PC-HARDWARE

PC-HARDWARE

TASK 1

Identify the peripherals of a computer, components in a CPU and its functions. Draw the
block diagram of the CPU along with the configuration of each peripheral.

Block Diagram of Computer:

Definition of Computer:

Computer is an electronic device which takes input from input device process it and gives the
output to output device:
A computer can process data, pictures, sound and graphics. They can solve highly
complicated problems quickly and accurately.
Input unit:
Computers need to receive data and instruction in order to solve any problem. Therefore we
need to input the data and instructions into the computers. The input unit consists of one or
more input devices. Keyboard is the one of the most commonly used input device. Other
commonly used input devices are the mouse, floppy disk drive, magnetic tape, etc. All the
input devices perform the following functions.

1. Accept the data and instructions from the outside world.

2. Convert it to a form that the computer can understand.
3. Supply the converted data to the computer system for further processing.

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Storage Unit:
The storage unit of the computer holds data and instructions that are entered through the input
unit, before they are processed. It preserves the intermediate and final results before these are
sent to the output devices. It also saves the data for the later use. The various storage devices
of a computer system are divided into two categories.

1. Primary Storage: Stores and provides very fast. This memory is generally used to hold
the program being currently executed in the computer, the data being received from the input
unit, the intermediate and final results of the program. The primary memory is temporary in
nature. The data is lost, when the computer is switched off. In order to store the data
permanently, the data has to be transferred to the secondary memory.

The cost of the primary storage is more compared to the secondary storage. Therefore most
computers have limited primary storage capacity.

2. Secondary Storage: Secondary storage is used like an archive. It stores several programs,
documents, data bases etc. The programs that you run on the computer are first transferred to
the primary memory before it is actually run. Whenever the results are saved, again they get
stored in the secondary memory. The secondary memory is slower and cheaper than the
primary memory. Some of the commonly used secondary memory devices are Hard disk, CD,
etc.,
Memory Size:
All digital computers use the binary system, i.e. 0’s and 1’s. Each character or a number is
represented by an 8 bit code.
The set of 8 bits is called a byte. A character occupies 1 byte space.A numeric occupies 2
byte space.
Byte is the space occupied in the memory.
The size of the primary storage is specified in KB (Kilobytes) or MB (Megabyte). One KB is
equal to 1024 bytes and one MB is equal to 1000KB. The size of the primary storage in a
typical PC usually starts at 16MB. PCs having 32 MB, 48MB, 128 MB, 256MB memory are
quite common.

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Output Unit:
The output unit of a computer provides the information and results of a computation to
outside world. Printers, Visual Display Unit (VDU) are the commonly used output devices.
Other commonly used output devices are floppy disk drive, hard disk drive, and magnetic
tape drive.

Arithmetic Logical Unit:

All calculations are performed in the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) of the computer. It also
does comparison and takes decision. The ALU can perform basic operations such as addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, etc and does logic operations viz, >, <, =, ‘etc.
Whenever calculations are required, the control unit transfers the data from storage unit to
ALU once the computations are done, the results are transferred to the storage unit by the
control unit and then it is send to the output unit for displaying results.

Control Unit:
It controls all other units in the computer. The control unit instructs the input unit, where to
store the data after receiving it from the user. It controls the flow of data and instructions
from the storage unit to ALU. It also controls the flow of results from the ALU to the storage
unit. The control unit is generally referred as the central nervous system of the computer that
control and synchronizes its working
.
Central Processing Unit:
The control unit and ALU of the computer are together known as the Central Processing Unit
(CPU). The CPU is like brain performs the following functions:
• It performs all calculations.
• It takes all decisions.
• It controls all units of the computer.

A PC may have CPU-IC such as Intel 8088, 80286, 80386, 80486, Celeron, Pentium,
Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV, Dual Core, and AMD etc.

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Hardware:

The physical components of a computer are called Hardware:

Ex: Keyboard, mouse & monitor.

Software:

The collection of programs or set of instructions is called software.

Ex: C, Java & Oracle.

