LOVELY PROFFESIONAL UNIVERSITY

GENERAL PRESENTATION ON COMPUTER HARDWARE

SUBMITTED TO:MANDEEP SINGH

SUMITTED BY: - SANTOSH KUMAR ROLL NO:RD2802A02

REG NO:-10806856 B.TECH IT

COMPUTER HARDWARE
Your PC (Personal Computer) is a system, consisting of many components. Some of those components, like Windows XP, and all your other programs, are software. The stuff you can actually see and touch, and would likely break if you threw it out a fifth-story window, is hardware.

The system unit is the actual computer; everything else is called a peripheral device. Your computer's system unit probably has at least one floppy disk drive, and one CD or DVD drive, into which you can insert floppy disks and CDs. There's another disk drive, called the hard disk inside the system unit, as shown in Figure . You can't remove that disk, or even see it. But it's there. And everything that's currently "in your computer" is actually stored on that hard disk.

The floppy drive and CD drive are often referred to as drives with removable media or removable drives for short, because you can remove whatever disk is currently in the drive, and replace it with another. Your computer's hard disk can store as much information as tens of thousands of floppy disks, so don't worry about running out of space on your hard disk any time soon. As a rule, you want to store everything you create or download on your hard disk. Use the floppy disks and CDs to send copies of files through the mail, or to make backup copies of important items.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

There's too much "stuff" on your computer's hard disk to use it all at the same time. During the average session sitting at the computer, you'll probably use only a small amount of all that's available. The stuff you're working with at any given moment is stored in random access memory (often abbreviated RAM,

and often called simply "memory"). The advantage using RAM to store whatever you're working on at the moment is that RAM is very fast. Much faster than any disk. For you, "fast" translates to less time waiting and more time being productive. So if RAM is so fast, why not put everything in it? Why have a hard disk at all? The answer to that lies in the fact that RAM is volatile. As soon as the computer is shut off, whether intentionally or by an accidental power outage, every thing in RAM disappears, just as quickly as a light bulb goes out when the plug is pulled. So you don't want to rely on RAM to hold everything. A disk, on the other hand, holds its information whether the power is on or off.

The Hard Disk

All of the information that's "in your computer", so to speak, is stored on your computer's hard disk. You never see that actual hard disk because it's sealed inside a special housing and needs to stay that way. Unlike RAM, which is volatile, the hard disk can hold information forever -- with or without electricity. Most modern hard disks have tens of billions of bytes of storage space on them. Which, in English, means that you can create, save, and download files for months or years without using up all the storage space it provides. In the unlikely event that you do manage to fill up your hard disk, Windows will start showing a little message on the screen that reads "You are running low on disk space" well in advance of any problems. In fact, if that message appears, it won't until you're down to about 800 MB of free space. And 800 MB of empty space is equal to about 600 blank floppy disks. That's still plenty of room!

Floppy Disk Drive

The FDD installs in one of the external drive bays at the front of the PC case and is secured by machine screws. External means you can access the drive from the outside. It is powered by a cable with a 4-pin connector that comes from the power supply. It transfers data to and from the motherboard by means of a 34 pin ribbon cable. It stores data magnetically on a removable floppy disk. A pickup arm in the drive floats above the disk surface. The arm moves rapidly back and forth across the disk surface as a small magnetic sensor at the end ofthe arm reads and writes data on the rotating disk surface. Floppy disks hold 1.44 Mbytes, which at one time was a large amount of data. Today many programs and files are much larger than this. In spite of being surpassed in size by CD and DVD, floppy drives are still found on many newer PCs.

The Mouse
Obviously you know how to use your mouse, since you must have used it to get here. But let's take a look at the facts and buzzwords anyway. Your mouse probably has at least two buttons on it. The button on the left is called the primary mouse button, the button on the right is called the secondary mouse button or just the right mouse button. I'll just refer to them as the left and right mouse buttons.

The idea is to rest your hand comfortably on the mouse, with your index finger touching the left mouse button. Then, as you move the mouse, the mouse pointer (the little arrow on the screen) moves in the same direction. When moving the mouse, try to keep the buttons aimed toward the monitor -- don't "twist" the mouse as that just makes it all the harder to control the position of the mouse pointer. If you find yourself reaching too far to get the mouse pointer where you want it to be on the screen, just pick up the mouse, move it to where it's comfortable to hold it, and place it back down on the mousepad or desk. The buzzwords that describe how you use the mouse are as follows: Point: To point to an item means to move the mouse pointer so that it's touching the item. Click: Point to the item, then tap (press and release) the left mouse button. Double-click: Point to the item, and tap the left mouse button twice in rapid succession - click-click as fast as you can. Right-click: Point to the item, then tap the mouse button on the right. Drag: Point to an item, then hold down the left mouse button as you move the mouse. To drop the item, release the left mouse button. Right-drag: Point to an item, then hold down the right mouse button as you move the mouse. To drop the item, release the right mouse button.

