Computers
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Computers are generally known now as PCs or Personal Computers and are made up of various parts. Collectively, any piece of computer equipment is known as computer hardware. The main ‘brain’ of the computer is known as the CPU or Central Processing Unit and carries out all the calculations and control functions needed to make the PC work. The CPU will be fitted to a Motherboard (sometimes known as the main board) to which most other internal components are connected.
To get words and sometimes commands into a computer you use a keyboard which is usually laid out like a typewriter. Another input device is the mouse which is given the name because of its size and the fact the wire looks a little like a tail. To make the mouse pointer movement smoother the mouse usually rests on a pad called a mouse mat. An output device that looks like a screen without which we could not see what the computer is doing is the Monitor. Most PCs will be able to output sound though speakers. Another very useful output device is a printer. Some use ink cartridges and are known as inkjets and others use toner cartridges and are known as laser printers. One type of storage device is the floppy disk which is a round recording medium housed in a plastic case, however, most storage in a computer happens on the hard disk drive which is fixed inside the PC. Before either a floppy or hard disk can be used they need to be formatted. This is also a good way of wiping a disk to clear it of old files. Another type of disk is the Zip disk which can store 100MB of information. PC storage is measured in bytes which is just enough room to store a character (a number, letter or symbol for example). Today the storage would be measured in mega bytes (MB or approximately 1,000,000 bytes) or even giga bytes (GB or approximately 1,000,000,000 bytes). All disks on a PC are assigned a drive letter. For example the floppy disk is normally known as 'drive A:’. Information or data is collected together as files when stored on a disk.
All good computer users will perform regular backups where copies of files will be made onto another medium such as DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks) which will be stored safely.
A common operating system for computers is known as Windows. Windows uses small pictures called icons to access programs (or software) which are found on the desktop. You can put a picture of your choice on your desktop which will be behind all the windows. In most programs that run in Windows you can get assistance by using the F1 or help key. One of the most common Windows program is Microsoft Word, a word processor program which is used to write letters or memos for example. The processing of starting a PC is known as bootup.
To make a PC a very useful device we can connect it to the Internet (sometimes called the ‘Net or cyberspace). To access the Internet you would usually need a modem to connect your computer to the telephone line. Once connected to the Internet you can search for and view pages of information on the ‘web’ or send electronic notes to other people which are known as emails.
However, connecting to the Internet brings hazards as well as opportunities. To help protect your computer from hackers you can give it a secret word or password and install anti-spyware software. Antivirus software will help protect against malicious programs known as viruses. Regular software updates will help protect against a problem in a program known as a bug.