Introduction to Computer Hardware:

Hardware is the physical appearance of the devices or tools. It is what which we can touch
and feel.
Computer Hardware consists of the Monitor, CPU, Keyboard, Mouse and all other devices
connected to the computer either externally or internally.
A typical computer (personal computer, PC) consists of a desktop or tower case (chassis) and
the following parts:

Components of CPU:

1) Motherboard
2) SMPS
3) Hard Disk
4) Floppy Drive
5) CD-ROM Drive

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Components of Motherboard:

1) Socket 370
2) Processer
3) Lever
4) Heat Sink
5) Cooling Fan
6) Chip Set.
7) North Bridge
8) South Bridge
9) BIOS ROM
10) CMOS Battery
11) ATX Power Connecter
12) SDRAM
13) Floppy Drive Controller
14) IDE1
15) IDE2
16) Expansion Slots
17) AGP

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18) PS/2 Ports

19) Serial Port
20) Parallel Port
21) USB Port
22) Sound Port
23) Game Port

Socket 370:
A component which holds processor, heat sink and fan together.

Processer:
It is the main part of the computer where actual processing takes place.

Cache Memory:
It is high speed static RAM used to speed up the processing.
It is two types:
1) L1 Cache
2) L2 Cache

L1 Cache: It is the internal memory , its size is 16 kilobytes and it is smaller.

L2 Cache: It is the external memory its size is up to 2 mbps and it is larger.

Random Access Memory (RAM):

It is primary memory. It is volatile i.e., when the power is off the data will be erased.
Memory capacity varies from 640 KB to several megabytes.
It is two types:1) Static RAM 2) Dynamic RAM

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Static RAM:
It is high speed memory, it is made up of capacitors, it has less storage capacity. The
information stored in this memory need not to be refreshed. It is costly.

Dynamic RAM:
It is low speed memory, made up of MOSFETS, it has high storage capacity. The information
stored should be refreshed every few milliseconds otherwise the data will be erased. It is
cheap.

It is two types:
1) Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM)
2) Double Data Rate RAM (DDRAM)

Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM):

It has less storage capacity as compared to DDRAM, speed 133 MHZ, it has two edge cuts..

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Double Data Rate RAM (DDRAM):

It has high storage capacity, speed 266 MHZ, it has one edge cut.

Heat Sink:
It is made up of Aluminum, It absorbs heat from processor.

Cooling Fan:
It is used to cool the processor.

Lever:
It is used to remove processor from socket.

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BIOS ROM:
Basic Input Output System Read Only Memory. A special program code or software is
permanently encapsulated in a ROM chip. In newer systems it is called Flash Memory. It is
also called Firmware.

CMOS Battery:
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor Battery . It Supplies power to BIOS ROM.
If the battery is removed or replaced the password and hardware settings will be lost.

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Chip Set:
It acts as a system controller to support processor. It acts as a peripheral controller to operate
I/O ports, expansion buses and disk interfaces. It acts as a memory controller and links
processor with memory system.

North Bridge:
It Controls high speed devices such as Processor, RAM, PCI and AGP slots.

South Bridge:
It controls low speed devices such as serial port, parallel port and USB ports.

IDE Controller (Integrated Drive Electronics):

It has 40 pins, rotating speed 3600 to 5000 rpm, Data rate 4 mbps.
IDE1 is called primary IDE
IDE2 is called secondary IDE
Each has two connections i.e., master and slave.

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Floppy Disk Controller (FDC):

It has 34 pins, speed 300 rpm, data rate 250 kbps

Expansion Slots:
Also called PCI slots (Peripheral Component Interconnect). These are used to connect Sound
cards, graphic cards & LAN cards to the motherboard.

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AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port):

It is used to connect graphics cards for multimedia applications.

PS/2 Port:
It is used to connect keyboard and mouse.

Serial Port:
It has 9 pin or 25 pins, data rate 9600 bps. It is used to connect serial modems, printers and
serial mouse.
Parallel Port:
It has 25 pins, data rate 100 kbps. It is used to connect parallel devices such as dot matrix
printers.

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USB Port:
It has 4 wire, data rate 12 mbps, It is used to connect scanners, pen drives and mobiles.

Sound Port:
It is used to connect head phones and microphones.

Game port:
It is used to connect Joy stick and track balls.

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SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply):

It converts AC power to DC power and supplies to all parts of the CPU.

