PC Engineering Basic Computer Hardware What is Computer? A programmable machine.

The two principal characteristics of a computer are: It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner. defined It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program). program Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery -. wires, transistors, and circuits -- is called hardware; the instructions , ; inst and data are called software. Types of Computers? Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is considerable overlap: personal computer : A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal . computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage device for saving data. workstation : A powerful, single user computer. A workstation is like single-user l a personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor. quality minicomputer : A multi multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 ter to hundreds of users simultaneously. mainframe : A powerful multi user computer capable of supporting multi-user many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. supercomputer : An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second.

Different Parts of the Computer and Their Function

Er.Aum Tiwari

A computer is made up of many different components. Each part has a specific function. Whether you need to replace a part, are thinking about building a computer, or just looking for some additional information, it's important to understand the basic computer parts and what they do. 1. Case (Cabinet)

A Mid-tower computer case The case is the part of your computer that holds all the other parts. Some common types of computer cases are: full-tower, mid-tower, mini-tower, and laptop. If you have a desktop computer, you are likely using a mid-tower; if you are using a notebook computer, you have a laptop case. 2. Motherboard

A motherboard The motherboard is the part of your computer that wires all of the other parts together. Every component of your computer, from the DVD burner to the CPU, will connect directly into the motherboard. Motherboard specs are typically designed around which processor (CPU) the computer uses. For example, if your computer uses an Intel processor, you will need an Intel compatible motherboard. 3. Processor (CPU)

An Intel Processor The processor, or CPU, of a computer is basically the brains of the computer. The processor is responsible for interpreting

Er.Aum Tiwari

every code it receives from the other computer components, and making it usable to your operating system. Some common types of processors are Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Phenom. A processor's speed will often determine the overall speed of your computer. 4. Hard Drive

A Hard Drive The hard drive part of your computer is very simple. Essentially, it is the part of the computer that stores all your information. If you upload a picture to your computer, it is stored on the hard drive. Hard drive capacity is measure in gigabytes, or GB. There are typically two ways that hard drives can connect to the motherboard: SATA and IDE. 5. Video Cards (Graphic Cards)

A Simple Graphics Card A graphic card is the component of your computer that interprets video signal. These cards are necessary so that you can connect a monitor to your computer. There are many types of graphic cards available: anything from high-end gaming cards to TV tuner cards. Some popular graphic card manufacturers are NVIDIA, ATI, and EVGA. 6. RAM (Memory)

Typical Desktop RAM module

Er.Aum Tiwari

You may have heard of people upgrading the RAM in their computers. RAM is the part of your computer that is used as instant memory. RAM is always in use. For example, if you run many programs at once, you may want to upgrade your RAM because your computer is using more memory. RAM comes in many different configurations, such as DDR2 and DDR3. The type of motherboard you have will determine your RAM. 7. Optical Drive The last main part of a computer is the optical drive. An optical drive is many times the drive you would use to burn CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and more. Optical drives can be either slot loading, or tray loading and come in many different configurations. Optical drives connect directly to the motherboard of the computer. Block Diagram of PC (Personal Computer),Von Neumann Model

The term computer architecture describes the layout of the machine. All computers use the von Neumann model, named after the American who suggested it. The diagram shows the basic idea. The CPU is connected to the various other components of the computer by buses, which are a set of wires forming connections.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Even when the computer seems to be idle, lots is going on. Millions of interchanges are happening between the components, passing along a data highway called the bus. Various input/output controllers work with the CPU to ensure that all this traffic is regulated in an orderly way, so that the PC does not crash. The bus transports the data between the CPU and the other components. It is a ribbon connector, part of the motherboard. However we cannot look at the motherboard to point out the bus; it is a complex arrangement of circuits that are printed on top of and below the motherboard. These circuits are called traces. Memory Memory is the electronic holding place for instructions and data that your computer's microprocessor can reach quickly. When your computer is in normal operation, its memory usually contains the main parts of the operating system and some or all of the application programs and related data that are being used. Memory is often used as a shorter synonym for random access memory (RAM). This kind of memory is located on one or more microchips that are physically close to the microprocessor in your computer. Types of Memory Physical Memory Virtual Memory Flash Memory

