Introduction to Hardware and Operating Systems

Did you know that computers have been around for centuries? Some of the earliest computers include a stone wheel calculator used in ancient Greece to track solar and lunar eclipses, Jacquard fabric looms from 1803 that used punch card technology and even a 20-digit manual calculator that was invented in the early 1800s. But we’re going to fast forward to 20th and 21st century computing and provide you with an easy and informative introduction to the fundamentals of computing and operating systems operating systems.

When you complete this module, you'll be able to classify computing devices based on size and usage. You’ll become knowledgeable about operating system history, operating system installation, and operating system components. You’ll explore the notational (numeric) systems used for processing content, storing data, and the display of onscreen text, hardware addresses, website colors, web addresses, and more. You'll also discover two easy to remember notation conversion methods. You'll round out this module with practical knowledge that you'll use when it's time to evaluate computing performance and storage.

Computer hardware is the set of physical parts that make up the interior of your computer. Peripherals are pieces of hardware that are added to the outside of a computer for it to work more efficiently. Both hardware and peripherals are used to take input, store data, display output, and execute commands. This week, you will learn about several types of hardware components and peripherals. You will learn about printers and scanners, input and output devices, external storage devices, and audio and video devices.

A computer’s multiple components, both internal and external, are constantly interacting with each other to receive input, perform requested computing functions, and provide output. As technology has evolved and connection methods have standardized, a vast array of external devices can now easily and successfully connect with computers and reliably perform their tasks.

This week, you will learn how hardware and devices connect to form a functioning computer. You will learn about ports, interfaces, and connectors that are used by graphics, audio, networks, printers, and other peripheral devices. You will also learn about the types of installations these devices use to become operational.

Computer Hardware is the physical part of a computer. The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, while software and data are modified frequently. When you think of the term computer hardware, you probably think of the insides of your personal computer at home or the one at work. However, computer hardware does not specifically refer to personal computers. Instead, it is all types of computer systems. Computer hardware is located in embedded systems in automobiles, microwave ovens, CD players, DVD players, and many more devices.

In this lesson, you’ll learn about some of the common internal components of a home and business computer system.