2. Chapter Objectives In this chapter, you will learn:
That a computer requires both hardware and software to work
About the different hardware components that are inside and connected to a computer
About basic ways to protect yourself and your computer system as you work on a computer
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

3. Hardware Needs Software to Work
The term hardware refers to the computer’s physical components
The term software, or program, refers to the set of instructions that directs the hardware to accomplish a task
A personal computer processes data that is digital, which means it is in one of two states: positive (on) and non-positive (off)
This technology is called binary
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

4. Hardware Needs Software to Work
Computers use a binary number system to express the positive state as number 1 and the non-positive state as the number 0
A 1 or 0 in the binary number system is called a bit
A string of eight bits is a byte
The combinations of 0s and 1s that represent characters are defined by patterns called a coding scheme
The coding scheme most widely used in personal computers is ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

5. Hardware Needs Software to Work
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

6. Personal Computer Hardware Components
The computer case stores most processing, storage, communication, and power supply components
The central processing unit (CPU) is central to all processing done by the computer
Each hardware input, output, or storage device requires these elements to operate:
A method to communicate with the CPU
Software to instruct and control the device
Electricity to power the device
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

7. Outside the Computer Case: Input and Output Devices
Most input and output devices reside outside the computer case, and communicate with components inside the computer case through a port or a wireless connection
A peripheral device is not located directly on the motherboard but communicates with the CPU
Most computer ports are located on the back of the case
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

8. Outside the Computer Case: Input and Output Devices
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

9. Outside the Computer Case: Input and Output Devices
A keyboard is an input device that contains keys users press to enter data and send instructions to a computer
A mouse is a pointing input device used to move a pointer on the screen and to make selections
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

10. Outside the Computer Case: Input and Output Devices
The monitor visually displays the output of the computer
Hardware manufacturers typically describe a monitor by the size of its screen
A monitor’s resolution is a function of the number of pixels used for display on the screen
Resolution refers to the sharpness and clearness of an image
A printer is an output device which produces output on paper
The most popular printers today are ink-jet and laser printers
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

11. Outside the Computer Case: Input and Output Devices
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

12. Inside the Computer Case: Processing, Communications, Storage, and Power
All processing of data and instructions and most storage are handled by devices that are inside the computer case
Motherboard
Expansion cards
Secondary storage devices
Power supply with power cords
Cables connecting devices to circuit boards and the motherboard
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

13. Inside the Computer Case: Processing, Communications, Storage, and Power
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

14. The Motherboard
A circuit board is an insulated board that holds microchips, and the circuitry connecting these chips
The largest and most important circuit board in the computer is the motherboard
Other types of circuit boards, called expansion cards, are installed in long narrow expansion slots on the motherboard
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

15. The Motherboard The motherboard supplies external ports Serial ports
Parallel ports
USB ports
FireWire ports
Sound ports
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

16. The CPU and the Chip Set
The CPU could not do its job without the assistance of the chip set, a group of microchips on the motherboard that control the flow of data and instructions to and from the CPU
IBM-compatible personal computers
Macintosh family of personal computers
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

17. Memory (Primary Storage)
The CPU uses temporary storage, also called primary storage or memory, to hold data and instructions temporarily while it is processing them
Primary storage is provided by chips, called random access memory (RAM), located on the motherboard and other circuit boards
DIMMs (dual inline memory modules)
SIMMs (single inline memory modules)
RIMMs (memory modules manufactured by Rambus, Inc.)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

18. Memory (Primary Storage)
RAM is considered to be volatile, which means it loses its contents when the computer is turned off
Another kind of memory, called ROM (read-only memory), is nonvolatile, which means that it holds its data permanently, even when the power is turned off
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

19. Memory (Primary Storage)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

20. Instructions Stored on the Motherboard and Other Boards
The motherboard includes a ROM chip to store basic data and programs used to start up the computer, relate to simple hardware devices, and search for an operating system
The BIOS stores these data and programs
The BIOS is categorized by three main purposes:
System BIOS
Startup BIOS
CMOS BIOS
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

21. Motherboard Configuration Settings
The CMOS setup instructions are stored on the motherboard as part of the ROM BIOS chip, or a separate chip called CMOS RAM chip, CMOS setup chip, or CMOS configuration chip
A CMOS RAM chip, which is nonvolatile, contains a very small amount of memory to hold configuration information
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

22. Motherboard Configuration Settings
A motherboard can retain setup or installation information using different settings of jumpers or DIP switches
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

23. Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices
Traces are circuits or paths that enable data, instructions, and power to move from component to component on the motherboard
These paths collectively are referred to as a bus
The data bus transfers actual data by placing voltage on each line of the data bus
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

24. Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices
The main bus on the motherboard that communicates with the CPU, memory, and chip set is called the system bus
Today’s motherboards contain a system bus that is 64 bits wide
An important line on the system bus is used by the system clock, which helps the CPU control the timing of all computer operations
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

25. Motherboard Components Used for Communication Among Devices
The speed of the cycles of the system clock is called the clock speed
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

26. Expansion Cards
The lines of a bus often extend from the CPU to the expansion slots used to hold expansion cards
The size and shape of an expansion slot depends on the kind of bus it uses:
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)
AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

27. Expansion Cards
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

28. Secondary Storage
When data and instructions are not in memory, they must be in secondary storage
Data and instructions cannot be processed by the CPU from secondary storage
A storage medium is the physical material on which a computer keeps data, instructions, and information
A key characteristic of a storage medium is its capacity
Kilobyte (KB)
Megabyte (MB)
Gigabyte (GB)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

29. Secondary Storage
A storage device is the computer hardware that writes and/or reads data to and from storage media
A hard drive stores data magnetically and is a read/write storage medium
Most hard drives today use a technology called EIDE, a standard that defines how the motherboard communicates with secondary storage devices
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

30. Secondary Storage
A ZIP drive is a device that reads from and writes to a Zip disk, which is a removable magnetic medium that can store up to 750 MB
A CD-ROM drive uses a laser beam to read data from a CD-ROM
A DVD-ROM drive uses laser technology to read data from a high capacity optical disk called a DVD-ROM
A floppy drive can read from and write to a floppy disk
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

31. Secondary Storage
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

32. The Electrical System
The most important component of the computer’s electrical system is the power supply
The power supply converts the power received from a standard power outlet and reduces it to a voltage that the computer can handle
The power supply runs a fan directly from the electrical output voltage to help cool the inside of the computer case
Motherboards and secondary storage devices include connections for power cords
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

33. The Electrical System
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

34. Protecting Your Computer System
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

35. Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is an electrical charge that can build up on the surface of insulating materials
When two objects with dissimilar electrical charges touch, static electricity passes between them until the dissimilar charges become equal
ESD can damage electronic components, or cause total failure
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

36. Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Always ground yourself before touching electronic components
A ground bracelet is an antistatic strap you wear around your wrist
A ground mat provides a grounded surface on which to place components with which you are working
Whenever possible, lay computer components on static shielding bags
Unplug your computer before you work on it
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

37. Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

38. Protecting Against EMI (Electromagnetic Interference)
When electricity flows, it creates an electromagnetic field in a radio frequency range
Emissions from one device can interfere with other devices, causing EMI
EMI can lead to data loss, picture quality degradation on monitors, and other problems with your computer, or problems with radio and TV reception
Always install face plates in empty drive bays or slot covers over empty expansion slots
Avoid having computers on the same circuit as high-powered electrical equipment
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

39. Providing Surge Protection and Battery Backup
Consider how the power coming into the computer is regulated
Many devices are available to filter the AC input from a wall socket to a computer and its peripherals, as well as to provide backup power when the AC fails
Surge Suppressors
Power Conditioners
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs)
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

40. Surge Suppressors
A surge suppressor (or surge protector) provides a row of power outlets and an on/off switch that protects equipment from overvoltages on AC power lines and telephone lines
Not all power strips have surge protection
The let-through voltage is the maximum voltage the surge suppressor allows to reach your equipment
A surge suppressor rated at 330 volts lets through the least amount of electricity and provides the most protection
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

41. Power Conditioners
A power conditioner (or line conditioner) provides protection against spikes
It also regulates or conditions power by providing continuous voltage during spikes or brownouts
Power conditioners provide no protection against a complete loss of power during a blackout
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

42. Uninterruptible Power Supplies
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) conditions the line for both brownouts and spikes, provides backup power during a blackout, and protects against very high spikes that could damage equipment
A smart UPS or intelligent UPS allows you to manage the UPS using software installed on your computer
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

43. Uninterruptible Power Supplies
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

44. Chapter Summary In this chapter, you learned:
That a computer requires both hardware and software to work
About the different hardware components that are inside and connected to a computer
About basic ways to protect yourself and your computer system as you work on a computer
Chapter 1: Introducing Hardware

45. Chapter 1 Complete