What can I do with computers? Basic operations with windows, files and folders. Double-click




Benefits of text storage: paper saving; paper savings; Compact placement; Compact placement; the possibility of repeated use of the magnetic carrier for storing different documents; the possibility of repeated use of the magnetic carrier for storing different documents; The ability to quickly copy to other magnetic carriers; the possibility of quick copying to other magnetic media; Ability to transfer text over computer communication lines. Ability to transfer text over computer communication lines.




Each text symbol is encoded by eight-bit binary code. To view texts, an alphabet with a power of 256 characters is used in the computer. Each text symbol is encoded by eight-bit binary code. To view texts, an alphabet with a power of 256 characters is used in the computer. In the coding table, each symbol of the alphabet is made in accordance with the sequence number and eight-bit binary code. In the encoding table, each symbol of the alphabet is made in compliance with the sequence number and eight-bit binary code. International Standard - ASCII code - American standard code information exchange. International Standard - Code ASCII - American Standard Information Exchange Code.

Unlike now you can find a person who has never heard about personal computers or have never seen them. Personal computers are available in different housings. In fig. 1.1 shows the appearance of a desktop personal computer. Depending on the configuration, the cost of a desktop personal computer can lie from 700 to more than 10,000 dollars.

Fig. 1.1. Desktop personal computer.

If you travel a lot, you can take a computer with you. In this case, you will fit a notebook computer. It has a small book size (Fig. 1.2). The ability of the computer does not always correspond to its size, so if you are ready to pay more, you can buy very powerful computer Notepad. The cost of such a computer lies within 1000 to 4000 dollars.

Fig. 1.2. Notepad personal computer.

There are other options for the design of computers. The final choice is the case of your taste. However, if you plan to connect a large number of external devices to a computer, purchase a computer with a large, spacious housing and a powerful power supply. However, a little later.

1.1. What can computer

You probably have heard such words as "computer thinks", "the computer makes a decision", "the computer writes poems and composes music." However, the main purpose of the computer is to relieve human labor. It is for this prosaic task that it is most often used. With the help of a computer, in a few minutes you can do this work to which you usually take a few weeks or which can not be fulfilled at all without a computer. And time saving, as you know, is related to money saving. Therefore, those investments that you do, purchasing a computer, justified. The money returned very quickly and start making a profit.

What kind of work can be done using a computer, and what can you solve the tasks with it? We give a far from a complete list.

Preparation of text documents

What stationery is most likely in the office? Of course, an ordinary typewriter! Letters, contracts, accounts, power of attorney, all sorts of blanks and other documents must be printed on a typewriter and, as a rule, in several copies.

However, with the help of even the most modern electric typewriter, you can hardly prepare a document, the design of which meets modern requirements. For example, official letters from organizations are usually prepared on forms manufactured by a typographical way. The title of such a form, as a rule, contains a graphic image of the company's emblem (corporate sign). No typewriter will allow you to draw even the simplest graphic image.

Another disadvantage of the typewriter is manifested when the need arises to store a large number of documents from time to time. If you need to change in the document only a few words, you have to reprint all the page or even the entire document.

The computer will provide you with an unusually powerful service for working with text documents. You can prepare a document using the keyboard and the computer screen. It is not scary if you make a mistake in the text set, as all typos can be fixed on the computer screen without printing text, which, by the way, is performed using a device called a printer.

When working with the text, you see it on the screen as it will be printed on the printer. Therefore, you can first fully prepare and check the document, and then print it in any number of copies.

The computer allows you to store a practically unlimited number of text documents. Via special Tools You can easily find the document you need from several hundred, to make the necessary changes and print it. For example, at once a model contract, you can make a specific option on it if necessary for any occasion for any occasion, and you do not have to enter a manually repeated fragments of the standard contract.

Modern printers provide print quality, practically not inferior to achievable in printing house. You can print not only black and white, but also color documents. Using color significantly improves the appearance of documents, but color printers are usually more expensive than black and white.

There will be no exaggeration to say that the overwhelming majority of all personal computers are used to prepare text documents, so we will pay a lot of attention to working with texts.

Email

If using a special device called modem, connect multiple computers to telephone networkYou can transfer text or any other documents from one computer to another, even if they are located in different cities or countries. There are so-called email systems that allow you to send from one computer to another any document, and it is not necessary to establish a direct connection between subscribers. Let us explain in more detail.

In order to call anyone and talk to him, it is necessary for your subscriber to be in close proximity to the telephone and could take off the phone. You can leave on vacation and leave the computer on and configured to receive email. In this case, the computer itself will shoot the tube and receive mail, and you, when return from vacation, you can view it.

Professional email systems do not require you so that you leave the computer working around the clock. You can call from time to time to a special email node and receiving mail sent to your address (as well as send your mail to other addresses). It is very convenient, since the mail will come even in your absence and you do not need to call the subscriber. If you call another country, it is possible that it will not be easy to reach the subscriber. The use of email systems fully eliminates you from the need to call to another country. You always call your postal node. If you send mail to another country, the email system itself will establish a link between your postal node and a similar node in another country. Your subscriber will receive mail when calling your postal node.

Training

Studying at school or at the institute, many of you used (of course, on the initiative of teachers!) Automatic devices for passing exams or tests. You are offered questions and several options for answers to each question. Use the buttons or switches you choose the correct answer, and the machine counts the number of questions that you answered correctly and puts you evaluate.