Color Code:
Red Wire: + 5 volts.
Yellow Wire: +12 volts
Black Wire: Ground.

ATX Power Connector:

It Is used to connect motherboard to smps. It has 20 pins.
ATX: Advanced Terminal Extension:
It is the standard of the computer. It refers to the motherboard design.

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Cabinet:
It is the case of the computer .It is made up of iron.

Hard Disk Drive:

It stores all the programs and data files. It contains rigid metal disks called platters, stacked
up inside an air filter enclosure. The platters are coated with iron-oxide. The platters are
connected to a spindle which in turn is connected to a spindle motor that rotates the platters at
a constant speed. It rotates speed 3600 to 5000 rpm.

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Floppy Disk Drive:

It is used to access data stored in floppy diskette. Its rotating speed is 300 rpm.

Floppy Diskette:
It is an ultra thin plastic piece in a circular shape. It is coated with magnetic material and
enclosed in a protected jacket. Its size is 3.5 inches, storage capacity 1.44 mb.

CD ROM Drive:
It is used to access the data stored on CD. It’s rotating speed 400 rpm.

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Compact Disk:
CD is the most common type of removable media, cheap but fragile.
CD-ROM, , CD-RW, CD-R, DVD, DVD-ROM., DVD-RW, DVD-R,

Tape Drive:
Mainly for backup and long-term storage

Internal storage:

Keeps data inside the computer for later use.

Disk array controller:

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Sound card:
Translates signals from the system board into analog voltage levels, and has terminals to
plug in speakers.

Networking:
to connect the computer to the Internet and/or other computers

Modem - for dial-up connections:

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Network card:
for DSL(Digital Subscriber Line)/Cable internet, and/or connecting to other computers.

Other peripherals:
In addition, hardware can include external components of a computer system. The
following are either standard or very common.
Standard input devices:
Keyboard:

Mouse:

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Alternate input devices:

Pens, Touch screens, Game controllers (joy stick), Touch pad, Trackball.
Optical input devices:
Barcode reader,Image scanners.
Audio visual input devices:
Microphones, Video input, Digital cameras

Output:
The output devices are:
Standard output devices:
Monitors, Types of monitors
CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors:

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LCD(liquid crystal display) monitors:

Printer
Types of printers
Impact printers: An impact printer creates an image by using pins or hammers to press
an inked ribbon against the paper.ex. Dot matrix printer.
Non impact printers: This type uses other means to create an image for example in ink jet
printers tiny nozzles are used to spray droplets of ink on the page.ex: Ink jet printer

Laser
Printer

Dot- Matrix printer:

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Inkjet printer

Other output devices:

Speakers, LCD projectors, Networking, Network card
Speakers

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LCD Projectors:

RAM (Random Access Memory)- For program execution and short term data-storage, so
the computer doesn't have to take the time to access the hard drive to find something. More
RAM can contribute to a faster PC.

The main memory of the computer is called as Random Access Memory (RAM). The
name derives from the fact that data can be stored in and retrieved at random, from anywhere
in the electronic main memory chips in approximately the same amount of time, no matter
where the data is Main memory is in an electronic or volatile state. When the computer is off,
main memory is empty, when it is on it is capable of receiving and holding a copy of the
software instructions, and data necessary for processing. Because the main memory is a
volatile form of storage that depends on electric power can go off during processing, users
save their work frequently on to non volatile secondary storage devices such as diskettes or
hard disk.

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The main memory is used for the following purposes:

1. Storage of the copy of the main software program that controls the general operation
of the computer. This copy is loaded on to the main memory when the computer is
turned on, and it stays there as long as the computer is on.
2. Temporary storage of a copy of application program instruction, to be received by
CPU for interpretation and processing or execution.
3. Temporary storage of data that has been input from the key board, until instructions
call for the data to be transferred in to CPU for processing.
Temporary storage of data, which is required for further processing or transferred as
output to output devices such as screen, a printer, a disk storage device.

