Task: Identify the
terminology.
Base Unit
Desktop PCs consist of a base unit, which contains the computers processor,
hard disk etc, plus a separate keyboard and monitor. If you buy a base unit you
will get the base unit plus the keyboard, but not a monitor. This is ideal if
you are upgrading from another machine, or want a special monitor. If you want
a complete PC ready to use you should look at desktop PCs or desktop packages -
which will include other items such as a printer or scanner or digital camera.
Boot Up is when the computer
is first turned on and ‘Boots up’ to start the default application on the
system this is the operating system. If one is not present then “operating
system not found” is displayed or if a hard drive has not been partitioned then
it offers the option to do so using fdisk. Boot disks
have been created for times when the operating system has problems loading by itself, the boot disk can also be used to run Fdisk or install a new operating system.
BUS
The collection of chips and wires through which data
is transmitted from one part of a computer to another. There are several
different bus types (known as architectures), which transport data at different
speeds and between different devices. PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect. A bus standard common on many PCs. There are probably
several PCI ports at the back of your PC.
CDRW
Recordable and Re-writeable
Compact Disc - this allows up to 650Mb of data to be stored very cheaply on a
compact disc using a special CD Writer. Unlike CDR, data can be written to the
CDRW more than once.
COM stands for Communication
ports. Most computers have 2 or more COM ports, these are used for devices such
as the modem or network card, and these are common in all computers today.
CPU stands for Central Processing Unit, obviously this is the main processor in the computer and is required for the computer to run. Without this the computer would not even start up and nothing cold be accessed.
DVD
Digital Versatile Disk. The most
widely known DVD format is currently DVD-Video, the digital version of VHS, and
designed for storing full-length movies on a single disc similar in size to a
CD.
E-MAIL
Electronic mail is used in almost all business and now almost everyone has
access to it through their computer or TV. This allows people to send text,
images or sound files to other people who have an email account.
3.5” floppy comes after the old 5” floppy disks which were actually floppy, so this is where they got their name from unfortunately the new 3.5” is not floppy but carry’s the name, the disk within the case of the floppy disk is still floppy.. The floppy drive is standard in all computers today and is used to transfer small amounts of data or files from one computer to another. This is also used to backup system files.
File Transfer Protocol is
used to upload files to the Internet; this is available with Microsoft
FrontPage. If someone decided they would like to make a web page they can
upload it using FTP.
GB (Gigabyte)
A measure of computer data storage capacity and is approximately 1024Mbytes or
1 billion bytes. A conventional floppy disc has a storage capacity of 1.44Mb; a
powerful PC hard drive may have a capacity of 40GB or more
I/O stands for Input/Output ports. These include ports for game controllers and ports such as for the printer or scanner, these ports can sometimes be used for digital cameras and other peripherals.
Network
A network is basically a series of wires & cables that connects a number of
computers. Data is exchanged between computers via these cables. The maximum
speed at which the data can be transmitted is called the bandwidth.
Operating System
An operating system is used on personal computers to run applications such as Microsoft word and is now used to play games. Most popular operating systems are the Microsoft Windows series (i.e. Windows 95, 98, ME, XP etc…)
Plug & Play
Plug & Play is a piece of software within windows, which will allow you to
detect and automatically update your system files when adding new hardware to
your PC.
Processors
This is really the 'brain' of a PC and is a key factor in deciding which PC is
right for you. In general terms, the faster the processor, the faster the PC
will work which is especially important for surfing the Internet or for games.
The speed of a processor is measured in Megahertz (MHz).
RAM stands for Random Access Memory; this is what is used inside the computer to run applications. Depending on the amount of RAM available depends on the speed in which applications will run.
ROM stands for Read Only
Memory, this is most commonly known from the CD ROM, and this means that the CD
(Compact Disc) can only be ROM (Read Only Memory) as apposed to CD RW where RW
is Re-Writeable.
SD RAM/RAM
Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory increases the number of instructions a
computer can perform at any one time. For example, the more ram you have, the
more applications can be run at the same time.
Sound card
Sound card is used to allow the user to play audio files such as
TFT (Thin Film
Transistor)
A very thin, bright, colour PC screen as used on laptops for superb resolution,
crispness, sharpness and brightness, with minimum size and weight. These can
become very expensive depending on the size.
Touchpad
A stationary pointing device that provides a small, flat surface that you slide
your finger over using the same movements as you would a mouse. You can tap on
the pad's surface as an alternative to pressing one of the touchpad
keys.
Visual Display Unit, this is
used to display information that is being processed through the computer by the
user (i.e. displays the document in which the user is working on)
VGA stands for Video Graphics
Array, sometimes referred to as Video Graphics Adapter. It is a video card,
which is an interface between a computer and its corresponding monitor. The VGA
card is the most common video card - nearly every video card has VGA
compatibility - and it is fairly easy to program. It offers many different
video modes, from 2 colours to 256 colour, and resolutions from 320x200 to 640x480
USB (Universal Serial
Bus)
USB is a form of plug and play, however the computer allows you to add or
removes devices from the USB port without having to turn your computer on or
off and automatically detects the new hardware.