Such simple guns have nothing to do with learning and are designed at best to control knowledge. Training with a computer looks completely different.

The computer explains the material, showing all the necessary drawings on the screen and accompanying them with voice comments. After the explanation, you are given the opportunity to try your strength in what you just taught you. For example, the computer can learn you edit and print the text. He will give you to try to perform editing or printing operations, and at the same time will control the actions you do. If you make a mistake and you will not know what you do next, the computer will help you. Modern learning techniques laid in a computer are much more efficient than simple "combaling" material with subsequent control issues.

On the basis of computers, you can create simulators that simulate the behavior of cars, airplanes and other similar techniques. Simulators will help master the profession of pilot or driver without risk for life and expensive equipment.

Creating information and search engines

The computer will help you in organizing the storage of significant amounts of information and will provide quick access to the data. There are systems for storing data on books, enterprises, inventions, who wanted to sell something or buy, exchange an apartment, etc. Without the help of a computer, a person would immediately have caught in the gigantic volumes of accumulated information. The computer can organize the search for information on the criteria you specify, for example, give you addresses and phones of all stores that sell computers with the I486 processor at a price of less than $ 2000.

There are information and search engines to work with geographic maps. Using such systems, for example, you can by name to find the city, get a map of this city and find the store or street on it. Additionally, you can find out the weather in the city in different times of the year, the level of crime, population, etc. You can sign your own designations, for example, to note the location of branches of the company or partner firms, which is convenient for organizing presentations and holding meetings.

The computer is indispensable in the preparation of various printing products, such as magazines, newspapers or books. For example, the book you are currently reading is scored and prepared using a computer. She never existed in the form of a classic manuscript written by a ball or a featful handle. In the preparation of this book, only a few drafts were printed to the publication, which took quite a bit of time.

The computer will help you not only to dial and edit the text, but also prepare all the illustrations, print the original-layout suitable for the manufacture of the circulation in the printing house. Modern computers allow you to create high-quality color illustrations and combine them with text.

Organization accounting and accounting of material values

In any organization there are tasks of accounting for material values, calculating the salary of employees and other types of work performed by the accounting department and the departments of the material support.

Usually, the card file is used to account for material values, in which a separate card is started for each item. This card reflects all information relating to the subject. Big library cards may contain tens of thousands of cards. Manually handle such a volume of information is extremely difficult and the computer can greatly facilitate this work. It can, for example, keep all the data on all books from the Library Foundation and issue any reference and statistical information about books. By the name of the author, you can easily get not only a list of all books, but also numbers of racks and shelves, where these books are located when and to whom they are issued, etc.

The computer is many times speeding up the execution of calculations, for example, wagesEspecially if there are many employees in the organization, and the algorithms for calculating various premises and interest are complex.

With the help of a computer, you can prepare with relatively simple films that are displayed on the computer screen of a system of one or another. The demonstration may be accompanied by music or speech. The film may consist of separate graphic images (Photos), frames or integer fragments entered from the VCR or camcorder. Unlike conventional television commercials, the "plot" of computer advertising can vary on the course of the viewer. With the help of special equipment, computer films can be recorded on a VCR and used in the preparation of television gears.

Automated design

Modern systems of automated design, performed on the basis of personal computers, greatly facilitate the work of developers of various equipment, from receivers and TVs to cars and aircraft.

You can forget about pencils, rules, squares, patterns, mascara and raysfeders - the computer will allow you to draw the item of any complexity and even look at it from different sides, turning the item in space. When the item is ready, the computer will make it drawing using a printer or another device - a grapheater or plotter.

Electronic circuit breakers computer can also provide significant assistance. With the help of the computer, you can not only draw the circuit and perform automatic trace of the circuit board, but in some cases moderate the work itself electronic circuit In order to detect errors in the logic of its work.

Simulation of physical processes

The move or condition of some physical processes, for example, the propagation of the shock wave in the solid or the distribution of electromagnetic waves in the space of complex shape, is difficult to control the real physical object. For example, if you need to test any massive steel construction on the impact of the shock wave and pick up for it best shapeYou do not need a steel-smelting plant, rolling shop and many tons of steel - the computer can simulate the passage of the wave and even displays the development of this process in time and space for any product form you choose.

Mathematical calculations

Mathematical calculations are just what the first computers collected on lamps and transistors were created and used. Now the computer has many new affairs, but it is still actively used for calculations. Modern personal computers provide such computing capacities that did not dream of physicists and mathematicians of past years working on large (mainly in their size) computers of the EU EU Series. And if earlier the results of the calculations were printed in the form of tables or simple graphs, now you can view them immediately on the computer screen in any form convenient for you, for example, in the form of a three-dimensional image.

Creating and execution of musical works

You can connect to the computer a sound hardware, such as a microphone, sound speakers, a music keyboard, a tape recorder or a CD player (CD). After that, the computer will turn into a music center!

Simultaneously with normal operation on the computer, you can listen to music recorded, for example, on a CD. Using a music keyboard that resembles a piano keyboard, you can create multi-voiced stereo musical works. The computer can store tens of musical instruments and create various special effects, such as vibrato or noise effects. At your disposal will be an entire orchestra.

Technological process management

One of the applications of computers is associated with the management of technological processes and installations. With the help of computers, you can create automatic plants that are served by two and three workers. There are such plants, for example, in Japan.

