Digital Logic & Design

Assignment
Components of Computer and Windows

Submitted by:
Name:

Muhammad farhan

Roll No:

1685

Program: BS (IT), 3rd semester

Submitted to:
Sir Adeel Riffat Mirza
Dept:

College of Computer Sciences & Information Studies

GCUF

Components of a Computer
Different components of computer are as follow

System Unit
Input Devices
Output Devices
Storage Devices

System Unit:
System unit is a box that contains different electronic components of
computer used to process data. The electronic components in the system
unit are connected to Motherboard. All computer systems have a system
unit. System unit is made of plastic or metal to protect the components
inside it. Most storage devices, memory processors, cards, ports and
connectors reside inside the system unit. Other devices like keyboard,
mouse, speakers, and printers reside outside the system unit.
The electronic components of system unit are as follow:

 Motherboard:
It is also called System board or main board. It is the most
important circuit board in the system unit. It is the communication
system for the entire system unit. All components are connected to it.
The Motherboard contains different chips. A chip is a semiconductor
that contains integrated circuits on it.
Before generation of Microprocessors i.e. in 1st, 2nd and 3rd
generation computers, the computer was usually built in a card-cage
case or mainframe with components connected by a backplane
consisting of a set of slots themselves connected with wires; in very old
designs the wires were discrete connections between card connector
pins.
But printed circuit boards soon became the standard practice in
the late 1970s. The Central Processing Unit, memory and peripherals
were housed on individual printed circuit boards which plugged into the
backplane. (A backplane is a circuit board that connects several
connectors in parallel to each other, so that each pin of each connector
is linked to the same relative pin of all the other connectors, forming a
computer bus.)
During the late 1980s and 1990s, it was found that increasing
the number of peripheral functions on the PCB was very economical.
Hence, single Integrated Circuits (ICs), capable of supporting low-speed
peripherals like serial ports, mouse, keyboards, etc., were included on
the motherboards. By the late 1990s, motherboards began to have full
range of audio, video, storage and networking functions on them.
Higher end systems for 3D gaming and graphic cards were also

included

later.

Central Processing Unit:

Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer.
It is the most important component of system unit. It is also called
processor. A computer cannot work without CPU. All computers must
have a CPU. It is located on Motherboard. CPU performs all the
operations on data according to the given instructions. It executes
instructions and tells other parts of computer what to do. All functions
of processor usually are on a single chip in PC. Two main units of CPU
are as follow:
ALU (Arithmetic & Logic unit):
Arithmetic and Logical functions are performed by this unit.
Control Unit:
It controls and coordinates all activities of computer
system.

 Memory:
Data and instruction are stored in memory to be executed.
It consists of one or more chips in the Motherboard.
There are three types of memory

Volatile Memory
Non-volatile Memory

Volatile Memory:
Volatile memory loses its contents when computer is
turned off. RAM is the most common type of volatile memory.

RAM:

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. IT is also called

direct access memory. Random access means that each individual
byte in entire memory can be accessed directly. RAM is used to
store data and instructions temporarily. A program must be loaded
in RAM before execution. It is also called main memory or primary
memory.
There are three types of RAM
o DRAM

DRAM stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory. It

requires electric current to maintain its electric state. It is
recharged again and again to maintain its data.
o SRAM
SRAM stands for Static Random Access Memory. It can
store the data without any need of frequent charging. It is
faster than DRAM.
o MRAM
MRAM stands for Magneto-resistive Random Access
Memory. It stores data using magnetic charging instead of
electric charging. It has greater storage. It is faster than other
RAM
technologies.

Non-Volatile Memory:
A type of memory that do not lose its contents when computer is
powered off. ROM, Flash memory and CMOS are examples of this
memory.

ROM:

ROM stands for Read Only Memory. The instructions in ROM

prepare the computer for use. These instructions can only be
read but cannot be changed or deleted. It is not possible to
write new instructions into ROM.

Flash Memory:

It can be erased electronically. Computer use it to store

startup instructions as it allows computer to update its
contents very easily.

CMOS:

CMOS
stands
for
complementary
metal-oxide
semiconductor. It store configuration information of computer.
It is used during the booting process.

Expansion Slots & Expansion Cards:

Expansion slot is mounted on motherboard to insert
expansion card. Expansion card is also called plug-in board,
controller card, adapter card and interface card. Different
expansion cards are inserted into motherboard to add devices and
enhance capabilities to the computer.

Types of Expansion Cards:

Different types of expansion cards are as follow:

Video Card:

It is also called video adapter or graphics card. It converts

computer output into a video signal and send it to monitor to
display it. This card connects the motherboard to computer monitor.
The card usually contains memory known as Video RAM or VRAM.
The amount of memory located on a card must be enough to
support the desired number of colors and resolution. Its capacity is
about 32 MB today. Some modern cards also have their own
processors. The calls to the CPU for graphics processing are
redirected to the processor of video card. It speeds up the graphics
processing.

