, you must have an editor and install either a com-
piler or an interpreter of you choice.

An editor is a program which allows you to type your programs.

A compiler translates programs written in English-like language into binary code (the 0s and 1s)
which the computer understands. The compiler first translates all the instructions in your pro-
gram into binary code before executing the translated binary code. It does this once.

An interpreter on the other hand translates each line of the program one after the other while
executing the instructions within your program. It literally interpret you program line by line and
execute same line by line, unlike a compiler which literally compiles the program and execute
the compiled program.

The most popular programming language is BASIC. It stands for Beginners All-purpose Sym-
bolic Instruction Code. With BASIC, a beginner can quickly get started with programming. How-
ever, to write very useful programs, it is expected that a programmer learn other programming
languages such as: C and or C++, JAVA, PHP/JSP (Java Server Pages)/ASP.NET (for design-
ing web applications), C#, COBOL (getting outdated), PERL etc.

BASIC is available either as compiler or interpreter. One of my favourite version of BASIC is

Turbo Basic. Others include QuickBasic and Qbasic (both from Microsoft). QuickBasic 4.5 is
available as a compiler while Qbasic is available as interpreter. Liberty BASIC is another popu-
lar version of BASIC which is free of charge.

However, lets start with trusty old BASIC.

When writing a BASIC program, some programmers like using line numbers. Line numbers are
still supported but are no longer necessary.

To show how easy BASIC is, I will write a program that asks for two numbers and will compute
and display the sum of the numbers.
 66

again:

CLS

INPUT “Enter the first number: ”, num1

INPUT “Enter the second number: ”, num2
PRINT
PRINT

answer = num1 + num2

PRINT “The sum of ”; num1; “ and ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

PRINT
PRINT

INPUT “Will you like to continue? (Y/N): ”, choice$

IF choice$ = “Y” OR choice$ = “y” THEN GOTO again ELSE END

The short program above contains all the ingredient of most programs i.e
1. Collect input from user
2. Store the input
3. Process the input
4. Store the result
5. Display the result
6. Perform logical operation
7. Resume execution from a location within the program

Collect Input from User, Store the Input

The lines

INPUT “Enter the first number: ”, num1

INPUT “Enter the second number: ”, num2
INPUT “Will you like to continue? (Y/N): ”, choice$

performs two functions. Firstly it collects data from the user. Secondly, it stores the data in
variables num1, num2, and choice$.

Process the Input, Store the Result

The line

answer = num1 + num2

processes the result of the input using mathematical equations. It also store the result in the
variable answer.

Display the Result

The line
 67

PRINT “The sum of ”; num1; “ and ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

displays the result of processing

Perform Logical Operatio, Resume Execution from a Location within the Program
The line

IF choice$ = “Y” OR choice$ = “y” THEN GOTO again ELSE END

performs logical operation on the user’s input (which was stored in choice$). It compares
choice$ to character “Y” or character “y”, if this is the case. Note that the comparision affects
both uppercase and lowercase characters.

Based on the user input, the program either return to the beginning or terminates itself.

Program II
The next program is an extension of the first program. It introduces all mathematical equations
supported by BASIC

again:

CLS

INPUT “Enter the first number: ”, num1

INPUT “Enter the second number: ”, num2
PRINT
PRINT

REM addition
answer = num1 + num2
PRINT “The sum of ”; num1; “ and ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

REM multiplication
answer = num1 * num2
PRINT “The product of ”; num1; “ and ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

REM subtraction
answer = num1 - num2
PRINT num1; “ minus ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

REM normal division (with remainder)

answer = num1 / num2
PRINT num1; “ divided by ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

REM integer division (no remainder)

answer = num1 \ num2
PRINT num1; “ divided by ”; num2; “ is ”; answer
 68

REM find remainder after a normal division

answer = num1 mod num2
PRINT “The modulus or remainder of ”; num1; “ and ”; num2; “ is ”; answer

PRINT
PRINT

INPUT “Will you like to continue? (Y/N): ”, choice$

IF choice$ = “Y” OR choice$ = “y” THEN GOTO again ELSE END

The $ symbol in front of choice is an instruction to the computer to store the content of choice$
as a series of values or a string.