Creating automated measuring laboratories

If you connect the measuring instrument to the computer, such as digital voltmeters, frequency synthesizers, the meters of various physical quantities, the automated measuring laboratory will result. With this laboratory, you can explore the characteristics various devices, for example, to obtain an amplitude-frequency characteristic of low frequency amplifiers. Measurement results can be displayed in graphical form on the computer screen.

Practically computer can be connected to any physical installation. At the same time, the possibilities of installation are increasing in tens and hundreds of times.

Communication of a computer with a man in a natural language

Today, systems that recognize individual words spoken by man have already been created abroad. Such systems are convenient, for example, to organize selling tickets on orders. You can do tickets for tickets at the same time and they will be processed automatically. There are experimental models of cars controlled by voice.

However, it should be noted that the task of automatic speech recognition, especially the fusion, is extremely difficult. The point here is that a person, recognizing speech, understands its meaning, and the computer is not yet. Words similar to sound may have a different meaning in different context. Currently, computer systems recognizing the fusion speech and understanding it have not yet been created.

The task of computer synthesis of speech is much simpler and is currently solved. There are systems capable of a good diction to voice any text entered into a computer in one way or another.

Games and entertainment

To work well, you need to rest well. Those who work hard with a personal computer are often resting using a computer. Leaving aside questions of fatigue and utility of such a rest for health, we note the extraordinarily widespread dissemination of special electronic games developed for a personal computer.

You are most likely known game consoles to household TVs, with which you can play tennis, chase the ball over the field or play other similar games. For personal computers, thousands of electronic games have been created, the most difficult of which will be displayed on the screen moving realistic images, accompanied by music and speech. The complexity of games is increasingly increasing, respectively, the satisfaction received from the game.

From the above, it may be the impression that the computer can all. However, this is not the case. There are tasks that are solved by a person much faster than even the most powerful computer. Such tasks include, for example, recognizing the fusion speech and images. Typically, the computer is instructed by the routine work, too difficult or boring for a person. IBM - the largest manufacturer Computers are credited with words that a person should think, and the computer is to work.

However, it's time for us to find out what a computer consists of and how it can do everything about what we just said.

1.2. How it works and how it works

Any computer (even the largest) consists of four parts - information entry devices, information processing devices, storage devices and information output devices. Structurally, these parts can be combined in one case with a book size (computers of the Notebook class - a notebook) or each part may consist of several sufficiently bulky devices ( large computers, such as EU computer).

Most often personal Computer It consists of a system unit (shown to the right of the video monitor in Fig. 1.1), the video monitor (Fig. 1.3), the keyboard (Fig. 1.4), the printer (Fig. 1.5), mice (Fig. 1.6). Sometimes audio columns, headphones and microphone, as well as other input and output devices, for example, a graphical information entry device called a scanner (Fig. 1.7) are additionally connected to the computer.

The system unit combines processing and storage devices. About how the computer processes and stores information, we will tell a little later.

Fig. 1.3. Video monitor.

The video monitor resembles a household TV, but it usually has a higher resolution. It is easy to guess that the monitor is designed to withdraw information. The computer can display the monitor screen as text and graphic information. With the help of a special (and pretty expensive equipment), you can connect a domestic video recorder to a computer and simultaneously browse in a small monitor screen window (or on the entire screen) video films.

Fig. 1.4. Keyboard.

Computer keyboard resembles a typewriter keyboard. Its purpose is similar - to type text. However, in the computer, the dialing text is not printed immediately on paper, and is remembered on the disk - a storage device located in the main unit. In addition to the text set, the keyboard is used to control the computer, as well as to solve other tasks, which you still learn.

Fig. 1.5. Printer.

The printer is designed to print information stored in the main computer. It can be text, graphic image, tables, etc. Industry produces printers for every taste - from the cheapest, worth $ 100 - $ 200, which are printed slow and not very high quality, to expensive laser and colored jet printers that stand from hundreds dollars to several thousand dollars and provide quality, usually achievable only in the printing house.

Fig. 1.6. Mouse.

The mouse is a small box, with one, two or three buttons on the upper lid. To work with the mouse, it is necessary to move on the surface of the table. The computer monitors the moves of the mouse and moves the image of a special pointer to the monitor on the monitor screen. Thus, moving the mouse over the table surface you will move the cursor over the monitor screen.

With the mouse, you can specify the computer to those elements of the image with which it should do anything. By installing the cursor to the object, click one of the buttons. At the same time, the computer learns that you installed the cursor to the desired object.

To perform some tasks on a computer (for example, such as creating graphic images), the mouse is even more needed than the keyboard, since it is a graphical computer input device.

With the help of sound columns, headphones and microphone, the computer can communicate with a person natural to humans. It is a pity that the computer understands the computer yet with great difficulty, if at all understands ...

Fig. 1.7. Scanner.

The scanner is designed to enter graphic images, such as black / white or color photographs. With the help of the scanner, you can enter a graphic image of the page book with text. The computer will be able to "read" this image and convert it to ordinary text. This text can be subsequently edited or formatted. However, the scanner is most often used to enter photos.

With the plotter, the computer can draw a drawing of the detail, a geographic map or another similar image. Plotter paints with special color markers. Quality is usually worse than achievable on the laser printer, but there are plotters that can work with paper very big size, for example, format A0 (33.11 "x 46.81" or 841 mm x 1189 mm). Laser printers typically use A4 paper format (8.27 "x 11.69" or 210 mm x 297 mm), and only some of them are A3 (11.69 "x 16.54" or 297 mm x 420 mm).

