Podcast Script on Computer Components

Hello I am here to talk to you about the basic hardware components within a computer. I will discuss the internal and external components of this such as sound and graphics cards and printers. Firstly I shall begin describing internal components in computers.

Let’s start with the motherboard. The motherboard is the base of the brains in a computer and serves as the foundation for many other elements that are included in a computer. It provides a range of connections and sockets which allow other components in a computer to connect with each other. Motherboards are very different and can come in different shapes and sizes. You may find that the motherboard for a desktop pc may look very different to on that is used in a laptop.

Next we have the CPU. The computers brain is a microprocessor known as the CPU. This stands for central processing unit. It is a chip which contains many millions of tiny transistors. The purpose of the CPU is to perform the calculations necessary in order to make a computer work. It is sometimes thought of as the decision maker.

Another critical component in a computer is memory, without it no data can be stored on the computer’s system. The two most important kinds of memory are ROM and RAM. These stand for read-only memory and random access memory. Computers can read data that is stored on ROM however they cannot write new data on to it, whereas with RAM computers can read from and write to that memory. Without computer memory, everything that you do would be pointless as nothing would save meaning that you have nothing to come back to.

BIOS is a small chip that works closely with the CPU. BIOS stands for basic input/output system and it is a specific type of ROM. If you think of the CPU as the brain of the computer, then you might consider BIOS to be the spine. The job of the BIOS is to handle interactions between the software running on a computer and the machine's hardware components.

The drives in a computer are the device that allow you to store and recall data and applications. Most computers have a hard drive which is either thin platters used to store information using magnetic recordings or a solid state flash hard drive with no moving parts. In either case the hard drive allows you to store information and applications directly to your computer.Older computers used floppy disk drives however the newer computing systems have storage drives such as DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.  These drives allow you to use media storage devices such as DVD’s on your computer.

Sound cards allow your computer to be able to play all audio components and media applications. Graphics cards enable your computer the ability to display graphics. Not all of these cards are the same however as some are able to support more software formats than others. Generally graphics card come in a wide variety of specs. 

Cooling systems generally include fans and heat sinks. Overheating can be a serious problem for computers as the performance of the computer will suffer from it. Also some parts within the computer could possibly fail from this. Heat sinks absorb heat from the PC components and remove it away from these parts. This helps to prevent the things discussed. A fan gives computers a way to exhaust heat externally, taking the cool air into the system whilst the hot air goes out of it.

Now we shall talk about the external hardware components of a computer, starting with power supplies and batteries.

The power supply component provides a supply of electricity throughout the rest of the computer, allowing it to be able to function properly. When the computer is plugged into a power socket, electricity flows from a cord to a transformer and then to the computer. The job of this transformer is to convert incoming electricity to the proper voltage for each part of the machine that needs electricity. When using a laptop, some of this power goes to the laptop’s battery to charge it. When it is unplugged the laptop needs to rely on the charge already in the battery for its needs.

A keyboard is one of the most basic input devices for a computer. It is an essential component for user interfacing with the machine. It consists of each character in the alphabet, numbers, basic punctuation, mathematical symbols, brackets and several modifier keys to expand functionality. With a laptop the keyboard is already built in so you are unable to change it, however with a computer usually it plugs in to the computer in order to work. This provides better customisation as with a laptop, you are stuck with the keyboard you’ve got.

A computer mouse is a hand operated electronic device used to control and coordinate the cursor on the computer screen as it is moved, usually on a pad. There are two buttons on it known as the left and right mouse click. They are used for different applications on the computer. There is a ball on the bottom of the mouse or an infra-red sensor which allows the cursor to move across the screen.

A printer is an external device which can allow you to print words and pictures from a computer screen onto a piece of paper. It is linked to the computer so it prints a certain document that you have requested. The printer must be linked to the computer so that you can print directly from the computer to paper.

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How Software Utilities can Improve Performance

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Software utilities can help to improve the performance of a computer system in a variety of ways, without software utilities, a computers performance could be affected. For example a computer without security such as virus protects will be much more prone to getting attacked by viruses which could corrupt data on the computer, and will defiantly decrease the speed of a computer system. In some cases, it may be able to steal stored data and information; therefore it is important to use as many software utilities as possible to prevent these kinds of things from happening and to improve the general performance of a computer system.