ROM (Read Only Memory):

Instructions which are critical to the operation of a computer are stored permanently
on Read only Memory. (ROM) chip installed by the manufacturer inside the computer. This
ROM chip is also called firm ware, retains instructions in a permanently accessible
nonvolatile form. When the power in the computer is turned off, the instructions stored in
ROM are not lost.
It is necessary and also convenient to have instructions stored in ROM. The more instructions
in ROM, the fewer diskettes you may have to handle. Until recently the process of
manufacturing ROM chips and recording data on them was more expensive than the process
of producing RAM chips. As a result the manufacturers tended to record in ROM only those
instructions that were crucial to the operation of the computer.

Today, due to improvements in the manufacturing process of ROM chips have

lowered the cost to the point where manufacturers are beginning to include additional
software instructions.

In addition to ROM, three additional categories of non volatile memory are used in
some computer systems. They are PROMs, EPROMs, and EPROMs. PROM stands for
programmable read only memory.

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It works similar to that of ROM. PROM chips are custom made for the user by the
manufacturer. The user determines what data and instructions are to be recorded on them.
The data on PROM is permanent and cannot be erased.

Erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), developed as an improvement

over PROM. The data on the EPROM can be read with the help of a special device that uses
ultra violet light. The data or instructions on the EPROM are erasable and new data can be
entered in its place. EPROM functions exactly same as PROM.

Electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) avoids the

inconvenience of having to take chips out of the computer to change data and instructions.
Changes can be made electrically under software control. These are used in point of sale
terminals to records price related data for products. The prices recorded on them can be easily
updated as needed. The only disadvantage of EEPROM is, the regular ROM chips.

Differences between ROM &RAM:

ROM (Read only memory):
You can only read the data.
1. Data can’t be written every time, to write the data we need PROM, EPROM, OR
EEPROM.
2. ROM is non volatile in nature. The data stored in ROM is permanent in nature.
3. Size of the ROM has nothing to do with processing.

RAM (Random access memory):

1. You can read and write data on the chip.

2. RAM has volatile memory. Loss its contents when the power is switched off.
3. Size of the RAM makes difference in the processing i.e., bigger the size of the RAM
more is the speed of processing.
4. The data can be read and written at anytime.
GENERATION OF COMPUTERS:

1) 1st Generation [1940-56]- [Vacuum tubes]

2) 2nd Generation [1956-64]- [Transistor]
3) 3rd Generation [1964-70]- [IC]
4) 4th Generation [1970- till date]- [Micro processor]
5) 5th Generation [Present and behind]- [Artificial intelligence]

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TASK 2
Assembling and disassembling the PC back to working condition.
AIM: To assemble and disassemble the system

Safety Precautions:
1. Beware of electrostatic discharge (ESO)
2. Build computer on a hard surface, away from concepts.
3. Wear shoes and the short sleeved cotton wear.
4. Use Phillips, head screw driver.
5. Keep the components away from moisture.
6. Avoid using pressure while installing.

PC Assembling:

Step by step procedure:

1) Prepare all the required components.

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2) Open the empty case.

3) Fix the motherboard with screws to the tray of the case.

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4) Open the lever, Install processor on Socket 370 and tight the lever.

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5) Install cooling fan on the processor and connect to the power supply.

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6) Install SDRAM on DIMM slots.

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7) Install PCI cords such as Graphic, sound and network cords on expansion
slots.

8) Install Hard disk and Floppy drive and fix screws.

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9) Install CD-ROM drive.

10) Connect Ribbon cables to Hard disk, floppy disk and CD-ROM drive.

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11) Connect SMPS power cables to Hard disk, floppy disk and CD-ROM drive.

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12) Connect front panel cables.

13) Connect ATX Power connector to the motherboard.

14) Close the cabinet.

15) Connect power cable, keyboard, mouse and monitor to the CPU.

16) Finally check all the connections.

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PC DISASSEMBLING:

Steps by Step Procedure:

1) Disconnect power cable, monitor, keyboard and mouse from the CPU.

2) Open the cabinet.

3) Disconnect ATX power connector from the motherboard.

4) Disconnect front panel connectors.

5) Disconnect power cables and ribbon cables from all drives.

6) Disconnect Hard disk, floppy drive and CDROM drives from the cabinet.

7) Disconnect Graphics/Sound/LAN cards from PCI slots.