Such a device as digitizer needs not all. This device consists of a tablet and a special box with buttons. Digitizer is designed for semi-automatic input to the computer drawings, schemes, geographical maps. The drawing or drawing is placed on the tablet, the box is located on top, connected to the tablet. Through a special lens with crossed lines, you see the surface of the drawing or the pattern on which the box is lying. By moving the crosshair of the lines from one drawing point to another and pressing the buttons on the box, you can enter a pencil sketch of the part or a geographic map in the computer.

You can connect other devices to the computer, for example, a bar code reader used to marking goods in stores, or modem.

So, the computer consists of four parts, which described above the device can be used. How do these parts connect and how to interact with each other?

In fig. 1.8 depict those actions on the information that the computer can perform.

Figure 1.8. Actions performed by a computer.

The computer can enter information, process, output, and also accumulate. Without going into details, we note that all information is stored in the computer in the form of numbers (even text, sound or graphic).

Input devices convert entering information into numbers. For example, when you press the keys on the keyboard, the numbers corresponding to the press key are transmitted from it to the main unit. If introduced sound information, it is also converted into the number of numbers, each of which corresponds to the amplitude of the beep in this moment time. When entering the image using the scanner, the resulting image is stored as numbers describing the color and intensity of individual image points. When the mouse is moved over the surface of the table, the direction of movement of the mouse and the distance is transformed into a digital form and are transmitted to the computer.

It is inconvenient to work with digital information, he prefers an analog. For example, many people are accustomed to mechanical clock and do not buy electronic with digital display, as it is easier for them to determine the time by the position of the arrows. Computer (Rather, information processing device included in the computer), "loves" to deal with numbers.

Therefore, receiving information from humans, after processing the computer should convert it from a digital shape into a form, convenient for a person. Output devices give a person a ready-made result of processing as an image, sound, etc.

As for the storage of information, it is stored in digital video. This is convenient to handle information by computer. The usual user never has direct access to information stored in computer memory devices, so it does not matter the format of the data recorded there.

In addition to the information entered to handle information, another type of data is stored in the computer - programs for working with information. Programs are stored in the form of numbers and are nothing more than the instructions for working with information. Programs prescribe a computer which should perform operations in response to the actions of a person working with a computer. As a rule, to solve each task, you need to have a separate program, although there are also universal programs that can perform several different tasks.

Programs are compiled by people whose profession is programmers. Drawing up programs is an extremely difficult task that requires considerable special training, extensive labor and time. Programming "at a good level" is available only by high-class professionals. However, users of computers should not worry about this. Currently you can buy a program suitable for solving almost any task. To use the computer, you do not need the ability to draw up programs, as not required and detailed acquaintance with the device and the principles of the computer.

In our series of books, designed primarily for users of computers, we will not consider (in any case in the next few volumes) issues of programming, focusing on the use of existing ones.

1.3. Than measure the amount of information

In order to navigate in units of the number of information, we will tell you about what type information is stored and processed by a computer.

The smallest unit of information adopted in computing is called BIT (BIT). The bit can take two numerical values: 0 or 1. Indeed, one bit carries minimal information. How can you imagine bits? It is usually compared with a light bulb (Fig. 1.9), which can be turned on (state 1) or turned off (state 0). Sometimes they conduct an analogy with a switch: the "enabled" state corresponds to 1, the state is turned off - 0.

Fig. 1.9. One bit.

If you take 8 light bulbs and put them nearby, combining into the group, we obtain a visual idea of \u200b\u200ba larger unit of measurement of the number of information - byte (byte). Each light bulb in the group corresponds to one bit. Thus, bytes consists of 8 bits (Fig. 1.10).

Fig. 1.10. One byte.

How much information can be submitted by one byte? Not really. Total 256 combinations are possible from the ons and off light bulbs or from those set in 1 or discarded in 0 bits.

Usually each combination is denoted by a certain number. For example, when all bits in the bate are reset in zero, this combination corresponds to the number 0. In this case, they say that the value of the byte is 0. When all bits in the pate are set to 1, the byte value is 255. There are others, intermediate values From 1 to 254 inclusive.

The data entered using a keyboard or letter (characters) displayed on the video monitor screen can be represented by bytes. Eight bits turns out to be enough to represent all letters and characters. In this case, each letter or symbol is put in accordance with the byte with a certain value, i.e. with a certain combination of mounted in 1 and discarded in 0 bits. They also say that every letter or symbol has its own code. We give an example of codes for some numbers, Latin and Russian letters (used in the Microsoft Windows operating system):

Symbol Symbol code
0 00110000
1 00110001
2 00110010
A. 01000001
B. 01000010
C. 01000011
a. 01100001
b. 01100010
c. 01100011
BUT 11000000
B. 11000001
IN 11000010
but 11100000
b. 11100001
in 11100010

The number of possible bits combinations in the bate enough to represent all Latin and Russian letters, as well as characters, such as a point, comma and colon. However, with a single byte, you can imagine only one letter. Text, of course, consists of many letters. When you type the text on the keyboard by pressing one key after another, the computer (running the corresponding program) receives bytes corresponding to the letters sequentially, one by one and writes them into your memory. When you print the text on the printer, bytes from the computer's memory (again running the program) to the printer, which prints the text you previously entered.