Sound Card:
Sound Card enhances the sound generating capabilities of
a computer. It inputs sound through microphone and converts it into
a form that can be processed by computer. It outputs the sound
through speakers.

 Network Interface Card(NIC)

It is also called a network card. It is a communication device
that allows a computer to communicate via a network.

TV Tuner Card
TV tuner card is used to watch television, capture video and
surf internet at the same time. It is also known as television board
or personal video recorder card.

 Modem Card:
Modem Card is an internal modem. It is a communication device
that allows a computer to communicate through telephone lines.

Ports:
A port is an interface or point of attachment. It is used to connect
peripheral devices with computer such as printer, mouse and
keyboard.

Different types of ports are as follow:

Serial Ports:
It is a type of port that transmits 1 bit at a time. It is used to
connect devices that do not require fast data transmission like
mouse and keyboard etc. Data travels over a serial port at 115
KB/S.

Parallel Ports:
It is a type of port that transmits many bits at a time. It is
used to connect devices that require fast transmission. Data travels
over a parallel port at 12 Mbps.

Universal Serial Bus:

It is also known as USB port. It is the fast and becoming the

most common ports in computers today. It can connect up to 127
different peripheral devices. The original USB port 1.1 could transfer
data at only 12 Mbps. The version 2 USB was released in 2002 can
transfer data at 480 Mbps. USB 3.0 is 10 times faster than USB 2.0.

Power Supply:
The power supply of a computer is a simple electrical system. It
is used to supply correct voltage to different components of computer.
It takes 240 or 110 AC voltages as an input. It converts AC voltage to
3v, 6v, 12v and 24v of DC.

Input Devices:

An input device is a hardware component that is used to enter data

and instructions into a computer.
Different input devices are as follow:

Keyboard:
Keyboard is the most commonly used input device. Data is
mostly entered using a keyboard. The buttons on the keyboard are
called keys. A keyboard contains over 100 keys. The arrangement
of keys on the keyboard is called its layout. The most popular
keyboard layouts are QWERTY and Dvorak.

Mouse:
Mouse is a popular pointing device. It is used to input
instructions with a pointer on the screen. Mouse is moved on a flat
surface to control the movements of curser or pointer on the screen.
A mouse usually has two or three buttons. These buttons are used
to perform different task such as selecting an object or opening a
program. It may also have a wheel to scroll through long
documents.
It has four types:

 Mechanical mouse:
It has a ball inside it. The movement of the pointer
depends on the movement of ball.

Optical Mouse:
It uses optical sensor or laser to control the
movements of pointer.

Wireless Mouse:
It uses a wireless technology like radio waves or
infrared waves.

Air Mouse:
It is a motion sensing mouse that can be used to control
pointer by moving mouse in specific direction through air.

Microphone:
It is an input device used to digitally record audio data such as
human voice.

 Web Cam:
A web cam is also called a PC Video Camera. It is a type of
digital video camera. It is used for following purposes:

Capture video and still images

Send emails with video attachments
Add live images over the internet
Make video telephone calls over internet

Output Devices:
The hardware components that are used to receive information from
computer are called output devices.
Different output devices are as follow:

Monitor:
Monitor is the most common output device. It is also known
as display or screen. The output displayed by the monitor
is called softcopy. A monitor looks like a television and it
displays text and graphics.
Different types of monitor are :
Cathode Ray Tube
Flat Panel Monitors
o Liquid Crystal Display(LCD)

o Gas Plasma Display

Touch Screen monitors

CRT

Monitor

LCD

Speakers & headphones:

These devices produce music, speech or other sounds like beep.
These are two commonly used output devices.

Speakers

Head

Phones

Printers:
A printer is an output device that prints characters, symbols and
graphics on paper. The printed output is called hardcopy.

Storage Devices:

Storage Devices are the data storage devices that are used in the
computers to store the data. The computer has many types of data
storage devices. Some of them can be classified as the removable data
Storage Devices and the others as the non removable data Storage
Devices.
Hard Disk
A hard disk drive is the device used to store large amounts of digital
information in computers and related equipment like iPods and games
consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3. Hard disk drives are used to store
operating systems, software and working data. These are suitable for any
application which requires very fast access to data for both reading and
writing to. Almost all computers used a fixed hard disc. Used for on-line and
real time processes requiring direct access. Used in file servers for computer
networks to store large amount of data.

Optical backing storage media

A storage medium from which data is read and to
which it is written by lasers. Optical disks can store much

more data -- up to 6 gigabytes (6 billion bytes) -- than most

portable magnetic media, such as floppies. There are three
basic.

Different types of optical disks are as follows:

CDs tend to be used for large files (but smaller than

1GB) which are too big for a floppy disc to hold such
as music and general animation.

DVDs are used to hold very large files (several GB)

such as movie films. Both CDs and DVDs are portable
i.e. they can be transported from one computer to
another. Both can be used to store computer data.

CD ROM/DVD ROM Applications which require the

prevention of deletion of data, accidental or
otherwise. CDs used by software companies for
distributing software programs and data; by Music
companies for distributing music albums and by book
publishers for distributing encyclopedias, reference
books etc. DVDs used by film distributors.