The program code above introduces some of the mathematical symbols supported by BASIC.
I wish I have more time to write on BASIC programming, but am afraid it will require a whole
book to do that. Hope the two short examples above will spur you into action. Anyway by God’s
grace watchout very soon for my book on BASIC programming.

Data Type or Variable Type Identifier

! Single-precision
% Integer
# Double-precision
$ String
& Long-integer

Mathematical Symbols supported by BASIC

* Multiplication symbol
/ Division symbol (slash)
= Relational operator or assignment symbol
> Greater than
+ Plus sign
< Less than
\ Integer division symbol
^ Exponentiation symbol

Other Special Symbols

' or REM Comment line (single quote)
- Minus sign
; Controls PRINT and INPUT statement output
, Controls PRINT and INPUT statement output
: Separates multiple statements on a single line
. Decimal point
 69

Using the Internet

What is the Internet?
The Internet is the largest collection of connected computers. It is a worldwide network of differ-
ent computers running different operating systems but able to communicate with one another.

The success of the Internet is based on the international standard of connecting computing
devices using TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).

When you type www.microsoft.com in order to visit Microsoft web site, you have actually typed
the friendly name of Microsoft domain server whose IP address is 198.105.232.5. To confirm
this, instead of typing www.microsoft.com in the address bar, type 198.105.232.5 and press the
Enter key.

What is on the Internet?

The following are some of the services which the Internet offers:

E-mail (Electronic Mail)

Allows a message to be sent to one or more persons via the computer. Before you can send or
receive e-mail, you must have an e-mail address. My e-mail address for example is
[email protected].

Where:
sureandtrue = My e-mail account or USER ID (similar to a post office box)
@ = A symbol to denote “AT” or “LOCATION”
gmail.com = The identity of the computer (domain) where my
e-mail account is stored.

World Wide Web (www)

This allows for the easy creation and use of internet web pages. It also provides a way for one
web page to call another web page.

Most web pages contain audio, video and still images. Such web pages attract a lot of visitors.

An example of a web page

 70

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

This allows for the easy transfer of files between computers on the internet. It has become so
popular that many software companies are now selling their programs through the Internet.

Telnet
This allows a user to ‘log in’ to a remote computer and to use it (as if it is in the same room with
him or her).

Gopher
Is a system that allows the creation and use of directories of files held on computers on the
Internet.

Usenet
Usenet allows instant and worldwide distribution of news messages among thousands of user
groups, called newsgroups.

How to Connect to the Internet

Before connecting to the internet, you must make sure that you meet the following require-
ments:

When Connecting from a Home Computer or a Small Office Computer

1. Your computer must be equipped with a modem connected to a telephone line
2. Your computer must be loaded with internet software (such as Microsoft Internet Ex-
plorer, or Netscape Communicator)
3. To reduce the cost of connecting to the Internet, you should connect through a local ISP
(Internet Service Provider)

This method of connecting to the Internet through a modem connected to a telephone line is
called dial-up connection.

When Connecting from a CyberCafe

1. Make sure that the radio that brings in the signal is on and working properly.
2. Make sure that the cable from the radio is connected to the server.
3. Make sure that all IP addresses are properly configured
4. Make sure that the server is online and is receiving signal from the ISP.
5. Make sure that all client computers are equipped with working networking cards.
6. Make sure that the hub is on and working well.
7. Type in your user’s name and password (where applicable)

This method of connecting to the internet uses a VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) to
 71

receive signals from satellites in space. This signal is eventually transmitted to all subscribers.

What is a Web Browser?

A web browser is a program that allows you to use the services availabe on the Internet.
Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are examples of popular web brows-
ers.

