Microsoft Office 2003- Illustrated Introductory,
Second Edition
Understanding Essential
Computer Concepts
Objectives
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Defining computers
Investigating types of computers
Examining input devices
Examining output devices
Investigating data processing
Understanding memory
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Objectives
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Understanding magnetic storage
devices and media
Understanding optical and flash
storage devices and media
Exploring data communications
Learning about networks
Understanding system software
Understanding application software
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Defining Computers
A computer is an electronic device
that:
 Accepts input
 Processes data
 Stores data
 Produces output
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Defining Computers
A computer system is made up of:

Hardware—the physical components
 Software—the programs or lists of
instructions
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Defining Computers

Architecture or configuration is the design
of the computer.
– As in, what does the computer consist of?

Specification is the technical detail about
each component.
– As in, how big is the monitor?
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How a Computer Works
The hardware, software, and you work together to
complete tasks.
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How a Computer Works
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The data you type into the computer is called
input.
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The result of the computer processing your
input is called output.
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Investigating Types of Computers
The categories of computers are:

Personal or microcomputers
– Desktop
– Notebook, Laptop, Table PC
 Hand-help or PDAs
 Mainframes
 Supercomputers
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Types of Computers
Personal computers are used for general computing tasks.
Hand-held computers fit in the palm of your hand and run
on batteries.
Mainframes are used by companies to provide centralized
storage, processing, and management for large amounts of
data.
Supercomputers are the largest and fastest of computers,
and can process an enormous volume of data.
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Types of Computers
Supercomputers are the largest and fastest of
computers, and can process an enormous
volume of data.
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Examining Input Devices
Some input devices are:
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Keyboard
 Mouse
 Trackball
 Track point
 Touch pad
 Wireless pointer
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Cordless mouse
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Examining Output Devices
Output devices
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Monitors and printers are common output
devices.
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CRT monitors and LCD (or flat panel
display) monitors are two types of monitors.
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Computer Hardware
Factors that influence
a monitor’s quality are:
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Screen Size
Resolution
Dot Pitch
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Types of printers
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Laser
 Dot Matrix
 Ink-Jet
Ink-Jet printer
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Computer Hardware
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Multimedia devices are peripheral devices
that include text, graphics, sound, animation,
and video.
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Speakers and sound cards are common
multimedia output devices
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Investigating Data Processing
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Computers interpret every signal as “on” or
“off.”
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1 (“on”) and 0 (“off”) are referred to as bits.
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Eight bits is a byte. Each byte represents a
unique character.
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Data Representation
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Storage and memory capacity is the amount
of data the storage device can handle.
– Kilobyte (KB) is about one thousand bytes
– Megabyte (MB) is about one million bytes
– Gigabyte (GB) is about one billion bytes
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Processing Hardware
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The two most important components of
personal computers hardware are the
microprocessor and memory.
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These two factors directly affect the
computer’s price and performance.
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The Microprocessor
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The microprocessor is a silicon chip
designed to manipulate data.
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Its speed is determined by:
– Clock speed
– Word size
– Cache size
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Understanding Memory
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Computer memory is a set of storage
locations on the motherboard.
There are four types of memory:
–
–
–
–
Random access memory (RAM)
Virtual memory
Read-only memory
Complementary metal oxide semiconductor
memory (CMOS)
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Understanding Memory
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RAM is temporary memory that is constantly
changing while the computer is on.
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Virtual memory is extra memory that
simulates RAM if more is needed.
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Understanding Memory
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Read-only memory (ROM) is the permanent
storage location for a set of instructions the
computer uses.
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CMOS memory is semi-permanent
information about where essential software is
stored.
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Understanding Magnetic Storage
Devices and Media
A storage device receives data from RAM and
writes it on a storage medium. Later, it can
be read and sent back to RAM.
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Understanding Magnetic Storage
Devices and Media

Floppy disks or diskettes are flat circles of
iron oxide-coated plastic in a hard plastic
case. Floppy disks can store 1.44 MB of
data.
 Tape drives provide inexpensive archival
storage for large quantities of data.
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Storage Devices
Some common magnetic
storage devices are:

Floppy disks
 Hard disk drives
 Tape drives
 Zip drives
Understanding Essential Computer Concepts
A floppy disk
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Understanding Optical and Flash
Storage Devices and Media
Some common optical storage devices
are:
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CD-ROM drives
 DVD drives
 CD-R drives
 CD-RW drives
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Storage Devices
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CD-ROMs are for “read-only” access.
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CD-R drives allow you to record data on a
CD-R disk.
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CD-RW drives allow you to write data on a
CD-RW disk and access and modify data.
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Exploring Data Communications
Data Communications is the transmission of
text, numeric, voice, or video data from one
computer to another.
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Data Communications
Data Communications is the transmission of text,
numeric, voice, or video data from one computer to
another.
The four essential components of data communications
are:
 Sender
 Channel
 Receiver
 Protocols
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Data Communications
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A sender is the computer that originates the
message.
The message is sent over a channel, such as a
telephone.
The receiver is the computer at the message’s
destination.
Protocols are the rules that establish the
transfer of data between sender and receiver.
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Data Bus
Microcomputers have several types of
ports:
–
–
–
–
–
Parallel
Serial
Small computer system interface (SCSI)
Musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)
Universal serial bus (USB)
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Data Bus
A parallel port transmits data eight bits at a time, and is
often used to connect a nearby printer.
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Data Bus
A serial port transmits data one bit at a time, and
often connects a mouse, keyboard, or modem.
A SCSI (“scuzzy”) connection can allow many
devices to use the same port, and are popular on
Macs and notebooks.
MIDI cards are used to record and play back
musical data.
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Data Bus
Computer expansion ports
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Data Bus
USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports replace
numerous connectors with one plug and port
combination. The device you install must have
a USB connector.
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Learning About Networks
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A network connects one computer to other
computers and peripherals.
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In a local area network (LAN), computers
and peripherals are close to each other.
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Networks
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A client/server network is a network with a
file server. A file server acts as the central
storage location.
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A network without a file server is a peer-topeer network. All of the computers are
equal.
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Networks
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Networks
Each computer that is part of the network must
have a network interface card and network
software.
Then it becomes a workstation.
Any device connected to the network is called a
node.
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Computer Software
Software is the instructions and data that direct the
computer to accomplish the task. It can refer to a single
program or a package.
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Understanding System Software
System software helps the computer carry out it s
basic operating tasks.
Application software helps the user carry out a variety
of tasks.
The four types of system software are:
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Operating systems
Utilities
Device drivers
Programming languages
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Understanding System Software
The operating system controls the I/O or input/output,
the flow of data from microprocessor to memory to
peripherals.
The operating system makes multitasking
possible.
Some types of system software include:
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Virus protection software
Utilities
Device drivers
Computer programming languages
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Understanding Application Software
Application software enables you to perform specific
tasks. Application software includes:
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Document production software
 Spreadsheet software
 Database management software
 Graphics and presentation software
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Understanding Application Software
Document production software includes word
processing, desktop publishing, and Web authoring
software that assist you in writing and formatting
documents.
It often has grammar and spell-checking, thesaurus,
search and replace, and template features.
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Understanding Application Software
Numbers and text are
displayed in a grid of rows
and columns. Cell B5
contains the result of a
calculation performed by
the spreadsheet software
With spreadsheet software, you can create formulas
that perform calculations. Spreadsheet software creates
worksheets with columns and rows. The intersection of a
column and row is a cell.
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Understanding Application Software
Database management software creates structured
databases to contain information.
Graphics and presentation software allow you to
create illustrations, diagrams, and charts to be
presented or transmitted. Most allow you to include
graphics.
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Understanding Application Software
Database management software creates structured
databases to contain information.
Graphics and presentation software allow you to create
illustrations, diagrams, and charts to be presented or
transmitted. Most allow you to include graphics.
Multimedia authoring software allows you to record
digital sound files, video files, and animations that can
be included in presentations and other documents.
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Understanding Application Software
Object linking and embedding (OLE) is the ability to
use data from another file, called the source.
This integration between applications has become an
important skill in business.
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