Software utility	How can it improve computer performance?	Improvements that can be made to the utility
Anti-virus	Anti-virus software is very important in order to keep your computer secure and to a high performance. Viruses can cause real harm to a computer such as removing or destroying vital data, slowing down a computer or shutting down a computer. Anti-virus software’s are used identify potential threats to a computer system and block them; however some viruses encrypt themselves to be different every time, making it impossible to detect.	Anti-virus software’s should be made to identify and stop all viruses from harming a computer system. They also should have automatic updates which do not have to be scheduled so that when you are not on a computer, constant updates should occur to remove all potential threats to a computer system.
Firewalls	A firewall is another form of security that can be added onto a computer. Firewalls act as a barrier to keep destructive elements out of a network or a specific computer. They are configured to block or prevent unauthorised access to a network. They work as filters for your network traffic by blocking incoming packets of information that are seen as unsafe. .  it is very important therefore to make sure that you’ve got protection from the kind of things like malicious software	A firewall can only protect against that for which it is designed for. Unfortunately it is impossible to predict all of the potential bugs other software may have. In addition, there are a large number of situations where a firewall quite simply cannot provide protection since not all communication passes through it. If there was a way to make sure all communication was passed through the firewall, then it would be able to block all harmful software.
Removal of cookies	While cookie files are quite small, they can still build up and slow down your system performance. When too many cookies accumulate, those unneeded files can bog down the system and result in it running more slowly than it should. It is important to take the time to delete the cookies to increase the speed and performance of your web browsing software.	Instead of having to manually delete the cookies, there should be a way to set a schedule of when the cookies are removed from the browser (maybe once per month) and the cookies from what files you want deleted. This way you can remove the unnecessary cookies without having to take the time to do it
Internet history	Removing all internet history will increase the general performance of a computer; it will be able to run faster because there is less data stored on to the system. It is also useful to do this if you are on a public computer as you can remove all information related to you from the system. This can be especially important if the information is bank details.	Similar to cookies, if there was a way to automatically have history deleted at scheduled times then there will be less information saved, hence enabling the computer system to run faster than before. This could be done by deleting everything in the history at any one time or only specified websites and files that you have programmed the system to do.
Defragmentation	Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Disk defragmentation rearranges fragmented data so your hard disk can work more efficiently. Disk defragmenter runs on a schedule but you can also defragment your hard disk manually or change the times in which it does this. It puts files that have been fragmented back together so that they can be read faster.	Defragmentation software’s should be able to collect all of the relevant files and put them back together all at one time, rather than doing in in scheduled cycles. This way it can be done quicker and in a shorter space of time. It can also be done at less concern for the user as it is done itself.
Drive formatting	Over time a computer’s hard drive may experience malfunctions due to wear and tear, viruses, or other programs that bog down the pc. To maintain and resolve performance issues, reformatting the hard drive annually is advisable. After formatting a hard drive and reinstalling the operating system, software program conflicts or glitches should disappear, and the computer’s performance will improve to a large extent.	When drive formatting, it is important to ensure that all important data is backed up on some type of external hard drive as there I a good chance of it getting lost if the data somehow gets removed from the drive with no kind of backup. I think to improve this; there should be some kind of guide of suggestions of things to do before drive formatting to ensure everything that needs to be kept on a system can be kept on a system. It may be a good idea to include external hardware within this guide to make things easier for users.