Internet Explorer is by far the most popular web browser. It also comes free with some ver-
sions of Microsoft Windows. The discussion of this book will cover Internet Explorer.

Starting Internet Explorer

Once your computer is configured to browse the Internet, you can start Internet Explorer by
clicking on the Internet Explorer’s icon on the Taskbar or on the Desktop or by clicking on
Start, then Programs then Internet Explorer.

Click on Internet
Explorer’s Icon
 72

A Closer Look at Internet Explorer

Below is a screenshot of Internet Explorer showing the various parts.

Title Close
System Bar Minimize Button
Menu
Menu Address Bar Button
Bar Toolbar

Maximize
and Restore
Button

Browser’s
Window

Status Scroll
Bar Bar

System Menu
Allows you to Restore, Maximize, Minimize, Size, Move or Close the Internet Explorer’s window.

Title Bar
Displays the name of the website that you are browsing.

Menu Bar
Contain different options that you can use with Internet Explorer. Such as printing, saving a web
page to disk, increasing the font size of a web page, visiting popular web sites, moving between
web pages (backward and forward) etc. However the menu option I find most interesting is the
Favorites menu. It provides link to popular web sites - whose existence I may not know of.
 73

Toolbar
Contains buttons that link you to various options that you can use with Internet Explorer. The
most popular buttons on the toolbar shown below.

Back Button Stop Button

Take you a step to Stops whatever Home Button
the previous web website or Returns you to
webpage that the the beginging of Print Button
page.
browser is the current Prints the
That is the page
currently loading. website. content of the
you were browsing
current web
before linking to
page.
the current page

Forward Button
Refresh Button
Take you a step to
Reloads a
the next web page.
webpage. Useful if
That is the page
you want to quickly
you were browsing
make use your
before coming
phone line to make
back to the current
a call before re-
page
dialing your ISP. Or
when the web
server is reset.

Address Bar
Allows you to type the website you wish to visit or to select from a list of website which you have
visited before. For example to visit Yahoo’s website, you type www.yahoo.com in the Address
Bar. Next, you can either click on the Go button or you press the Enter key.

Minimize Button
Allows you to collaspe the selected Internet Explorer window into the Taskbar.

Maximize/Restore Button
Allows you to maximize the selected Internet Explorer window or to restore it to the default size.

Close Button
Allows you to exit the current Internet Explorer’s session.

Status Bar
Displays the current operation of Internet Explorer.

Scroll Button
Allows you to view unseen parts of a long web page.
 74

How to Create a Free E-mail Account With Yahoo Mail

You can create your free e-mail account by following the steps below:
1. Start Internet Explorer
2. In the Address Bar type mail.yahoo.com and press Enter. Once the web page is loaded,
it should display the window below.

Click
here

3. Click on Sign up now to begin the creation of your free e-mail account. This should
display the window below:

Click
here
 75

4. Within the Free Yahoo Mail box, Click on Sign Up Now to begin the registration of your
free e-mail account. This should display the window below (the entries in the screenshots
below contain data for my personal e-mail address. Substitute each entry with your own
personal information and click on Submit button at the end of your data entry)

4
 76

5. Sometimes, the name you want to use for your e-mail account might have been used by
someone else. Yahoo Mail will alert you if this is the case. In addition, it will suggest
some names you can use for your e-mail account, you may decide to select from it’s list
of suggestions or create a new e-mail account having a unique name. From the
screenshot below, the name I planned to use for my e-mail account is being used by
someone already; therefore, I changed my e-mail account to arthuribukunoluwa.

6
 77

6. If you look carefully at screenshot 4, you will observe that I omitted the Zip/Postal Code
for the selected country (United States). My reason for omitting the zip code is because
I want to customise the country to Nigeria after the completion of my data entry. This I
have done below: (Remember to scroll to the bottom of the web page and click on the
Submit button in order to process your new data entry)

8
 78

7. My e-mail account has been successfully created with Yahoo Mail! The screenshot be-
low display’s both the account’s ID and the full e-mail address. At this point, I may decide
to subscribe to any of the articles from the companies listed on the screenshot below.
Since I hate having my e-mail account loaded with unnecessary mails, I will not sub-
scribe to the advertised articles. Rather, I will scroll to the bottom of the web page and
click on Continue to Yahoo Mail.