One standard typing technology page contains about 2000 letters. It can be said that one page of the text contains 2000 bytes of information.

Are there larger units for measuring the number of information? Of course, there is.

One of these units is called kilobyte (abbreviated recording - KB). One kilobyte contains 1024 bytes. One typewriter page contains approximately 2 kilobytes of information or, in other words, two kilobytes of data.

Even larger units of measurement - megabytes and gigabytes are used. One megabyte is equal to 1024 kilobytes, and one gigabyte (GB) - 1024 megabytes. A book, consisting of 500 pages of text without drawings, contains approximately 1 megabyte (MB) information.

Modern computers can store from dozens and hundreds of megabytes to thousands of gigabytes of data. Usually, personal computers are equipped with a memory of 200-300 megabytes, which allows you to remember about 100-150 thousand text pages. It's not too little, isn't it?

You should be able to navigate in units of information measurement and imagine how much the place your data is in the memory of the computer. When choosing a computer, you must equip it with a sufficient amount of memory, based on the tasks you decide. Of course, you can buy more memory, with a margin, however, while you can spend a lot of money (the memory of 1 gigabyte is about thousands of dollars). We, in turn, will help you choose a computer and the correct amount of memory for it.

1.4. Computer system block

What is hiding inside the computer's system block? There is an information processing device, information storage device and other nodes.

If you open the computer's system block case (Fig. 1.11), you will see the power supply (Power Supply), greater pCB with chips called motherboard (Motherboard), which inserted floors in size - controllers, as well as devices external memory - Drives on flexible magnetic disks (FDD or NGMD) and storage devices on magnetic (hard) disks (HDD or NMD). Inside the case there is also a small loudspeaker and many connecting cables.

I / O devices such as Mouse (Mouse), Keyboard, a keyboard, a video monitor and printer (Printer) are connected directly to the motherboard or to controllers (Controller) - small fees inserted into the motherboard. Similarly connected to K. motherboard NGMD, NMD and loudspeaker, as well as buttons and LEDs located on the front panel of the basic block case.

Fig. 1.11. Computer system block.

On the motherboard there is a large microcircuit - a central processor (CPU or CPU). This is the brain of the computer. The processor performs all data processing entering the computer and stored in the computer's memory. Processing is performed on the management of the program, which, as we have said, is also stored in the computer's memory. Personal computers are equipped with central processors of different power (performance). Depending on the task you decides, one or another processor may be required, which we will talk about.

Besides central processorOn the motherboard there is another major device - rAM or operational storage device (RAM or RAM). RAM has a relatively small volume - usually from 1 to 16 megabytes, however, as can be seen from the name, the central processor has operational (fast) access to data recorded in RAM (no more than 60-100 nanoseconds are required to extract data from RAM). It is said that data in RAM have a small access time.

Why does the entire memory of the computer not work as fast as RAM? There are two reasons for that. First, the high-speed memory is expensive. Secondly, all the data stored in RAM disappear when the computer is turned off. NMD or NGMD memory memory devices store data, even if the computer does not work, and can be used for long-term storage of information, however, data access time even for the best NMD is 5-10 milliseconds, and it is significantly more for NGMD.

1.5. Computer memory

We will tell you more about how the computer memory works and works.

RAM and ROM.

You already know that the computer's motherboard has an operational storage device (RAM) with a capacity of several megabytes with a small access time. This memory is used to temporarily storing data processed by the central processor. However, not only data is stored in RAM, the program must be recorded there before launch.

In addition to RAM on the motherboard there is a constant storage chip (ROM or ROM). The data is recorded in the ROM once in the manufacture of chips at the factory and usually cannot be changed subsequently. The ROM stores programs that the computer starts automatically when power is turned on. These programs are designed to verify the health and maintenance of the equipment of the computer itself. They also perform the initial load of the main service program of the computer - the so-called operating system.

Visually RAM and ROM can be imagined in in the form of an array of cells in which individual bytes of information are recorded. Each cell has its own number, and the numbering begins with zero. Cell number is an address (address) byte.

The central processor when working with RAM should specify the address of the byte, which he wants to read from memory or write to memory (Fig. 1.12). Of course, you can only read the data from the ROM. These processor read from RAM or ROM, the processor writes into its internal memory, arranged similarly to RAM, but working much faster and having no more than dozen bytes.

Fig. 1.12. Work processor with RAM.

The processor can only process the data that are in its internal memory, to RAM or ROM. All these types of memory devices are called internal memory devices, they usually arrange directly on the computer's motherboard (the internal memory of the processor is in the processor itself).

Magnetic disk memory

Any computer (intended for serious work) is equipped with so-called external memory devices. These devices are primarily drives on flexible magnetic discs (NGMD) and storage devices on rigid magnetic disks (NMD).

The external memory devices, as we have already spoken, are intended for long-term storage of information. NGMD and NMDs refer to disk magnetic memory devices, since the information in these devices is written on rotating discs coated with a magnetic material that resembles the coating of ribbons of conventional audio and video cassettes. And although in its composition the magnetic coating used in disk drives differs from the coating of conventional household magnetic tapes, they use a similar principle of recording information.