 

Examples of Software Utilities

Name	Purpose	Examples
Disk compression utilities	Disk compression tools do the job of compressing or decompressing data on the drive, so that there is more space for additional data to be stored.	DoubleDisk Gold, Xtra Drive, Stacker
Disk checkers and cleaners	These utilities check the hard drive for any damaged or unnecessary files and delete them for efficient hard disk functioning. These tools are good for increasing the speed of a slow computer.	CHKDSK, Disk Checker, ADRC Hard Disk Checker
System profilers	Are responsible for providing the user with clear information about the applications installed and the hardware devices connected to the system.	CPU Speed Pro, SekChek Local, Sisoft SANDRA
Antivirus software	There are many different antivirus software available to purchase on the market and even some free versions for download. They protect your computer against any viruses which may attempt to get on your computer.	Norton antivirus, McAfee virus scan, Avast
Backup utilities	As the name suggests, these data backup tools are used to copy all information and provide it, when required, such as in case of disk failure or file corruption.	Windows Home Server Computer Backup, Norton Ghost, EMC Legato NetWorker
Disk partitioning tools	These applications help the user to divide the hard drive into partitions, which can lead to effective data management. The main advantage of disk partitioning is that it prevents anyone from accidental or purposeful modification of system files.	Logical Disk Manager, Partition Master, Maxblast

Comparing Two Operating Systems

 Linux and Windows are two different types of operating systems which offer different features and functions, in comparison. In some ways, Linux is better than Windows however in other aspects, Windows is better than Linux.

	Linux	Windows
Cost	Linux can be freely distributed and downloaded however there are priced versions of Linux also; they are normally cheaper than windows though.	Microsoft Windows can run between $50.00 and $150.00 per each licensed copy.
Ease	The majority of Linux variants have dramatically improved in terms of the ease of use however Windows is still much easier for new computer users.	Microsoft has made several advancements and changes that have made it much easier to use the operating system. Arguably it is not the easiest operating system out there however it is still easier to use than Linux.
Reliability	The majority of Linux versions are reliable and can often run for a very long time without the need to be rebooted.	Although Microsoft windows have made great improvements in the reliability over the last few versions of windows, it still cannot match the reliability of Linux.
Software	Linux has a large variety of software programs, utilities and games. However windows have a much larger section of available software.	Because of the large amount of users, there is a much larger selection of software programs available, including utilities and games.
Software cost	Many of the available software programs available on Linux are either freeware or open source. Even such complex programs are available for free or at a low cost.	Although windows does have software programs and other utilities available for free, the majority of programs will cost anywhere in between $20.00 and $200.00 per copy.
Hardware	Linux companies and hardware manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices. But many companies still do not offer drivers or support for their hardware in Linux.	Because of the amount of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver support, Windows has a much larger support for hardware devices and a good majority of hardware manufacturers will support their products in Microsoft Windows.
Security	Linux is and has always been a very secure operating system. Although it still can be attacked when compared to windows, it is much more secure.	Although Microsoft has made improvements over the years with security on their operating systems, the systems continue to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks. This could be to do with the amount of people using this operating system, in comparison to others.
Open source	Many of the Linux variants and many Linux programs are open source and enable users to customise and modify the code however they wish to.	Microsoft Windows is not open source and the majority of Windows programs are not open source.
Support	Although it may be more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux variants, there are vast amounts of available online documentation and help, available books, and support	Microsoft windows includes its own help section, has vast amount of available online documentation and help, as well as books on each of the versions of windows.

 

Internal & External Hardware Components Within Computers

Motherboard

The base of the brains in a computer is the Motherboard or Mainboard. It serves as the foundation for many other elements that are included in a computer. It provides a range of connections and sockets which allow other components in a computer to connect with each other. Motherboards are very different and can come in different shapes and sizes. You may find that the motherboard for a desktop pc may look very different to on that is used in a laptop.

 

CPU
The computers brain is a microprocessor known as the CPU. This stands for central processing unit. It is a chip which contains many millions of tiny transistors. The purpose of the CPU is to perform the calculations necessary in order to make a computer work. It is sometimes thought of as the decision maker.

Memory (ROM and RAM)
Another critical component in a computer is memory, without it no data can be stored on the computer’s system. The two most important kinds of memory are ROM and RAM. These stand for read-only memory and random access memory. Computers can read data that is stored on ROM however they cannot write new data on to it, whereas with RAM computers can read from and write to that memory. Without computer memory, everything that you do would be pointless as nothing would save meaning that you have nothing to come back to.