10
 79

8. The last screenshot for this session displays my e-mail account showing my Inbox Folder,
Draft Folder, Sent Folder, and Trash Folder.

11

Inbox Folder: Stores all my mails (old and new).

Draft Folder: Stores all saved mails. That is mails that I have not finished
typing.
Sent Folder: Stores all mails that I have sent to other people.
Trash Folder: Temporarily store all mails that I have deleted.
9. To safeguard my e-mail account from others, I must sign out of Yahoo Mail before closing
Inter Explorer. This I will do by clicking on [Sign Out] from the screenshot below:

Next click here to completely sign

out of Yahoo Mail
Click here to sign out of Yahoo Mail
 80

How to Read Mails using Yahoo Mail

Follow the steps below to read your mails.

1. Start Internet Explorer

2. In the Address Bar type mail.yahoo.com and press Enter. Once the web page is loaded,
it should display the window below.

3. Next type in your email address (Yahoo ID) and your password in the appropriate boxes
and either press Enter to continue or click on the Sign In button to continue.

Type your
Yahoo ID and
Password
here
 81

4. Once your box opens, if you have a new mail; Yahoo Mail will notify you. You can click on
your Inbox to read the new mail(s).

Click
here to
read all
new
mails

Yahoo
Mail can
notify you
if you
have new
mail(s)

5. When your Inbox Folder opens, it will display all your mails. To read a mail, click on the
mail’s subject.

Click here to read

your mail
 82

6. Once you finish reading the message, you may decide to reply the message or to delete
the message.
Click here to forward
Click here to reply all this message to
Click here to delete Click here to reply another e-mail
new messages
this message this message address

Click here
to return to
your Inbox
Folder

7. Once you finish reading the message, you may decide to reply the message or to delete
the message. Remember to sign out of Yahoo Mail each time you check your mail.
 83

How to Compose and Send Mails using Yahoo Mail

Follow the steps below to compose and send your mails.

1. Make sure that your e-mail account has been opened.

2. Click on the Compose button to begin the preparation of your e-mail.
3. Click on the To: field and type the name of the recipient.
4. Click on the Subject field and type a subject for your mail
5. Once your message is ready, click on the Send button. If the e-mail address of the
recipent of your message is correct, the message will be sent, else an error condition
will be displayed.
 84

Searching The Internet

The Internet is loaded with up-to-date information. Some people refers to the Internet as the
Information Superhighway because of the quality and quantity of information that it contains.

From the Internet, it is easy to access the latest research breakthroughs, up-to-date news,
price list for diverse products etc. There is adequate information (on the Internet) that covers
all aspects of human endeavours.

Below are series of steps that demonstrate how to search for information on the Internet.

1. Start Internet Explorer

2. In the Address Bar type google.com and press Enter. Once the web page is loaded, it
should display the window below.
 85

3. Type learning english language in the space provided (that is the text box) and press
Enter.

4. After searching the Internet for what you requested, the search results are displayed.
See the screenshot below
 86

5. Finally, click on any of the seach results to read more. In this example, I clicked on Learning
English | BBC World Service.
 87

Some Important Terms

There are some important terms that you should be familar with as a computer user. These
terms will assist you when you are engaging the service of a computer engineer.

Mega Herzt (MHz)

Mega Herzt is used to state the number of instructions per cycle that a processor or CPU (see
page 45) can execute. For example, a computer that can execute 66 million instructions per
second will have 66Mhz written on it.

Giga Herzt (GHz)

Like mega herzt above, giga herzt is used to state the number of instructions that a processor
can execute per cycle. However, while mega herzt is used for processors that process millions
of instructions per cycle, giga hertz is used for processors that can process billions of instruc-
tions per second.