In conventional household tape recorders, an analog signal is written to the magnetic tape directly from the microphone, plates player, CDs or other source. The computer records the bits of information on magnetic discs. If you need to write a few data bytes, all bits of these bytes are recorded sequentially onto one track.

The tracks form concentric circles on magnetic disks. The block of special magnetic heads moves along the radial axis to the center or from the center of the disk, which is reading the imaginary circles on the surface of the disk. These circles are called tracks or cylinders (Fig. 1.13).

Fig. 1.13. Magnetic disk.

The computer can arbitrarily install the magnetic head unit on any disk path, but the data itself on the track is viewed by a computer sequentially as the disk is rotated.

Constructively NGMD is designed in such a way that you can change the magnetic discs installed in it. Such replaceable magnetic discs are called flexible. magnetic disks Or floppy disks (they are also called diskettes) and are located in a special cardboard envelope that protects them from damage. By the way, let the name "flexible discs" do not mislead you - with such discs you need to handle carefully and in no case to curb them!

Floppy disks can not be dried, sitting near strong electromagnetic fields (it is clear why - the information will be erased). For better data saving, try to keep the floppy disks from strong magnets and a video monitor. It is also impossible to touch the surface of the disk surface, as you can pollute it with fat, which is always on the skin.

On the top surface of the diskette, a label is usually pasted on which you can mark which programs or data are on a diskette. For marks on the label, the floppy diskettes are best used to use a soft simple pencil or felt-tip pen, but not ball handleSince she can leave dents and spoil the floppy disk. If you erase the old designation from the lastic floppy label, make sure that the crumbs do not fall into the slot for magnetic heads. Otherwise, you can damage not only a floppy disk, but also NGMD.

Try to keep a floppy disk in a special paper bag, in which it is sold. You should not put a floppy disk on the table or desktop, since dust from the surface of the table or papers can fall on the surface of the magnetic disk and this will damage it. We also do not recommend smoking in the room where the computer is installed, the ashes of cigarettes can cause a premature diskette failure or NGMD.

Currently, floppy disks of two types - diameter 5.25 "(Fig. 1.14) and 3.5" (Fig. 1.15). Depending on the design of the disk and the magnetic coating material, you can burn to a floppy disk from 360 KB to 2.88 MB of data. Most common floppy disks with a diameter of 3.5 "and a capacity of 1.44 MB, with a diameter of 5.25" and a capacity of 1.2 MB, as well as a diameter of 5.25 "and a capacity of 360 KB.

The container of floppy disks can be determined from the designation on the box. We give the designation for those encountered most often disks:

Diameters with a diameter of 5.25 "and different density externally practically do not differ from each other, except that the 360 \u200b\u200bKB floppy diskette holes the hole for the rotating shaft has an edging along the edges. 1200 KB diskette (or as is customary, capacity 1, 2 MB) There is no such edging.

Capacity diskette diameter 3.5 "Easy to determine by appearanceSince the 1,44 MB with a diskette (1440 KB) there is a special hole for the designation of the container. The discharge floppy disks 720 KB do not have such a hole.

Fig. 1.14. Floppy disk with a diameter of 5.25 ".

Data recorded on a diskette can be protected from accidental erasing or overwriting. In a diskette of 5.25 "diskette" for this, it is necessary to take a write-off hole with a special strip. A set of such strips is sold together with flips. In a diskette of 3.5 "to protect against recording there is a special cover. You can use it to close the hole, protecting the data recorded on the diskette.

Fig. 1.15. Floppy disk with a diameter of 3.5 ".

The diskettes should be inserted into the NGMD slot carefully, while they should be inserted in such a way that the slot for magnetic heads is directed inside the NGMD, and the write protection slot (or write protection in diskettes in diameter 3.5 ") was on the left. The label must be passed from above. If you insert a floppy disk, it may damage the NGMD.

In fig. 1.16 shows how to properly insert a floppy disk with a diameter 3.5 ". The floppy disk is inserted until it clicks without an application. To remove the floppy disk, press the button specified in the figure.

Fig. 16. Work with a floppy disk with a diameter of 3.5 ".

In fig. 1.17 It is shown to be properly installed in the NGMD diskette with a diameter of 5.25. After you insert a floppy disk, you should turn the lock knob in the direction indicated in the arrow figure. Before removing the diskette from the drive, the lock knob should be returned to its original position.

Fig. 17. Work with a floppy disk with a diameter of 5.25 ".

In NMD drives, several discs with a magnetic coating rotating on the general shaft are used immediately. As in the NGMD, the magnetic head unit is used to record data on discs, and the data is written on both surfaces of the disks. However, in NGMD, the magnetic heads concern the surface of the floppy disks, and in NMD, it hits very close over the surface. Therefore, in particular, and also because the wheels themselves are more stringent mechanically, the Capacity of NMD is significantly higher and is hundreds, or even thousands of MB.

Compared to NGMD, data access to NMD is significantly less. This is due to the fact that the rotational speed of the disks in NMD is higher than the speed of rotation of the floppy disk in the NGMD.

NDD drives are practically in each personal computer. Currently, this is the most common device intended for long-term storage.

Laser disk drives

Laser disk drives are increasingly used. Laser drives are distinguished by significant capacity (650 MB and more), but they usually have worse speed compared to NMD. As well as in NGMD, you can change discs with information, however, the capacity of such a "floppy disk" is much larger, not to mention the significantly greater reliability of data storage. The dimensions of the laser and floppy disk are approximately the same.