CD R/DVD R Applications which require a single

burning of data, e.g. CDs - recording of music
downloads from the Internet, recording of music from
MP3 format, recording of data for archiving or backup
purposes. DVDs recording of film movies and
television programs.

CD RW/DVD RW Applications which require the

updating of information and ability to record over old
data. Not suitable for music recording but is very
useful for keeping generations of files. DVDs have
between five and ten times the capacity of CDs.

 Memory Sticks \Pin Derives

USB flash drives are typically removable and
rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk. Storage
capacities typically range from 64 MB to 64 GB. USB flash
drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage
devices, particularly the floppy disk. They have a more
compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a
more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their
lack of moving parts. Flash drives are widely used to transport
files and backup data from computer to computer.

Flash Memory Cards

A memory card or flash memory card is a solid-state

electronic flash memory data storage device used with digital
cameras, handheld and Mobile computers, telephones, music
players, video game consoles, and other electronics.
Nowadays, most new PCs have built-in slots for a variety of
memory cards; Memory Stick, Compact Flash, SD, etc. Some
digital gadgets support more than one memory card to ensure
compatibility.

Windows
Windows has been a mainstay in the computer market for so long that
it's nearly impossible to imagine life without it. As the world's most popular
operating system, it enjoys huge success, but that success wasn't easily
attained. Bumps along the way are what helped Windows move from an
obscure operating system to the dominating power in computers it is today.
Check out some of the past versions and features that paved the road to
Windows 8.

Windows 1.0: The very first version of Windows, Windows 1.0, was a
basic interface that used "gadgets," like the calendar and calculator, but it
gained little popularity. Released in 1985, the system had basic functionality
and introduced the first version of MS Paint and a primitive word processor.

Windows 2.0: Released in 1987, the next version of Windows wasn't

much better than the first. While it did introduce two current staples Excel
and Word to users, this version came under fire when Macintosh sued
Microsoft for mimicking the look and feel of their current operating system.
The lawsuit was
eventually dropped.

Windows 3.0: The third time's the charm, they say, and that adage was proven
with Windows' third release. The introduction of virtual memory, improved graphics, and
the ability to multitask helped propel Windows to sell 10 million copies. In fact, while it
was released in 1990, Windows 3.0 wasn't discontinued until 2001.

Windows

3.1: A pseudo-release for Microsoft, Windows 3.1

contained necessary fixes and improved font functionality. Meanwhile,

Microsoft continued to develop a new release, Windows NT, hoping it could
be released as a continuation of Windows 3.0 and 3.1. Unfortunately, issues
with driver support and software meant that it was time for a new version
altogether.

Windows 95: Marking the change from 16-bit to 32-bit, Windows 95

was designed for increased compatibility and ultimate user-friendliness. As it
became clear that consumer computers would become the future, Windows
95 was offered on newer computers only because it lacked some backwards
compatibility at first. Newer releases and patches later made the version

easier to use on older machines, but by 1995, Microsoft had achieved a more
widespread interest in home computers.

Windows 4.0: The follow-up to Windows 3.0, Windows 4.0 was

released in 1996 with minor improvements and is not considered a major
Windows release.

Windows 98: As consumer computers became more widespread,

Windows 98 included improved hardware and hardware drivers, Internet
Explorer, and eventually, Internet connection
sharing. Released in 1998, with a new release in
1999, Microsoft 98 was the first release designed
specifically for consumers, as opposed to the
business or technology set.

Windows 2000: Windows 2000 made everyone's lives easier by

increasing the number of plug and play devices compatible with the
operating system. Windows ME (Millennial Edition) was also released,
offering the system recovery tool to help return a crashed computer to its
last known operating settings.

Windows XP: The system designed for ease and stability, Windows
XP was released in 2001, offering plenty of ease and functionality for laptop
and desktop users. The operating system was designed to offer users help
through a comprehensive help center, and it gave users the ability to
consume a number of different types of media.

Windows Vista: Widely considered a flop in technology circles,

Windows Vista was released in 2006. It had high system requirements and

suffered issues with performance and security. The operating system also
tended to drain laptop batteries. The version lasted only for three years,
during which some users downgraded back to XP to avoid the pitfalls of
Vista.

Windows 7: For this current release of Windows, Microsoft learned its

mistakes with Vista and
system
with
speed,
system
requirements.
gadget bar from Vista,
cleaner feel. This version

created an operating
stability and minimal
Microsoft ditched the
replacing it with a
was released in 2009.

Windows 8: This latest Windows release is getting a lot of attention.

With its redesigned Metro-style user interface and Windows Store, this
version is, once again, redefining what Windows is. It also comes with
integrated antivirus protection, a virtual hard disk and a new platform based
on HTML5 and JavaScript. It promises faster boot time, touch screen
compatibility and the ability to create a bootable USB flash drive. It may not
be enough to get people to switch from Windows 7, but at least it's a glimpse
into the future of the Windows operating system.