LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SYSTEM SERVICING

 COMPUTER SYSTEM is define as the combination of hardware software user and data with
referring to communication and procedure involved in between them.

 COMPUTER
 Consists of hardware components that have been carefully chosen so that they
work well together and software components or programs that run in the
computer.
 is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to
store, retrieve, and process data to become useful information.
 Computer generally means a programmable machine. The two principal
characteristics of a computer are: it responds to a specific set of instructions in a
well-defined manner and it can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a
program). ... The actual machinery — wires ...

PARTS OF A COMPUTER

1. Hardware are the physical components of a computer .

 Tangible part of the computer
Classification of Hardware
A. Input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact
with and control the computer
 They convert human language to machine language.
Examples:
 Keyboard.
 Mouse.
 Joy Stick.
 Light pen.
 Track Ball.
 Scanner.
  Graphic Tablet.
 Microphone.

B. Output Devices
 An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for
display, projection, or physical reproduction.
 are used to get information to a user in different formats
 It converts machine language to human language.

EXAMPLES:
 Monitor
 Printers (all types)
 Plotters
 Projector
 LCD Projection Panels
 Speaker(s)

C. STORAGE DEVICE
 is any hardware capable of holding information either temporarily or permanently for
future use

TWO TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICE

C.1 Primary storage device

 is a medium that holds memory for short periods of time while a computer is
running.
 Volatile storage
Example: RAM
C.2 Secondary storage device
 Alternatively referred to as external memory, secondary memory, and auxiliary
storage,
 A secondary storage device is a non-volatile device that holds data until it is
deleted or overwritten. Secondary storage is about two orders of magnitude
cheaper than primary storage.

EXAMPLES:
 Floppy diskette
 Hard drive
 Tape cassette
 Zip diskette
 CD-R and CD-RW disc
 DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW disc
 Jump drive or flash drive
 Memory card
 Memory stick
D. SYSTEM UNIT
 is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process the
data.

 Motherboard is the underlying circuit board of a computer.

 Processor - A silicon chip that contains a CPU.
 Processor socket - is an electrical component that attaches to a printed
circuit board (PCB) and is designed to house a CPU (also called
a microprocessor).
 Heat sink - is an environment or object that absorbs and dissipates heat from
another object using thermal contact (either direct or radiant).
 PC memory slot - Commonly refers to the slot computer memory is placed
into on the computer motherboard I/O Board.
 Power Connector - is an electrical connector designed to carry a significant
amount of electrical power, usually as DC or low-frequency AC.
 Sound card - is a device that handles data-to-audio and audio-to-data
translations, enabling a computer to play sound on speakers or to record
sound from an external device, like a microphone.
 BIOS - The initial function of the BIOS is to identify, test, and initialize system
devices such as the video display card, hard disk, and floppy disk and other
hardware.
 The Advance Technology Attachment (ATA) interface is used to connect hard
drives and optic drives.
 (S-ATA). It is faster than the ATA and only 1 device can be attached to it.
 Floppy Drive Connector - The floppy disk interface uses what is likely the
strangest cable of all those in PCs today.  
 Capacitors - An electronic component that stores an electric charge and
releases it when required.
 Capacitors are made from many different materials, and virtually every
electrical and electronic system uses them.
 PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) - is a computer bus for
attaching hardware devices in a computer.
 AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) - is a high-speed point-to-point channel for
attaching a video card to a computer's motherboard, primarily to assist in the
acceleration of 3D computer graphics.
 Parallel Port - is a type of interface found on computers for connecting
various peripherals.
 Serial Port - is a serial communication physical interface through which
information transfers in or out one bit at a time (contrast parallel port).
 PS/2 connector - is used for connecting some keyboards and mice to a PC
compatible computer system.
 Network Adapter - interfaces a computer to a network.
 USB Ports - These USB connectors let you attach everything
from mice to printers to your computer quickly and easily.
 Audio ports and video port -  are electrical connectors for carrying an audio
signal or video signal, either in an analog or digital format. Analog A/V
connectors often use Shielded cable to inhibit RF interference and noise.
 Microphone Connector – used for connecting the microphone to the
computer.
 PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slot: Supports peripherals like
sound cards, DVD decoders, and graphic accelerators with 32 bits at 33Mhz
capabilities.
 AGP (Accelerated Graphic Port): This provides fast bus speed connectivity
along with fast access to the main memory.
 CPU (Central Processing Unit) Socket: A socket specifically for connecting
your computer processor.
 Motherboard Battery: A battery compartment, which stores the battery used
for storing data such as system date and time, when you shut down your
system.
 IDE Connector: Responsible for connecting the IDE cord used for hard disks,
CD drives, and DVD drives.
 Firewire header (IEEE 1394): A serial bus used to exchange digital and audio
data with high performance abilities.
 PS/2 Connectors: Each motherboard usually has 2 PS/2 connectors for the
keyboard and the mouse.
 USB (Universal Serial Bus) Port: There are usually a couple of these ports
located on each motherboard used for connecting pen drives and external
hard drives, like Ipods or Mp3 players.
 Parallel or (LPT) Port: The place used to connect scanners and printers.
 Game Port: The port to connect all gaming devices for example, a joystick.
 Sound Card Connectors: Plug in your microphone or speakers here.
 Display Connector: Connecting your monitor to the motherboard.
 COM (Communication) Port: The port designed to connect your mouse and
modem.
 BIOS is a term that stands for basic input/output system, which consists of
low-level software that controls the system hardware and acts as an
interface between the operating system and the hardware.
 Cache Memory It is a small block of high-speed memory (RAM) that
enhances PC performance by pre-loading information from the (relatively
slow) main memory and passing it to the processor on demand.
 Chipset A chipset is a group of small circuits that coordinate the flow of data
to and from key components of a PC.
 The NorthBridge (also called the memory controller) is in charge of
controlling transfers between the processor and the RAM, which is way it is
located physically near the processor. It is sometimes called the GMCH,
forGraphic and Memory Controller Hub.
 SouthBridge (also called the input/output controller or expansion controller)
handles communications between peripheral devices. It is also called
the ICH (I/O Controller Hub). The tem bridge is generally used to designate a
component which connects two buses