Therefore, a computer that is denoted as 1.2GHz can process 1.2 billion instructions per cycle.

Bit
A bit is the smallest unit of data. A bit on its own cannot be refered to as data. Eight bits are
required to form a byte.

Byte
A byte can be a character (such as A or B), it can also be a number (such as 1 or 2), lastly a byte
can also be a symbol (such as * or &). Eight bits make a byte.

Kilo Byte (KB)

Kilo byte is used to denote the size of a computer storage device such as memory module,
diskettes, zip disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, hard drive etc. In everyday usage, a kilo is 1000. In
computer science, a kilo is 1024 bytes.

A computer memory that is written as 720KB can actually store 720 x 1024 bytes. That is 737,280
bytes.

Mega Byte (MB)

Mega byte is used to denote the size of a computer storage device.

One mega byte is equivalent to 1024KB or 1,048,576 bytes (1024 x 1024). A 3½ floppy diskette
having HD inscribed on it can store 1.44MB of data. Follow the steps below to convert 1.44MB
to bytes:

Step 1. Convert 1.44 million to kilo bytes:

1.44 x 1,024 = 1,474.56

Step 2. Next convert 1,474.56KB to bytes (multiply by 1,024):

1,474.56 x 1,024 = 1,509,949.44 bytes
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Therefore, a 1.44MB diskette can store 1,509,949.44 bytes of information. However, some
bytes will be set aside for use by the computer operating system (in this case MSDOS or Win-
dows 95, 98 etc.). At the end only 1,457,664 bytes will be available for use.

A CD-ROM that can store 650MB of information will actually hold 681,574,400 bytes of informa-
tion:
650 x 1024 = 665,600 (convert to kilo byte)
665,600 x 1024 = 681,574,400 (convert to bytes)

Giga Byte (GB)

Giga byte is used to denote the size of a computer storage device. Computer storage devices
include memory module, diskettes, zip disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, hard drive etc.

One giga byte is equivalent to 1024MB or 1,073,741,824 bytes (1024 x 1024 x 1024). Follow
the steps below to convert a hard disk which can hold 3.2GB of data to bytes.

Step 1. Convert 3.2 billion to kilo byte:

3.2 x 1,024 = 3,276.8

Step 2. Next convert 3,276.8MB to Kilo bytes (mutiply by 1,024):

3,276.8 x 1,024 = 3,355,443.2KB

Step 3. Next convert 3,355,443.2KB to bytes (mutiply by 1,024):

3,355,443.2 x 1,024 = 3,435,973,836.8 bytes

Format
To format means to prepare a disk so that it can store computer data. Formatting a disk divides
the disk into invisible tracks and sectors.

To format a diskette within MSDOS environment type

format a: (if the diskette drive is a:)

To format a 1.44MB diskette within Windows 95 or Windows 98 etc. carry out the steps below:
1. Insert the diskette into the diskette drive
2. Double-click on My Computer
3. Right-Click on 3½ Floppy (A:)
the menu-box on the right will appear.
4. Look for Format (within the menu
box) and click on it (a dialog box
will appear)
5. Click Start on the dialog box.
6. Once formatting is complete
click on Close on the dialog box. Click
here

Save
To save is to store the content of a document to a disk. Once saved, the document or graphic file
can be accessed often.
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When recording on a cassette player, we do not supply any information - just the blank cassette.
However, on the computer, we must supply the filename of the document or graphic file we want
to save.

To save a document created using Microsoft Word, CoreldDraw! 5-10, PageMaker 6-7 etc.
press Ctrl + S. If it is the first time you are saving the document or graphic file, you will be
prompted to supply a filename, else the document or graphic file will be written to disk.