Physical Memory:- The physical memory of a computer usually consists of Random Access Memory (RAM) chips and hard drives. RAM is the amount of real storage, and is the total amount of memory installed on a computer. For example RAM (Random Access Memory) ROM (Read Only Memory). Type of Physical Memory.
Er.Aum Tiwari

Volatile Memory Non-Volatile Memory Volatile Memory:- Volatile memory is memory that loses its contents when the computer or hardware device loses power. Computer RAM is a good example of a volatile memory. Non-Volatile Memory:-Non-volatile memory, sometimes abbreviated as NVRAM, is memory that keeps its contents even if the power is lost. CMOS is a good example of a non-volatile memory. Virtual Memory:- An imaginary memory area supported by some operating systems (for example, Windows but not DOS) in conjunction with the hardware. You can think of virtual memory as an alternate set of memory addresses. Programs use these virtual addresses rather than real addresses to store instructions and data. When the program is actually executed, the virtual addresses are converted into real memory addresses. The purpose of virtual memory is to enlarge the address space, the set of addresses a program can utilize. For example, virtual memory might contain twice as many addresses as main memory. A program using all of virtual memory, therefore, would not be able to fit in main memory all at once. Nevertheless, the computer could execute such a program by copying into main memory those portions of the program needed at any given point during execution. To facilitate copying virtual memory into real memory, the operating system divides virtual memory into pages, each of which contains a fixed number of addresses. Each page is stored on a disk until it is needed. When the page is needed, the operating system copies it from disk to main memory, translating the virtual addresses into real addresses. The process of translating virtual addresses into real addresses is called mapping. The copying of virtual pages from disk to main memory is known as paging or swapping. Flash Memory:- A special type of EEPROM that can be erased and reprogrammed in blocks instead of one byte at a time. Many modern PCs have their BIOS stored on a flash memory chip so that it can
Er.Aum Tiwari

easily be updated if necessary. Such a BIOS is sometimes called a flash BIOS. Flash memory is also popular in modems because it enables the modem manufacturer to support new protocols as they become standardized. Flash memory is also called flash RAM File System A file system (sometimes written as filesystem) is a method of storing and organizing arbitrary collections of data, in a form that is human-readable. A file system organizes data into an easy-to-manipulate database of humanreadable names for the data, usually with a human-readable hierarchical organization of the data, for the storage, organization, manipulation, and retrieval by the computer's operating system. Type of File System FAT(File Allocation system) NTFS(New Technology File System) The File Allocation Table (FAT) file system is a simple file system originally designed for small disks and simple folder structures. The FAT file system is named for its method of organization, the file allocation table, which resides at the beginning of the volume. To protect the volume, two copies of the table are kept, in case one becomes damaged. In addition, the file allocation tables and the root folder must be stored in a fixed location so that the files needed to start the system can be correctly located. A volume formatted with the FAT file system is allocated in clusters. The default cluster size is determined by the size of the volume. For the FAT file system, the cluster number must fit in 16 bits and must be a power of two. Differences Between FAT Systems Bytes Per Cluster Within System Cluster limit File Allocation Table FAT12 1.5 Fewer than 4087 cluster.

Er.Aum Tiwari

FAT16 FAT32

2 4

Between 4087 and 65526 clusters, inclusive. Between 65526 and 268,435,456 clusters, inclusive.

NTFS:- NTFS (New Technology File System) is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. NTFS v3.0 includes several new features over its predecessors: sparse file support, disk usage quotas, reparse points, distributed link tracking, and file-level encryption, also known as the Encrypting File System (EFS).