Without going into details, we note that there are three of different types Laser drives.

The first type allows you to read laser discs, similar to conventional CD CDs. These drives work as a replaceable ROM and are called CD-ROM. CDs for cD-ROM drives Prepared with the help of special equipment worth a thousand dollars, however the cost of the CDs themselves (without taking into account the cost of information recorded on the disk) is negligible. CD-ROM drives cost about 200-300 dollars, which is relatively few. They will provide you with access to significant amounts of data, not to mention the fact that such drives allow you to play regular sound CDs through the headphones or audio equipment connected to the computer.

The second type of laser drives allows you to record information on the laser disk only once. These are the so-called WORM drives. It is convenient to use them to work with large volumes rarely changing, but replenishing information, such as, for example, the catalogs of large libraries.

The most convenient, but also the most expensive type of laser drives - storage devices with overwriting. When capacity is about 600 MB and speed, comparable to the speed of NMD, the cost of such drives can reach several thousand dollars. However, the high reliability and the ability to change the discs with data make them very attractive if it is necessary to work with very large amounts of data.

Magnetic tape drives

You can not get around the attention of external memory devices as magnetic tape or streamers. According to its principle, these devices resemble household cassette tape recorders. Most often, the streamers are used to back up the contents of NMD, which avoids data loss when the NMD is output. The best streamers make it possible to write to a single cassette with a magnetic tape up to 2 GB of information, however, due to the high cost of such streamers, the streamers with cassettes designed for recording 150 or 250 MB of data are more common.

Memory Hierarchy in Personal Computer

Summing up this, we note the hierarchy of the memory of the computer. Directly in the central processor there is a very high-speed memory of a small size (tens of bytes). On the motherboard there are a slightly slower memory of RAM and the ROM capacity of the order of several megabytes (the ROM capacity is usually one hundreds of kilobytes). And finally, the computer connects relatively slow external memory devices capable of stored thousands of megabytes of data. The table below reflects the approximate characteristics of the main types of storage devices used in personal computers.

Device Capacity, MB Average data access time, MSEK
Oz 1-32 0,00005-0,0001
NMD 40-3000 5-25
NGMD 0,36-2,88 100-200
CD-ROM. 600-1000 200-700
Laser disk with overwriting 120-650 17-300
Streamer 60-2500 5-25 min

Note that the central processor does not fundamentally have direct access to external memory. In order to write data to the disk, the processor should place them at the beginning of the RAM, from where they from the special instrument of the computer will be rewritten on the disk paths. The data read from the disk is also first placed in RAM, and only after that the central processor can access them.

The hierarchical construction of the computer's memory allows you to reduce the cost of the computer's memory subsystem, since those data that is more often stored in a high-speed (and more expensive) memory, while a large amount of rarely used data can be stored in relatively cheap external memory.

1.6. What programs are

Now let's talk a little about the programs.

All that the computer does, he does in accordance with the instructions drawn up by a person - programs. Recall the musical machines in which the sequence of commands for playing music was recorded on rotating discs with drilled or extended holes - what is not a specialized musical computer? Changing discs, you can change the music performed by such a machine. It can be said that a program is recorded on the disk to execute a particular musical work.

In a computer running the program, the central processor can transmit data between its internal memory, RAM and ROM, as well as initiate data transfer from external memory in RAM or from RAM to the external memory. The processor can also (running a program) to transmit data from such data entry devices such as a keyboard or mouse, to RAM, and return transmission - from RAM to data output devices, such as printer or plotter.

In addition, the processor can perform arithmetic or logical operations Over the numbers stored in internal memory, processor, in RAM or ROM. Sometimes the computer is completed with an additional arithmetic coprocessor (COPROCESSOR), which helps the central processor to perform arithmetic operations over numbers and significantly speeds up the execution of such operations.

As we said, the very first program that the computer begins to perform after the power is turned on, is recorded in ROM. Its purpose is to check the performance of the computer devices and download the main control program - the operating system.

The operating system using a video monitor and a computer keyboard helps the user to run other programs necessary to perform certain applies. Itself operating system Comes on floppy disks. You can download it from a floppy disk, but it is better to write it onto NMD, in this case you can easily do so that after turning on the power on and checking the performance of systems, the computer will automatically load the operating system.

If you are constantly working with the same program, you can do so that immediately after loading the operating system, it automatically launched your program.

Programs can be divided into three categories. First, there are programs recorded in the computer ROM. These programs are started when power is turned on and execute service functions regarding the computer itself. Secondly, there is a main management program - Operating system - intended to start other programs that perform useful work. Thirdly, there is application programswhich, in fact, are needed in order for the cost of buying a computer justified.

You, as a personal computer user, must begin to master the program recorded in the ROM, learn how to perform basic programs to manage programs using the operating system commands, and, of course, master the several most useful application programs, in particular, the programs intended for editing and printing texts. This will be your first step in mastering computer equipment and computer technology.

1.7. Application programs

You should be interested in which application programs are created for a personal computer and what they can do. There are several groups of programs that users most often work:

text processors;

graphic editor;

spreadsheets;

postal and telecommunication programs.

Text processors

As the title, text processors are designed to process texts. However, the possibilities of modern text processors go far beyond the simple set and text printing.