8) Disconnect SDRAM from DIMM slots.

9) Disconnect the cooling fan from the processer and disconnect power supply.

10) Disconnect Processer from Socket 370.

11) Remove the mounting plate from the CPU case.

12) Remove motherboard from the mounting plate.

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TASK 3
Procedure to installation of MS Windows operating system:
As with any OS installation, we must first plan the installation process. When you run the
Windows 7 Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure
the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows 7 more
efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of
the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your
system.
Here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning
for your Windows 7 installation:
Check System Requirements
Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
Determine Disk Partitioning Options
Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist

Microsoft states the minimum recommended specs for Windows 7:

1 GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 GB of system memory
16 GB of available disk space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB memory (to enable the Aero theme)
DVD-R/W Drive
Internet access (to activate and get updates)

32-bit or 64-bit Version?

You need to decide whether to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 7. The
Windows 7 installation disc package includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.
Basically, the 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory
(RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. So if you plan on using Windows 7 on a
computer with more than 3 GB or RAM, I would strongly suggest to use the 64-bit version.
Most programs designed for the 32-bit version of Windows will work on the 64-bit version of
Windows, and if they don’t, you can always use Windows XP Mode (read my “How to
Install Windows XP Mode on Windows 7” article).

Note: Either way, you cannot use an existing 32-bit version of a previous OS to perform an
in-place upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 7, and you’ll need to format and install a
fresh copy. Also, you cannot use an existing 64-bit version of a previous OS to perform an in-
place upgrade to a 32-bit version of Windows 7.

Type of Installation
Basically, there are 2 approaches to installing Windows 7:
Upgrade (In-place upgrade) – This option replaces your current version of Windows with
Windows 7, and keeps your files, settings, and programs in place on your computer.

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Custom (“fresh” installation) – This option replaces your current version of Windows with
Windows 7, but doesn’t preserve your files,
files, settings, and programs. It’s sometimes referred to
as a clean installation for that reason.

As always, a fresh installation is much better and I strongly recommend taking that track.
Even if you’ve got an existing Windows XP/Vista OS on your computer, I would strongly
recommend that you format it and install a fresh copy of the OS.
This article will focus on a fresh installation of Windows 7. Please read my “How
“ to Upgrade
from Windows XP to Windows 7” 7 and “Upgrade
Upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7”7 articles
for more information on those paths.

Beginning the Installation Process

When installing on a physical computer insert your Windows 7 DVD media into your DVD
drive and reboot your computer. If you’re asked to press a key to boot from DVD or CD,
press any key. A black window will appear momentarily
momentarily while the DVD content is read.

Note: These screenshots are taken from a Windows 7 Ultimate installation performed on a
virtual machine running on VMware Workstation. I will be using an .ISO file mounted on the
VMs CD/DVD drive.
Next, a Starting Windows screen will appear.

Note: If the Windows installation page doesn’t appear and you’re not asked to press a key to
start from DVD or CD, you might have to specify that your computer uses its DVD or CD
drive as the startup device.

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The Installation Process

Like in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, and unlike previous versions of Windows,
Windows 7 does not have a noticeable text phase of the setup process, and it will boot
directly into the Graphical User Interface (GUI) mode.
After a few moments you will see the first prompt:

Click “Next” unless you want to change some regional settings for the installation process.
Hebrew users should read my “Installing Hebrew on Windows 7” article.

Click on the “Install now” button.

Note: If you’re using the installation media to repair an existing installation of Windows 7
you should also read my latest article on the Windows Recovery Environment.

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Next, accept the license terms and click on “Next”.

Next, unless you’re upgrading an existing Windows installation, press the Custom
(Advanced) installation type button. Note that in this case, the Upgrade button is disabled
because this specific installation if performed on a new computer without any previous
operating system on it.

The next phase is to pick the installation partition. Since this computer has a new hard disk
that hasn’t been formatted before, you will only have the option to create a new partition on
it.

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If you don’t want to specify a specific partition to install Windows on, or create partitions on
your hard disk, click Next to begin the installation. If you already have another existing
partition with enough free space and want to install the Windows 7 on that partition to create
a multiboot configuration, select the partition you want to use, and then click Next to begin
the installation. If you want to create, extend, delete, or format a partition, click Drive options
(advanced), click the option you want, and then follow the instructions.
Since I don’t need to perform any additional task I will just click on the “Next” button. The
installation process will then create a partition on all the available disk space, and format it.