MASS STORAGE DEVICE Modern mass storage devices include all types of disk drives and tape drives. Mass storage is distinct from memory, which refers to temporary storage areas within the computer. Unlike main memory, mass storage devices retain data even when the computer is turned off. The main types of mass storage are: floppy disks : Relatively slow and have a small capacity, but they are portable, inexpensive, and universal. hard disks : Very fast and with more capacity than floppy disks, but also more expensive. Some hard disk systems are portable (removable cartridges), but most are not. optical disks : Unlike floppy and hard disks, which use electromagnetism to encode data, optical disk systems use a laser to read and write data. Optical disks have very large storage capacity, but they are not as fast as hard disks. In addition, the inexpensive optical disk drives are read-only. Read/write varieties are expensive.

Er.Aum Tiwari

 tapes : Relatively inexpensive and can have very large storage capacities, but they do not permit random access of data. Note:- Mass storage is measured in kilobytes (1,024 bytes), megabytes (1,024 kilobytes), gigabytes (1,024 megabytes) and terabytes (1,024 gigabytes). LOGICAL STRUCTURE OF HARD DISK The Master Boot Record (or MBR) At the beginning of the hard drive is the Mbr. When your computer starts using your hard drive, where he will begin to look at. The Mbr itself contains a specific organization. Mbr size is 512 bytes.

The boot Loader

It is the first 446 bytes of Mbr. This section contains executable code, where programs are housed, as bootlader lilo, grub or windows for example.

The partition tables o 4 slots of 16 bytes each :containing the description of a partition (primary or extended) on the disk. Here is how to describe a partition: o State of the partition (inactive partition bootable) - (1 byte) o Custom Heads of the beginning of the partition - (1 byte) o Cylinder sector and the beginning of the partition - (2 bytes) o Type of partition (file system, eg, 32 fat, ext2 etc ...) - (1 bytes) o Head of the end of the partition (1 byte) o Cylinder sector and the end of the score - (2 bytes) o Number of sectors between the MBR and the first sector of the partition - (4 bytes) o Number of sector of the partition - (4 bytes) Magic Number o There are two bytes. They are used to determine if the hard disk has a bootloader or not.

Er.Aum Tiwari

If so, the magic number should be equal in value to hexadecimal 55AA. Here is what happen when a computer start with the mbr: o The computer starts and the bios start to execute code as the routine check of memory for example. Then the bios inspects your hard disk, you will read and verify its Mbr and the magic number. If the magic number is equal to 55AA, then the bios will load the first 446 bytes of mbr then leave it to the main executable code.
o

Er.Aum Tiwari

FLOPPY DISK A floppy disk was originally created in 1967 by IBM to help have an alternative to buying hard drives that were extremely expensive at the time and were not thought of as something to be used with a standard computer. Below is a brief history of each of three major floppy diskettes. Today, these disks have been replaced by writable discs and USB thumb drives.

8" Disk The first disk was introduced in 1971. The disk was 8" in diameter with a magnetic coating, enclosed in a cardboard case with the capacity of one megabyte. Conversely to hard disks, the heads actually touch the disk, like in a cassette or video player that actually wears the media down over time. 5.25" Disk First started development in 1976 and later became a standard in 1978, these disks were first released with only 160KB of disk space. These diskettes were commonly used in 1980's and began disappearing from use in the early 1990's. 5.25" Single Side - 160KB 5.25" Double Side - 360KB 5.25" Double Side High Density - 1.2MB 3.5" Disk Created by IBM in 1984 these diskettes were first introduced with a total capacity of 720KB. The 1.44MB floppy diskettes were used widely in the 1990's and were seldom found or used by 2000. 3.5" Double Density - 720KB 3.5" High Density - 1.44MB (Why it's 1.44MB) 3.5" Extended Density (IBM ONLY) - 2.88MB OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICE

Er.Aum Tiwari

Optical storage is a term from engineering referring to the storage of data on an optically readable medium. Data is recorded by making marks in a pattern that can be read back with the aid of light, usually a beam of laser d , light precisely focused on a spinning disc For Example:- CD (Compact Disk),DVD(Dig Disk),DVD(Digital Video Disk) Compact Disk:- A compact disc (CD) is a small, portable, round medium made of molded polymer for electronically recording, storing, and playing back audio, video, text, and other information in digital form. Tape cartridges and CDs generally replaced the phonograph record for playing back music. At home, CDs have tended to replace the tape cartridge although the latter is still widely used in cars and portable playback cars devices. only, CDs were read-only, but newer technology allows users to record as well. CDs will probably continue to be popular for music recording and playback. Some variations of the CD include:

CD-ROM CD-i CD-RW CD-ROM XA CD-W Photo CD Video CD

Digital Video Disk:- A DVD holds a minimum of 4.7 4.7GB of data, enough for a full-length movie. DVDs are commonly used as a medium for digital length representation of movies and other multimedia presentations that combine sound with graphics. The DVD specification supports disks with capacities of from 4.7GB to 17GB and access rates of 600KBps to 1.3 MBps. One of the best features . of DVD drives is that they are backward backward-compatible with CD-ROMs, ROMs, meaning they can play old CD CD-ROMs, CD-I disks, and video CDs, as well I as new DVD-ROMs PRINTER

Er.Aum Tiwari

A device that prints text or illustrations on paper. There are many different types of printers. In terms of the technology utilized, printers fall into the following categories: Daisy-wheel: Similar to a ball-head typewriter, this type of printer has a plastic or metal wheel on which the shape of each character stands out in relief. A hammer presses the wheel against a ribbon, which in turn makes an ink stain in the shape of the character on the paper. Daisy-wheel printers produce letter-quality print but cannot print graphics. Dot-matrix: Creates characters by striking pins against an ink ribbon. Each pin makes a dot, and combinations of dots form characters and illustrations. Ink-jet: Sprays ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-jet printers produce highquality text and graphics. Laser: Uses the same technology as copy machines. Laser printers produce very high quality text and graphics. LCD & LED : Similar to a laser printer, but uses liquid crystals or light-emitting diodes rather than a laser to produce an image on the drum. Line printer: Contains a chain of characters or pins that print an entire line at one time. Line printers are very fast, but produce lowquality print. Thermal printer: An inexpensive printer that works by pushing heated pins against heat-sensitive paper. Thermal printers are widely used in calculators and fax machines.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Printers are also classified by the following characteristics: Quality of type: The output produced by printers is said to be either letter quality (as good as a typewriter), near letter quality, or draft quality. Only daisy-wheel, ink-jet, and laser printers produce letterquality type. Some dot-matrix printers claim letter-quality print, but if you look closely, you can see the difference. Speed: Measured in characters per second (cps) or pages per minute (ppm), the speed of printers varies widely. Daisy-wheel printers tend to be the slowest, printing about 30 cps. Line printers are fastest (up to 3,000 lines per minute). Dot-matrix printers can print up to 500 cps, and laser printers range from about 4 to 20 text pages per minute. Impact or non-impact: Impact printers include all printers that work by striking an ink ribbon. Daisy-wheel, dot-matrix, and line printers are impact printers. Non-impact printers include laser printers and ink-jet printers. The important difference between impact and nonimpact printers is that impact printers are much noisier. Graphics: Some printers (daisy-wheel and line printers) can print only text. Other printers can print both text and graphics. Fonts : Some printers, notably dot-matrix printers, are limited to one or a few fonts. In contrast, laser and ink-jet printers are capable of printing an almost unlimited variety of fonts. Daisy-wheel printers can also print different fonts, but you need to change the daisy wheel, making it difficult to mix fonts in the same document.

Er.Aum Tiwari

HOW TO ASSEMBLE A PC(DESKTP COMPUTER) Things to get in place before starting:

Anti-static wrist strap Set of screwdrivers and pliers Piece of cloth CPU Thermal compound (recommended) PC components

Tip: CPU Thermal compound is not a necessity but it is recommended to keep your CPU cool under load conditions by helping heat dissipate faster. It is a must if you intend to overclock your PC. Step 1: Installing the motherboard Make sure you have all the components in place and a nice, clean and big enough place to work with. Put your antic-static wrist strap on to prevent your components from getting affected. Make sure your hands are clean before starting. First we will be installing the motherboard which is a piece of cake to install.

