COMPUTER PERFORMANCE & STORAGE DEVICES

Computer Technology Day 2 COMPUTER PERFORMANCE BOOT PROCESS

 Sequence of events that occurs between the you turn on a computer and the time that it becomes ready to accept commands.

 Purposes  Runs a diagnostic test to make sure everything is working.  Loading the operating system, so the computer can carry out basic operations. 6 EVENTS OF THE BOOT PROCESS:

 Power up

 Start boot program

 Power-on self-test

 Identify peripheral devices

 Load operation system

 Check configuration and customization CIRCUITS

 The path from one component of a computer to another that data uses to travel.

 Circuits run between

 RAM and the microprocessor

 RAM and various storage devices SILICON CHIP

 Silicon is melted sand.

 What the circuits are embedded into to keep them together. HERTZ

 A measurement used to describe the speed of the system clock.

 A megahertz is equal to one million cycles (or pulses) per second.

 1.3 GHz means that the microprocessor’s clock operates at a speed of 1.3 BILLION cycles per second. CORE PROCESSOR

 Name of the CPU.  Core is the 4th generation of the Intel processor.  Other generations were called  80-88  286  386  486  Pentium  Celeron RAM VS. ROM

 RAM  ROM

 “Random Access Memory”  “Read only memory”

 Temporarily holds data when  Chip on motherboard that the computer is on and allows has been prerecorded the computer to access the with data. randomly  Stores permanent instructions that the computer uses during  Temporary Memory the boot process.

 Constantly changing when  Permanent Memory computer is on  Never changes when computer  Looses all data when computer is on is turned off.  Remains intact when the computer is turned off BINARY NUMBER SYSTEM

 A method for representing letters or numbers using only two digits, 0 and 1.

 Bit  Each 0 or 1

 Byte  8 bits  Also referred to as Base 2 . MEMORY MEASUREMENTS

 Bit

 Each 0 or 1

 Byte

 8 bits

 Kilobyte

 Approximately 1,000 bytes

 Exactly 1,024 bytes

 Megabyte

 Approximately 1 million bytes

 Exactly 1,048,576 bytes

 Gigabyte

 Approximately 1 billion bytes

 Terabyte

 Approximately 1 trillion bytes STORAGE DEVICES

 Used to keep data when the power to the computer is turned off.  Medium/media  Location where data is stored.

 Different forms

 Hard disk

 CD-Writer

 Flash Drive MAGNETIC STORAGE

Stores data as magnetized particles on Mylar, a plastic, which is then coated on both sides with a magnetic oxide coating  Common magnetic storage devices

 Hard disk

 Floppy disk HARD DISK

 Usually mounted inside the computer’s system unit.  Can store billions of characters of data.  Stated in forms of bytes:  Megabytes or Gigabytes OPTICAL STORAGE

 Means of recording data as light and dark spots on CD or DVD.

 Reading is done through a low-power laser light.

 Pits  Dark spots

 Lands  Lighter, non-spotted surface areas CD-ROM

 “CD – Read Only Memory”

 You cannot record additional data onto them

 Also called CD-R

 Drives allow you to record data on a CD-R disk

 Once the data is recorded, you cannot erase or modify it, but you can add new data to the disk, as long as the disk has not been finalized. CD-RW

 “CD-Read Write”

 A storage device that reads data from CD’s and also can write data to CD’s.

 You can re-record onto a CD-RW DVD-ROM

 “Digital Video Disks – Read Only Memory”

 Reads data from CD’s (audio and data) and DVD’s (data or movie)

 Cannot modify and save back to this medium. DVD/CD R’S VS DVD/CD RW’S

 These types of storage  These types of storage mediums DO NOT let you mediums DO let you modify modify and save back: and save back:

 CD-R  CD-RW

 CD-ROM  DVD-RW

 DVD-R  Hint: The fact that RW, meaning re-writable, is part of the name….this should give you an idea of what these storage mediums are capable of. FLASH

 Flash Memory  Similar to ROM except that it can be written to more than once.  Flash Memory Cards  Small, portable cards encased in hard plastic to which data can be written and rewritten  Used in digital cameras, handheld computers, video game controllers, and other devices USB FLASH STORAGE

 USB Drive - Flash Drive  Popular type of flash memory

 Available in a wide range of sizes from 1G to 200 GB  Plug directly into the USB port of a personal computer RESOURCES

Parsons, June Jamrich, and Dan Oja. Computer Concepts. Boston: Course Technology - Thompson Learning, 2002.