The setup process will now begin to copy files from the installation DVD media to the hard
disk.

Process could take a while depending on the type of hardware your computer uses. In my VM
test sample I’ve used for this demo, the entire process finished before I could finish writing
the previous 3 paragraphs, so it could be pretty quick.
The computer will reboot, and the next thing you’ll see is the prompt to set the user’s and
computer’s name. By default, the computer’s name will be username-PC, where username is
the username you’ve entered.

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Note: The user you’re creating will be the only user currently available on the system. Like
Vista, the built-in Administrator’s account is disabled. Read my article on how to enable the
Windows 7 Administrator’s account article for more information.

Click on “Next”.

Enter the user’s password. Remember this password, as it will be the ONLY user on the
system, and unless you create an additional user or enable the built-in administrator account,
if you forget this password you’ll need to crack it to gain access to the system. The best
option would be to choose a complex password made of at least 7 characters or more
(something like Pssw0rd or MYpa$$w0rd). You must also enter a password hint.
Click on “Next”.

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Next, type in your product key. If you do not have the product key at hand you can still click
“Next”, and proceed with the installation. You will be asked to enter the product key after
Windows is installed.

Choose what sort of protection your computer gets. The recommended settings are best for
someone that doesn’t plan to hide their computer behind a corporate firewall (and even then,
in some cases, this would be the best option). If you plan to install a 3rd-party firewall later
you can opt to be prompted later. Note that this setting will also have effect on how the
computer uses the Microsoft Windows Update (Automatic Updates) features.

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Choose your time zone and location and click on “Next”.

Select your network location type. This setting can be changed later, but do note that
choosing a profile will have effect on the Windows Firewall and sharing settings. Click on
“Next”.

Windows will finalize the settings and your desktop will appear.

This concludes the Windows 7 installation. Next, you would probably want to update your
computer with the latest hotfixes and/or patches from Microsoft.

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Procedure to installation of Ubuntu operating system

Start the installation process. Click the Install Ubuntu button to begin the installation. If
you are trying out Ubuntu before installing, you can start the installation by opening the
Install file on the test desktop.
• You will need around 5 GB of free space on your computer to install Ubuntu.
• Installation works best if you are connected to the internet. The easiest way to do this
is to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer from the router.
• You can also connect to a wireless network if Ubuntu recognizes your wireless
adapter.

Check the boxes in the “Preparing to install Ubuntu” window. Ubuntu can automatically
download updates during the installation, and can install software that will allow you to play MP3
files and Flash video (YouTube). Installing these updates and software during installation will save
you a significant amount of time and headaches when the operating system is installed.

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Choose your installation type. You can choose to install Ubuntu alongside your existing
operating system, you can replace your existing operating system, or you can create new
partitions yourself. If you choose to install alongside your existing operating system, you will
be given the option to set how much space is allocated for each operating system.
• If your computer doesn’t have an operating system installed yet, you will need to
select “Something else” and create a partition to install Ubuntu on. Make sure that the
partition is formatted as Ext4.
• If you install Ubuntu alongside your existing operating system, you will be given the
option to choose your operating system every time your computer is rebooted.
• If you replace your existing operating system with Ubuntu, you will lose all of your
files and programs. Make sure that you have everything backed up that you want to
save.

Select your user options. Ubuntu will ask for your location in order to set the correct
timezone. If you are connected to the internet, this should happen automatically. You will also need to
select your keyboard layout, which is typically automatically picked for you.

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Select a username and password. In the “Who are you?” window, you will need to enter your name,
your computer’s name, and a username and password that you will use to log in. You will need the
password when making administrative changes to the computer as well.

Wait for the installation to complete. Once you have set your options, Ubuntu will begin to install.
This can take 30 minutes or more depending on your computer’s speed. Tips for using Ubuntu will be
displayed above the progress bar. Once the installation is complete, you will be prompted to reboot
your computer. Ubuntu is ready to use.[1]

• If you have multiple operating systems installed, you will be given the option to choose the
one you want to load when your computer starts.