The Keyboard
Like the mouse, the keyboard is a means of interacting with your computer. You really only need to use the keyboard when you're typing text. Most of the keys on the keyboard are laid out like the keys on a typewriter. But there are some special keys like Esc (Escape), Ctrl (Control), and Alt (Alternate). There are also some keys across the top of the keyboard labeled F1, F2, F3, and so forth. Those are called the function keys, and the exact role they play depends on which program you happen to be using at the moment. Most keyboards also have a numeric keypad with the keys laid out like the keys on a typical adding machine. If you're accustomed to using an adding machine, you might want to use the numeric keypad, rather than the numbers across the top of the keyboard, to type numbers. It doesn't really matter which keys you use. The numeric keypad is just there as a convenience to people who are accustomed to adding machines.

Most keyboards also contain a set of navigation keys. You can use the navigation keys to move around around through text on the screen. The navigation keys won't move the mouse pointer. Only the mouse moves the mouse pointer. On smaller keyboards where space is limited, such as on a notebook computer, the navigation keys and numeric keypad might be one in the same. There will be a Num Lock key on the keypad. When the Num Lock key is "on", the numeric keypad keys type numbers. When the Num Lock key is "off", the navigation keys come into play. The Num Lock key acts as a toggle. Which is to say, when you tap it, it switches to the opposite state. For example, if Num Lock is on, tapping that key turns it off. If Num Lock is off, tapping that key turns Num Lock on.

Combination Keystrokes (Shortcut keys)

Those mysterious Ctrl and Alt keys are often used in combination with other keys to perform some task. We often refer to these combination keystrokes as shortcut keys, because they provide an alternative to using the mouse to select menu options in programs. Shortcut keys are always expressed as: key1+key2 where the idea is to hold down key1, tap key2, then release key1. For example, to press Ctrl+Esc hold down the Ctrl key (usually with your pinkie), tap the Esc key, then release the Ctrl key. To press Alt+F you hold down the Alt key, tap the letter F, then release the Alt key.

Monitor
CRT Monitors Up until recently, CRTs (Cathode RayTubes) were the only type of displays for use with desktop PCs. They are relatively big (14" to 16" deep) and heavy (over 15 lbs). They are available in screen sizes from 14" to 21". A 17" display means that it is 17" measured diagonally from one corner of the tube to the other. The actual viewing area is smaller than 17" (about 16") since the electron gun can't sweep completely to the tube edge. CRTs send a stream of electrons at the screen, which is charged to about 25,000 volts. As they strike it they cause phosphor on the backside of the screen to glow creating light which you see. The electron stream is sweep back and forth and up and down at about 60 sweeps per second and turned off and on at the right time to make text and graphics images appear. They are powered by standard 120Vac wall power. Data is transferred to the display on a cable with a 15-pin D-shell connector that plugs into a connector on the video card which in turn plugs into one of the PC's expansion slots. A 17" monitor with 1280 x 1024 resolution and .27mm dot pitch sells for around $150.

LCD Monitors Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology has been used in laptops for some time. It has recently been made commercially available as monitors for desktop PCs. LCDs have no electron gun and are therefore not very deep like CRTs. The text and images you see are created by a back light behind the panel, that shines through pixels (picture elements). Each pixel is made up of three chambers red, green and blue. The chambers in each pixel must be opened enough and in the proper proportion to produce the correct brightness and color. For an LCD to provide a screen resolution 1024 x 768 pixels (SVGA), it must have 786,432 (1024 x 768) pixels. In TFT (Thin Film Transistor) type LCDs, each pixel is controlled by a tiny transistor that opens and closes the chambers in each pixel. Desk top LCD displays are powered by standard 120Vac wall power.

Data is transferred to the display on a cable with a 15-pin connector that plugs into a mating connector on the video card seated in an expansion slot in the PC. A 17" LCD monitor with 1280 x 1024 resolution and .27mm dot pitch sells for around $500.

The Motherboard
The biggest and most important circuit board in a computer is the motherboard. It's called the motherboard because every other part of the computer is connected to it. The CPU plugs into the motherboard, and so does the memory. And all the components that plug into the back of the case, like the keyboard and monitor, are connected from there to the motherboard. It is also called the system

board. There is a set of slots near the back edge of the board for plugging in other circuit boards, called adapter cards. These plug-in slots are for things like modems, sound cards, network cards and just about any other add-on feature you can think of. There is a set of traces connecting these slots to each other. A trace goes from Pin 1 of the first slot to Pin 1 of each of the other slots, and other traces connect each of the Pin 2s, each of the Pin 3s, etc. These traces then go on to connect to the memory, CPU, disk drives and other parts of the computer. Major Components found on the motherboard are

