Parts of the Computer System

Computer systems have four parts

 Hardware
 Software

 Data
 User
 Parts of the Computer System

Hardware
 Mechanical devices in the computer
 Anything that can be touched
Software
 Tell the computer what to do
 Also called a program
 Thousands of programs exist
 Parts of the Computer System

Data
 Pieces of information
 Computer organize and present data
Users
 People operating the computer
 Most important part
 Tell the computer what to do
 Information Processing Cycle

Steps followed to process data

Input
Processing
Output
Storage
 Essential Computer Hardware

Computers use the same basic hardware

Hardware categorized into four types
 Parts of Computer System
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There are four main parts which a computer system needs to function effectively
and that are critical to system performance. If a part is malfunctioning, it can
cause the system to stop operating, it can cause program errors or it can slow
down the performance of other devices.

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 Parts of Computer System
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 Input Unit:
 Data and instructions must enter the computer system before any computation
can be performed on the supplied data.
 Data and instructions enter input units in forms that depend upon the particular
device used. For example, data is entered from a keyboard in a manner similar
to typing, and this differs from the way in which data is entered through a
mouse, which is another type of input device.
 It accepts (or reads) the list of instructions and data from the outside world.
 It converts these instructions and data in computer acceptable format.
 It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for
further processing.

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 Output Unit:

 The job of an output unit is just the reverse of that of an input unit. It supplied
information and results of computation to the outside world.
 It accepts the results produced by the computer which are in coded form and
hence cannot be easily understood by us.
 It converts these coded results to human acceptable (readable) form.
 It supplied the converted results to the outside world.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Essential Computer Hardware

Input and output devices

 Allows the user to interact
 Input devices accept data
 Keyboard, mouse
 Output devices deliver data
 Monitor, printer, speaker
 Some devices are input and output
 Touch screens
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 CPU (Central Processing Unit):

 The central processing unit (CPU) or brain of the computer system processes
complex functions in the system.
 Today's CPUs can process data measured in milliseconds. This unit is
responsible for all events inside the computer.
 The control Unit and the Arithmetic and Logic unit of a computer system are
jointly known as the Central Processing Unit (CPU).
 In a computer system, all major calculations and comparisons are made inside
the CPU and the CPU is also responsible for activating and controlling the
operations of other units of a computer system.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 CPU
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BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Parts of Computer System
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 Storage Unit:
 The data and instructions that are entered into the computer system through
input units have to be stored inside the computer before the actual processing
starts.
 Similarly, the results produced by the computer after processing must also be
kept somewhere inside the computer system before being passed on to the
output units.
 Moreover, the intermediate results produced by the computer must also be
preserved for ongoing processing.
 The Storage Unit or the primary / main storage of a computer system is
designed to do all these things. It provides space for storing data and
instructions, space for intermediate results and also space for the final results.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Essential Computer Hardware

Memory devices
 Stores data or programs
 Random Access Memory (RAM)
 Volatile
 Stores current data and programs
 More RAM results in a faster system
 Read Only Memory (ROM)
 Permanent storage of programs
 Holds the computer boot directions
 Essential Computer Hardware

Storage devices
 Hold data and programs permanently
 Different from RAM

 Magnetic storage
 Floppy and hard drive
 Uses a magnet to access data
 Optical storage
 CD and DVD drives
 Uses a laser to access data
 Parts of Computer System
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 Hard Drive:
 The hard drive stores information for long-term needs. This is where all your
pictures, music, and files are saved. You can also have a solid state drive. A
hard drive has moving parts and a solid state drive does not. This makes the
solid state drive faster, but more expensive

 RAM:
 Random access memory, stores information for quick access. It's volatile
memory and requires constant power supply. When the computer is turned off,
the RAM flushes the stored information. RAM is critical for performance and
8GB of RAM is good for gaming.

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 Information Processing Cycle
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 Information processing cycle is a sequence of events consisting of input,

processing, storage & output.
 In order for a computer to perform useful work, the computer has to receive
instructions and data from the outside world.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Information Processing Cycle
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 Input – Entering data into the computer

Feeding the collected raw data in cycle for processing. This is the raw data
which is fed for processing & obtaining information.
 Input can be done by means of various devices such as keyboards, mice,

flatbed scanners, barcode readers, joysticks, digital data tablets (for graphic
drawing), electronic cash registers etc
 Processing – Performing operations on the data
 Once the input is provided the raw data is processed by a suitable or

selected processing method. This is the most important step as it provides

the processed data in form of output which will be used further.
 Processing is usually done by CPU (Central Processing unit) in a computer.

CPU is the crucial component for getting the operations done.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Information Processing Cycle
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 Storage – Saving data in soft/physical form

This is the final outcome and the raw data provided in the first stage is now
“processed” and the data is useful and provides information and no longer
called data.
 Storage can be done on external hard disk, inbuilt hard disk, pen drives,

micro SD cards, compact disks or even in registers.

 Output – Results obtained i.e information
 This is the final outcome and the raw data provided in the first stage is now

“processed” and the data is useful and provides information and no longer
called data.
 This can be used as it is or used for further processing along with more

data.

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BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Software Runs The Machine

Tells the computer what to do

Reason people purchase computers
Two types
 System software
 Application software
 Software Runs The Machine

System software
 Most important software
 Operating system
 Windows XP
 Network operating system (OS)
 Windows Server 2003
 Utility
 Symantec AntiVirus
 Software Runs The Machine

Application software
 Accomplishes a specific task
 Most common type of software
 MS Word
 Covers most common uses of computers
 Software
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Software:
 Software are the set of programs/packages which we can not touch and feel as
like hardware(It is device which we can touch and feel).Software provide
better communication between computer/PC and user.

 For example, without your Internet browser software, you could not surf the
Internet or read this page and without an operating system, the browser could
not run on your computer. The picture to the right shows a Microsoft Excel
box, an example of a spreadsheet software program.

 Software can be purchased at a retail computer store or online and come in a

box containing all the disks (floppy diskette, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray), manuals,
warranty, and other documentation.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Software
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 Software can also be downloaded to a computer over the Internet. Once

downloaded, setup files are run to start the installation process on your
computer.

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 Types of Software
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 System Software:-
System software are those software which we can used to control the
system and also used for run applications.
Example:-DOS, Unix etc.

 Application Software:-
Application software are those software which are designed to perform a
specific task.
Example Media Player, MS Word, Notepadetc.

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Utility Software:-
Utility software are those software which are used by everyone.
Example:- Anti virus
Presentation Software:-
Presentation Software are those software which are use to create/make
computer presentations.
Example: PowerPoint.
 Language Software:-
Language software are those software which are used to developed
languages code.
Example:- C, C++,HTML5 etc.

BES-101 Introduction To Computer

 Computer data

Fact with no meaning on its own

Stored using the binary number system
Data can be organized into files
 Computer users

Role depends on ability

 Setup the system
 Install software

 Mange files
 Maintain the system

“Userless” computers
 Run with no user input
 Automated systems