Open the side doors of the cabinet Lay the cabinet on its side Put the motherboard in place Drive in all the required screws

Tip: Most motherboards come with an antistatic bag. It is advisable to put the motherboard on it for some time and then remove it from the antistatic bag before placing it in the cabinet.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Step 2: Installing the CPU CPU is the heart of a computer so make sure you handle it properly and do not drop it or mishandle it. Also try not to touch the pins frequently so that they do not get dirty. Get hold of your motherboard and CPU manual. You need to place the CPU on the dotted white patch of the motherboard in a particular fashion for it to fit properly. There is a golden mark on the CPU to help you assist. Consult both your motherboard and CPU manual to see which position it fits exactly or you could also use try all the 4 positions.

Lift the CPU lever on the motherboard Place the CPU properly on the motherboard Pull down the lever to secure the CPU in place

Warning: Do not try to push the CPU into the motherboard! Got the thermal compound? Now is the time to use it. Take small amount of it and carefully apply it on the top surface of the processor. Be careful not to put it on the neighboring parts of the motherboard. If you do so clean it immediately using the cloth. Tip: Thermal compounds should be changed once every six months for optimal performance.

Step 3: Installing the heat sink After installing the processor we proceed to installing the heat sink. There are different kinds of heat sinks that are bundled with the processor and each has a different way of installation. Look into your CPU manual for instructions on how to install it

Er.Aum Tiwari

properly.

Place the heat sink on the processor Put the jacks in place Secure the heat sink with the lever

After this you will need to connect the cable of the heat sink on the motherboard. Again look into the motherboard manual on where to connect it and then connect it to the right port to get your heat sink in operational mode. Step 4: Installing the RAM Installing the RAM is also an easy job. The newer RAMs ie. DDR RAMs are easy to install as you dont have to worry about placing which side where into the slot. The older ones, SDRAMs are plagued by this problem. If you want to use dual channel configuration then consult your manual on which slots to use to achieve that result.

Push down the RAM into the slot Make sure the both the clips hold the RAM properly

Step 5: Installing the power supply We will now install the power supply as the components we install after this will require power cables to be connected to them. There is not much to be done to install a PSU.

Place the PSU into the cabinet Put the screws in place tightly

Tip: Some PSU have extra accessories that come bundled with it. Consult your PSU manual to see how to install them.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Step 6: Installing the video card First you will need to find out whether your video card is AGP or PCI-E. AGP graphics cards have become redundant and are being phased out of the market quickly. So if you bought a spanking new card it will certainly be a PCI-E.

Remove the back plate on the cabinet corresponding to the graphics card Push the card into the slot Secure the card with a screw Plug in the power connection from PSU (if required)

High-end graphics cards need dedicated power supply and if your graphics card needs one then connect the appropriate wire from PSU into the graphics card. Step 7: Installing the hard disk Hard disk is another fragile component of the computer and needs to handled carefully.

Place the hard drive into the bay Secure the drive with screws Connect the power cable from PSU Connect the data cable from motherboard into the drive

If your hard drive is a SATA one then connect one end of SATA cable into the motherboard and other into the SATA port on the hard disk. If your hard disk is PATA type then use the IDE cable instead of the SATA cable. Tip: If your PSU does not support SATA power supply then you will need to get an converter which will convert your standard IDE power connector to a SATA power connector.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Step 8: Installing optical drive The installation an optical drive is exactly similar to an hard drive.

Place the optical drive into the bay Drive in the screws Connect the power cable and data cable

Tip: When installing multiple optical drives take care of jumper settings. Make sure you make one as primary and other slave by using the jumper. This is not applicable if the drives are SATA drives. Step 9: Connecting various cables First we will finish setting up internal components and then get on to the external ones. You will need to consult your motherboard manual for finding the appropriate port for connecting various cables at the right places on the motherboard.