: CPU - the Central Processing Unit is often an Intel Pentium or Celeron processor. It is the heart of every PC. All scheduling, computation and control occurs here. BIOS - Basic Input Output System is a non-volatile memory that contains configuration information about the PC. It contains all the code required for the CPU to communicate with the keyboard, mouse video display, disk drives and communications devices. When a PC is powered on it uses the BIOS 'boot code' to set up many required functions that bring the PC to a point where it is ready to work. RTC - the Real Time Clock chip keeps date, day and time in a 24 hour format just like your watch. The PC uses this clock to 'time stamp' files as they are created and modified. When you print a file it time stamps the pages as they are printed. Chip Set - these are large chip(s) that integrate many functions that used to be found in separate smaller chips on the motherboard. They save space and cost. The functions performed by these chip sets often broken into two devices with one providing an interface from the CPU to the memory and the other providing controllers for IDE, ISA, PCI and USB devices (see below). Primary Connectors found on the motherboard are: Power - A 20 pin connector accepts a plug from the power supply. This plug carry DC power to all the circuits on the motherboard. Keyboard - A Mini-din 6-pin (round) connector found at the back of the motherboard is where the keyboard plugs in. Mouse - A Mini-din 6-pin connector found next to the keyboard connector is where the where the mouse plugs in. Display - This connector is not integrated into the motherboard but is included in this list since its function is absolutely necessary. It is a 15-pin, D-shell type connector found on a video card that plugs into the AGP connector of the motherboard (see below). IDE - stands for Integrated Drive Electronics. These are 40 pin connectors that provide a place to connect the ribbon cables from the drives (hard and CD/DVD). All data between the motherboard and the drives is carried in these cables. They are not accessible unless the PC cover is removed. FDD connector - it is similar in function to the IDE connector. It is a 34 pin ribbon connector that carries data between the motherboard and any floppy drive installed in the PC. Not accessible with PC cover on. DRAM - Dynamic Random Access Memory connectors for SIMM and DIMM type memory modules. Not accessible with chassis cover on. Serial Connectors

Standard Serial Connector - This connector has been around in PCs since they first appeared. It was originally located on ISA expansion type

cards (see below). Today it is an integral part of newer motherboards. It is a 9- pin, D-shell connector that allows you to connect external devices with serial ports to your PC. The maximum data rate is 115 KB/s. o USB - Universal Serial Bus This is a relatively new serial bus. Originally specified as low speed, 1.2 Mb/s, it was enhanced to full speed, 12Mb/s. The latest version 2.0 is specified as high speed, 400 MB/s. Someday USB will completely replace the standard serial connector that has been the workhorse serial port in earlier PCs. USB is now a standard connector on all new motherboards. Unlike serial and parallel ports, the USB port is designed to power devices connected to it. The devices must be low power devices and must be able to reduce their current draw to less than 0.5uAmps when commanded to do so by the PC. Parallel Connectors o Centronix or Standard Parallel - This connector has been around in PCs since they first appeared. It has 37-pins and is now integrated on new motherboards. It is usually used to connect your printer to the PC and moves data at about 1MB/s. SCSI - Small Computer System Interface moves data at a maximum of up to 80Mb/s. It not integrated into most PC motherboards. It can be added to a PC as an Expansion card (see below). Some printers and hard disk drives use SCSI interfaces.

Expansion Card Connectors - The CPU connects to expansion card connectors through one of the chip set ICs mentioned above. They are located on the motherboard near the rear of the PC. These connectors allow special function cards to plug into and work with the PC. Before motherboards integrated the serial and centronix connectors they were found on expansion boards that plugged into ISA slots. Most PCs have the following expansion connector types: o ISA - Industry Standard Architecture connectors have been around since 1980 and first appeared in the IBM XT PC. This type of slot still appears on some newer motherboards so that older expansion boards can still be used. However, many motherboards no longer have ISA connectors on them. PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect is a newer and faster interface that accepts all expansion cards that have a PCI interface. AGP - Accelerated Graphics Port is a connector that is designed to work with video cards. Your video display plugs into and is controlled by one of these video cards. Many modern video cards offer enhanced 3D-graphics and fast, full motion video.

o o

CHIPSET
A set of chips that provides the interfaces between all of the PC's subsystems. It provides the buses and electronics to allow the CPU, memory and input/output devices to interact. Most Intel chipsets, which are

contained on two to four chips, also include built-in EIDE support. In the past, Intel used the name "Triton" for its chipsets. It also used the name PCIset for PCI-based chipsets.

The BIOS
As we mentioned earlier, the computer knows what to do by taking instructions from programs stored in RAM. The main instructions come from a program called the operating system, and those instructions direct traffic for other programs called applications. When the computer is turned off, all the instructions copied into the RAM are gone. When the system is turned on again, it needs to go out to the disk, get the operating system and load it into RAM, but there are no instructions in the RAM to tell it how to do this. The solution to this problem is a set of instructions that stay in memory and dont get lost when the computer is turned off. This set of instructions is called the BIOS, for Basic Input Output System. Since the instructions dont need to change, they can be stored in a different kind of chip than we use for RAM. Its called ROM, for Read Only Memory. We say that the instructions in the BIOS are hard-wired, and instead of software they are called firmware. The computer goes through a process called booting up when it is first turned on. This involves executing the BIOS instructions, loading the operating system from disk into RAM, and then turning control of the computer over to the operating system after everything checks out OK. The term refers to somebody pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps (without outside help, in other words). Any computer term that includes boot will have something to do with this start-up process.

REFERENCES:

http://www.coolner ds.com/Newbies/Har dware/har dware.htm

http://www.computerhelpatoz.com/hardware.html
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