BIOS
This is a small chip that works closely with the CPU. BIOS stands for basic input/output system and it is a specific type of ROM. If you think of the CPU as the brain of the computer, then you might consider BIOS to be the spine. The job of the BIOS is to handle interactions between the software running on a computer and the machine's hardware components.

Power supplies and batteries
The power supply component provides a supply of electricity throughout the rest of the computer, allowing it to be able to function properly. When the computer is plugged into a power socket, electricity flows from a cord to a box containing a transformer. The job of this transformer is to convert incoming electricity to the proper voltage for each part of the machine that needs electricity. When using a laptop, some of this power goes to the laptop’s battery to charge it. When it is unplugged the laptop needs to rely on the charge already in the battery for its needs.

Drives
The drives in a computer are the device that allow you to store and recall data and applications. Most computers have a hard drive which is either thin platters used to store information using magnetic recordings or a solid state flash hard drive with no moving parts. In either case the hard drive allows you to store information and applications directly to your computer. Older computers used floppy disk drives however the newer computing systems have storage drives such as DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.  These drives allow you to use media storage devices such as DVD’s on your computer.

Sound and graphics cards
Sound cards allow your computer to be able to play all audio components and media applications. Graphics cards enable your computer the ability to display graphics. Not all of these cards are the same however as some are able to support more software formats than others. Generally graphics card come in a wide variety of specs.

Keyboard
A keyboard is one of the most basic input devices for a computer. It is an essential component for user interfacing with the machine. It consists of each character in the alphabet, numbers, basic punctuation, mathematical symbols, brackets and several modifier keys to expand functionality. With a laptop the keyboard is already built in so you are unable to change it, however with a computer usually it plugs in to the computer in order to work. This provides better customisation as with a laptop, you are stuck with the keyboard you’ve got.

Mouse
A computer mouse is a hand operated electronic device used to control and coordinate the cursor on the computer screen as it is moved, usually on a pad. There are two buttons on it known as the left and right mouse click. They are used for different applications on the computer. There is a ball on the bottom of the mouse which rolls when it is moved, allowing the cursor to move across the screen.
 

Printer
A printer is an external device which can allow you to print words and pictures from a computer screen onto a piece of paper. It is linked to the computer so it prints a certain document that you have requested. The printer must be linked to the computer so that you can print directly from the computer to paper.

Cooling Systems
Cooling systems generally include fans and heat sinks. Overheating can be a serious problem for computers as the performance of the computer will suffer from it. Also some parts within the computer could possibly fail from this. Heat sinks absorb heat from the PC components and remove it away from these parts. This helps to prevent the things discussed. A fan gives computers a way to exhaust heat externally, taking the cool air into the system whilst the hot air goes out of it.

Operating Systems and their Purpose

 An operating system (OS) is the most important program that runs on a computer. An operating system is the framework that allows you to communicate with computer hardware in an interactive way. Without this, you would not be able to tell the computer to do anything and it would have any instructions to follow. Operating systems perform basic tasks such as recognising input from a keyboard or keeping track of files on a disk. For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers it makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other. The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the system.

Operating systems can be classified as the following:

Ø  Multi-user:  This allows two or more users to be able to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems allow hundreds of user’s access to run programs at one time.

Ø  Multiprocessing: This supports the running of a program on more than one CPU.

Ø  Multitasking: This allows more than one program to run currently.

Ø  Multithreading: allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.

Ø  Real time: Responds to input instantly. Some operating systems such as DOS and UNIX are not real time.

Most operating systems include: user interface, job management, task management, data management and security.

Operating System Types

GUI – Is Short for Graphical User Interface. GUI Operating systems contain graphics and icons. They are commonly navigated by using a computer mouse. Some examples of GUI examples include System 7.x, Windows 98 and Windows CE.

Multi-user – a multi-user operating system allows for multiple users to use the same computer at the same time and also at different times. This includes Linux, Unix and Windows 2000.

Multitasking – An operating system that is capable of allowing multiple software processes to run at the same time or doing more than one thing at any one time. Unix and Windows 2000 are examples of this.

Multithreading – Operating systems that allow different parts of software program to run concurrently. Operating systems that would fall into this category are Linux, UNIX and Windows 2000.