Hardware & Software
Hardware Components
Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer system.
Categories
- Input Devices - Keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, webcam
- Output Devices - Monitor, printer, speakers, projector
- Processing - CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- Storage - HDD, SSD, USB drives, optical discs
Storage Units
| Unit | Size |
|---|---|
| 1 Byte | 8 bits |
| 1 Kilobyte (KB) | 1,024 bytes |
| 1 Megabyte (MB) | 1,024 KB |
| 1 Gigabyte (GB) | 1,024 MB |
| 1 Terabyte (TB) | 1,024 GB |
Software Types
- Operating Systems - Windows, macOS, Linux - manage hardware and provide user interface
- Utility Software - Antivirus, disk cleanup, file compression
- Application Software - Word processors, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers
Boot Process
- Power on - electrical current flows to components
- POST (Power-On Self-Test) - checks hardware is working
- BIOS/UEFI loads - basic input/output system initialises
- Boot loader - finds and loads the operating system
- OS loads - operating system starts and presents user interface