• If you don’t have any other operating systems installed, Ubuntu will begin automatically.

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TASK - 5
Hardware Troubleshooting: Students have to be given a PC which does not boot due to
improper assembly or defective peripherals. They should identify the problem and fixit
to get the computer back to working condition.

What is Hardware Trouble Shooting?

Trouble shooting is the process of identifying the problem associated with the hardware
component present in the system.
The basic problems associated with the Hardware devices are

1) We may forget to plug-in the power connection.

This is the basic thing for the system does not start. In this situation, we have to check
all the power connections of the system so that we can find the hardware device, which is not
connected to the power cable.
Recovery:
If any hardware device is found with loose connections, (check for plug-ins)
just fix it by connecting the power cable into their particular power slots.
Now, switch on the system then also if it does not starts we can notice that
there is failure of power cable and replace it with new one.

2) Though the power connections are perfectly settled but do not starts.
Sometimes there is a problem associated with power button .(Power Button of
Monitor and CPU
Recovery:
Replace with new component.

We may notice a problem in booting process such as the hard disk drive may
not be detected. Here we might get some error message on monitor displaying
“boot failure” message.
Recovery:
If it is displaying “boot failure” then restart the system again and after
displaying motherboard window press “DELETE” button to enter into
BIOS settings.

Choose Standard CMOS setup and press enter to display AMIBOS

setup process.

Now here check status of hard disk drive if it displays “auto” then we should
notice that hard disk not detected to enable the disk drive go to the slot where the
disk is installed.

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Now press F3 button to detect all disk drives available in the system.

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The disk drive is manually enabled and now the hard disk drive is ready with its
proper slot.

3) If the system doesn’t starts then there is a problem with CMOS Battery, contact the service
vendor for replacing device.

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1) Problem or Issue: No Power On

Causes: Cable unplugged
Defective SMPS
Defective Socket
Solution: Make sure that power cable is properly connected.
Replace SMPS
Replace Socket

2) Problem or Issue: system not operational

Causes: Expansion card is not properly fixed on the Expansion slot on mother
board
Defective floppy drive
Defective hard disk
Defective CD ROM drive
Defective expansion card
Solution: Make sure that Expansion card is properly fixed on the expansion slot.
Replace floppy drive
Replace hard disk
Replace CD ROM drive
Replace expansion card

3) Problem or issue: system does not boot from hard disk but it can boot from floppy
drive.
Causes: Defective IDE Connector
Defective Hard Disk
Defective Power connector
Solution: Replace IDE Connector
Replace Hard Disk
Replace Power connector

4) Problem or Issue: Display screen blank

Causes: No power to the monitor

Monitor is not connected to CPU
Solution: Make sure that power cable is connected to Monitor.
Make sure that Monitor is connected to CPU

5) Problem or Issue: keyboard not working

Causes: Keyboard cable is not properly connected

Defective keyboard
Solution: Make sure that keyboard cable is properly connected .
Replace keyboard

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TASK – 6

Software Troubleshooting: Students have to be given a malfunctioning CPU due to

system software problems. They should identify the problem and fix it to get the
computer back to working condition.

AIM: Software troubleshooting

Many times, we may find our system getting struck and not responding properly to our
Commands. Unexplained software crashes and error messages can bring our work to a
Standstill. This happens due to problem in the software due to virus or some malfunctioning
To overcome above problem we have some basic troubleshooting techniques
Troubleshooting of software can be divided into 3 classes:
1) Operating system
2) Device
3) Application

1) Troubleshooting Operating System:

Boot up in Safe Mode.
Some software malfunctions can be caused by OS settings or other system problems.
Windows and Mac operating systems both offer a troubleshooting environment known asSafe
Mode. Safe Mode disables non-critical applications and processes, which theoretically makes
it easier to isolate problems.
Most Windows computers allow us to enter Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key as our
computer is booting up. On a Mac, enter Safe Mode by pressing the Shift key while our
computer boots up (or immediately after it boots up).
Once our computer is in Safe Mode, launch the problematic software and try to replicate the
problem we had while our computer was in normal mode. If we do not have the same
problem in safe mode, there is a good chance that the issue was caused by our OS or another
program, not by the application we are troubleshooting.
BIOS SETUP & DISK FORMATTING
BIOS SETUP

What Is BIOS?
BIOs is an acronym for Basic Input Output System.