Connect the large ATX power connector to the power supply port on your motherboard Next get hold of the smaller square power connector which supplies power to the processor and connect it to the appropriate port by taking help from your motherboard manual Connect the cabinet cables for power,reset button in the appropriate port of the motherboard Connect the front USB/audio panel cable in the motherboard Plug the cable of cabinet fans

You are done with installing the internal components of the PC. Close the side doors of the cabinet and get it upright and place it on your computer table. Get the rest of the PC components like monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers etc. which we will connect now.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Connect the VGA cable of the monitor into the VGA port If mouse/keyboard are PS/2 then connect them to PS/2 ports or else use the USB port Connect the speaker cable in the audio port Plug in the power cable from PSU into the UPS Also plug in the power cable of the monitor

You are now done with setting up your PC. Power on and see your rig boot to glory. Step 10: Installing the OS and drivers We are done with the hardware part. Now get your favorite OS disks ready and the CD that came with your motherboard.

Set the first boot device to CD/DVD drive in BIOS Pop in the OS disk Reboot the PC Install the OS Install drivers from motherboard CD (applicable only to Windows OS)

How to Troubleshoot the Computer?

Here you will learn the basic troubleshooting methods of your computer. 1. Trial and error: When you find a faulty component in your computer, first of you check it with the other computers so that you can make sure whether the fault is in the component or not. 2. Check cables: In case of any device failure, check all the cables of your computer such as data cables, power cable, internal circuitry cables etc and make sure that all the cables are plugged in and working fine. 3. Hardware settings: Check the hardware settings in the CMOS and in the device manager of the system and make all the device drivers and up to date and all the

Er.Aum Tiwari

cards are plugged in properly. 4. Notice changes: When you notice a software or hardware error in your computer, determine what was changed before the problem occurred. 5. Event viewer: Use the event viewer utility by going to Start > Control panel > Administrative tools > Event viewer. In the event viewer you will find the error or warning messages associated with any faulty hardware or software. 6. Make notes: Troubleshooting is big learning option and we can learn a lot when we face any kind of troubleshooting in our computer. Make notes including the error messages and their solutions, so that you have a record that how a certain problem occurred and how did you solve it. Data Recovery Tips Accidental loss or deletion of the critical data of your organization can cause big problems for you and for your company. If you are a system administrator or a hardware technician and responsible for your companys data, it is your duty to equip yourself with the great system restore and data recovery utilities and if you are empty handed and you encounter such problems, there can be big financial loss for your company in case of completely removal of data and wastage of precious time. Following are the few tips for recovering the lost data. 1. Use some good data recovery utilities such as File recovery, Recovery My Files, R-tt and a free utility Handy Recovery. 2. If you are responsible for the data and system administrations, use backup tapes drives and regularly take backups of your servers data. 3. Use UPS and diesel generators if power failure occurs regularly in your area because sudden shutdown can crash your server and other systems. 4. Make a clean humid and dust free environment for your server room. Diagnostics with Beep Codes Following are the beep messages associated with the IBP bios. 1 short beep specifies a normal post 2 short beeps tells about POST errors that can be finding on screen. Continuous beeps indicate power supply and other cards errors. One long and short beep indicates system board problems 3 long beeps defines keyboard errors No system beep tells about power supply errors.

Er.Aum Tiwari

Introduction of Window Vista Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn."Development was completed on November 8, 2006; over the following three months it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide, and was made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website. Basic Hardware Requirement of Window Vista Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate

1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor 1 GB of system memory Windows Aero-capable graphics card 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum) 40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of frees hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.) Internal or external DVD drive Internet access capability Audio output capability

Window Vista Edition Window vista Ultimate Window vista Enterprises Window vista Business Window vista home Basic Window vista Home Premium Window vista starter

Er.Aum Tiwari