Copy
To copy a file is to create a duplicate of that file. To copy a file from your hard disk to a floppy
diskette, carry out the steps below:
1. Insert a diskette into the diskette drive
2. Locate the file you want to copy
3. Right-click on the file you want to copy
4. Move to Send To - another menu box will appear
5. Click on 3½ Floppy (A:) (after some time, the file should be copied
to the diskette in drive a:)

Steps to copying a file

Upgrade
To upgrade is to extend the power or ability of a computer system through changing or adding of
additional computer components.

Components that can be upgraded in order to make the computer faster and better are: memory,
processor, hard drive, CD-ROM drive, video card, etc. Moreover, software upgrade is possible;
Windows 3.1 can be upgraded to Windows 95, Windows 95 can equally be upgraded to Win-
dows 98 (as long as the computer system will benefit from such an upgrade and has the capac-
ity to permit such upgrade).

Always remember that the essence of every upgrade is to make the computer system better
and usable.
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Boot up (Booting)
To boot up a computer system is to switch on the computer system and wait for the operating
system to load. During booting, the computer checks to see if all components are working per-
fectly. It also check what type of components are under it’s control. Once it completes it test, it
load the operating system from the disk and transfer control to it. This is done without any human
intervention.

Hardware
The physical and mechanical parts of a computer system. The parts you can see and touch.

Software
A group of instructions that tells the computer hardware what to do and how to do it.

Hard Disk Crash

Occurs when the read/write head of the hard drive lands on the surface of the hard disk. During
normal read/write operations, the read/write head of the hard disk floats over the hard disk. The
moment the read/write head lands on the disk, an hard disk crash has occur.

Hard Copy or Printout

This refer to any data printed from a computer. It is called hardcopy because it exist on a physi-
cal media i.e. the paper.

Peripheral
Any device connected to and controlled by a computer is called a peripheral. Some examples
of peripherals are keyboard, mouse, scanner, printers etc.

Driver
A driver is a computer program which controls a device (or peripheral). A driver acts as the
translator between the device (or peripheral) and the computer program that wants to use the
device (or peripheral).

Virus
A computer virus is a program which can copy itself into other programs. It spreads when in-
fected files are copied from an infected system and are run in a healthy system.

Internet
The internet is the largest collection of connected computers. To connect your computer to the
internet, you either make use of a telephone line or radio signal. Once you are connected to the
internet, you can access other computers by typing their internet address; for example, to con-
nect to Yahoo Corporation, you type www.yahoo.com.
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Career Opportunities
There are many career opportunities in computing that may interest you. Some of these are:

Computer Programmer
A computer programmer directly manipulates the computer resources, such as keyboard, mouse,
monitor, processor, memory, hard drive etc. through special programming languages.

A programmer can decide how he/she want the computer to behave and how it should use it’s
resources. This area is the most challenging area in computer science. The men and women in
this field are called PROGRAMMERS.

Computer Engineer
Apart from repairing and replacing damaged computer components, a true computer engineer
knows how to design computer hardware. He or she is also a specialist in interfacing existing
appliances to the computer.

For example, a good computer engineer can interface a refrigerator to a computer. The inter-
face may permit a computer to control when the refrigerator should be switched on and off.

Most computer engineers are also system programmers because they must design and de-
velop the instructions needed by the computer in order to interface with and to control the target
electrical appliance.

System Analyst
A system analyst is a computer professional whose job is to investigate how existing manual
methods can be computerised. He or she is expected to research into areas where computer
application can yield great gains (in terms of reduced manpower and increased productivity).

The results of their findings are forwarded to a programmer or a group of programmers who
develop the computer solution.

Computer Instructor
A computer instructor teaches computer knowledge. Their role in computing is very important
as they actually plant the seed that may someday produce a programmer or an engineer or a
system analyst or another instructor!

Computer Graphics Professional

A computer graphics professional specialises in using the computer to draw or paint pictures.

Computer Desktop Publisher

A computer desktop publisher uses the computer to generate complete layout for books and
other documents such as newspapers, magazines, catalogues etc.

Which career do you prefer? Tell God about it, and work hard towards it and you will have your
desire!