Why BIOS?
To run any system, there must be default settings so that the system can load those settings
when it is started or restarted. For a computer system, the basic I/O settings and boot process
details are necessary to start a system.
All these default, predefined settings will be loaded in the BIOS, and whenever we start the
system, these settings will be loaded.

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How to view BIOS?

Whenever we start the system, we can enter into the BIOS Setup Utility by pressing F8 key
depending on the type of BIOS.
When we enter in to this utility, we get these following menus/services, depending upon our
motherboard.
In main Menu, we can view the details such as BIOS Version, Processor Type, and Speed,
RAM Size and the system bus speed and memory speed.
We can change the settings like language system time and date.
We must be very careful when we change these settings otherwise it may cause our system to
malfunction.
Here, we can change the settings of PCI devices, Floppy Drives configuration and chipset,
USB peripheral devices and even monitoring the Hardware.
Boot
Silent boot: If this option is enabled, it displays only the OEM logo and in the
background,POST (Power on Self Test) completes. If this is disabled, instead of LOGO, we
can view POST messages
Rapid BIOS Boot: By enabling this option it will decrease the time needed to boot the by
skipping some unnecessary tests.Here, we can also set the boot sequence from the available
devices by selecting Boot Device Priority.
We can even view the Hard Drives and any removable devices and attached to the system.
Exit
By selecting the appropriate options, we can exit from the BIOS setup like exiting the setup
by saving or discarding the changes or even by loading optimal or default values.

1. ACCIDENTALLY DELETED SOME FILES THAT ARE NEEDED

Trash is a special folder where Ubuntu stores deleted files before they are
Permanently removed from computer.
To access the Trash folder click on the trash icon at the bottom of the Unity Launcher.
If you want to restore deleted items from the Trash:
1. Open Trash
2. Click on each item you want to restore to select it. Press and hold Ctrl
to select multiple items.
3. Click Restore Selected Items to move the deleted items back to their
original locations.

2. HOW DO I CLEAN UBUNTU ?

Ubuntu’s software packaging system accumulates unused packages and temporary
files through regular updates and use. These temporary files, also called caches, contain files
from all of the installed packages. Over time, this cache can grow quite large. Cleaning out
the cache allows you to reclaim space on your computer’s hard drive for storing your
documents, music, photographs, or other files.
To clear the cache, you can either use the clean, or the autoclean option
for the command-line program apt-get. To run clean, open Terminal and enter:
$ sudo apt-get clean

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Packages can also become unused over time. If a package was installed to assist with running
another program—and that program was subsequently removed—you no longer need the
supporting package. You can remove it with apt-get autoremove. Load Terminal and enter:
$ sudo apt-get autoremove

1) Problem or Issue: OS(operating system) performance is Low.

Causes: 1) Temporary files /log files are increased
2) Virtual memory is not properly configured
3) System is affected by virus
Solution: 1) delete temporary files & log files
2) Make sure that virtual memory is properly configured.
3) Install antivirus & scan the system

2) Problem or Issue: OS hanging

Causes: 1) Low hard disk free space
2) System is virus affected
Solution: 1) delete unnecessary files
2) Install antivirus & scan the system

3) Problem or Issue: application is not running / not working

Causes: 1) Application files missing/corrupted
2) System is virus affected
Solution: 1) repair / re install the application
2) Install antivirus & scan the system

Error Messages Encountered During Boot Before Windows Loads:

Ensure that your computer BIOS settings are correctly configured to the hardware that is
installed in your computer.

Error Messages While Windows Loading:

1. If you have recently installed or changed something that could have caused normal
windows to stop loading, try loading the last known good configuration.

2. If you are unable to get into Normal windows and believe that removing or uninstalling a
program or changing a setting may help enable you to get into windows, boot the computer
into windows XP safe mode.

3. If your computer has worked fine in the past but recently has been experiencing the issue
you are encountering run the system restore option to restore the computer to an earlier date.

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