With the help of a modern text processor, you can work simultaneously with multiple documents, include graphic images in the text that will automatically "lie" text. You can automatically set the signs of transferring words from one line to another and check the correctness of writing words. In order to transfer or copy a few words or any part of the document to another place, you can just highlight it with several mouse movements on the table, transfer to the right place of the document and put there. You can remember the text fragments or complex sequences of the text and call them if necessary by pressing the key combination you specify.

It should be noted that the ability to edit documents in this form in which they will appear on paper after printing. It is very convenient when you immediately edit the text and know how it will work out after printing on the printer. Such an opportunity will allow you to save a lot of time on the print draft of the document.

As for the possibilities of external paperwork, they are limited only to your fantasy. You can choose any fonts from many hundreds, you can set any size of the letters, make them inclined, selected or underlined, set any color (which sometimes makes sense, even if your printer is black / white). You can add to various places Document Sound comments entered using a microphone. These comments, of course, cannot be printed on the printer, however, you can listen using audio columns or headphones if your computer is equipped accordingly.

You can easily set a single-column or multiscount text layout on a sheet, format, location and size of sheet sheets on which the text will be printed.

The same decorated paragraphs of the text can be associated with the so-called selection style of a paragraph having a name as one of the attributes. If you once determine the execution of any paragraph and assign the style to him, then all similar paragraphs can be issued similarly by simply specifying the name of the style. When changing the design associated with style, all relevant paragraphs automatically change their design. This means, in particular, that if you need to change the design of all headlines in the book, you do not need to change it manually for each individual header. You can change the style associated with this heading, the design of all other headers will change automatically. Instead of hours of tiring work, you will make a change in the design in one minute.

For large documents and books, the text processor will automatically create a table of contents and a substantive pointer, directs the pages and position the footers (lines that are located in the uppermost and lower part of the page and which are repeated within the head or all of the book).

Text processors allow you to organize the search necessary document Among hundreds by name, keywords or other similar information.

Especially it should be noted the convenience of working with tables. You see the table on the video monitor screen in this form, in which it will be printed on the printer. In the cells of the table, you can position not only text, but also graphic images. Changes in the size of the columns can be made by a simple mouse movement, stretching or squeezing the desired column. The table row height is automatically installed according to its contents. When you type the text in the table of the table, it takes automatically adding strings if the text type is not placed in the cell on one line.

In a word, a famous joke that modern text processors can do everything except for skiing dogs, not so far from truth. And this is understandable if you consider that the overwhelming majority of personal computers are used to prepare texts. We will study one of the most powerful text processors very detail - Microsoft Word. for windowswhich successfully combines the wealth of opportunity and ease of use. The book that you now read is fully prepared with the help of this text processor.

Graphic editor

Despite the fact that text processors may contain graphic illustrations in themselves, if you need to prepare really high-quality and complex graphic images, you should purchase a program specifically designed to create and edit graphic images. The image obtained using these editors you can easily include in the text created by the text processor.

Graphic editors allow you to create complex three-dimensional images with shadow effects, smooth transitions of tones. You can highlight the object with several light sources and select their location until you receive the necessary expressiveness of the created image.

If you have entered a photo in the computer using the scanner, graphic editors will allow you to perform retouching and diverse complex processing of photos, installation and other types of work, familiar and unfamiliar professional photographers.

Not even possessing the abilities of the artist, you can create enough complex images. If you do not have enough own fantasy, you can use the ready-made drawing libraries and photos that are sold on CDs and floppy disks, both as part of graphic editors and separately.

There are graphic editors, significantly facilitating the process of creating drawings and schemes. These editors are indispensable in the preparation of drawings of parts, useful when drawing out electrical and other schemes, as well as geographical maps.

Many editors allow you to create multi-layered images. You can, for example, as the first layer, draw a world map, as a second - to apply the boundaries of countries, as the third - designation and names of cities, etc. You can print and view both all the image layers immediately and separate layers.

In the following volumes of our series, we will teach you to work with such modern graphics editors as Corel Draw, Designer, Photofinish.

Spreadsheets

The spreadsheet programs allow you to work with information that is convenient to represent in a tabular form. In the cells of the spreadsheet, there may be text, numbers, graphic images. You can put in the cells of the formula to which the numerical value stored in the cell will be calculated based on the contents of other cells. For example, you can calculate the amount of all numbers in the column and this amount will automatically recalculate each time the contents of any cell of this column change.

The main use of spreadsheets - accounting and commercial calculations, the organization of databases, representation of tabular data in the form of graphic charts.

In one of the volumes of our series, we will consider the most powerful tool for working with spreadsheets - microsoft program Excel.

Mail and telecommunications

It is unlikely that it is impossible to say that without convenient and rapid means of transmitting information, the successful activity of no company is impossible. However, the usual letter from Russia to America can go weeks. During this time, your proposal set forth in the letter will cease to be relevant. Of course, you can call on the phone, however, how, for example, pass on the phone the specification of a personal computer and a photo of its appearance? A verbal description may not arrange a potential buyer. Of course, you can use fax, however, for this you need to get through to your overseas partner, which may be a difficult task.

Fortunately, if you have a personal computer, there is a simple way out of this situation. Using a special device - modem - you can connect the computer to the telephone line. If your partner does the same, you can share any information that can be entered into a computer. You can use a color scanner to enter, for example, a color image of the proposed computer, call your partner, and transfer this image through a telephone line. Partner can print an image on a color printer and you both will be satisfied.

There are programs that are specifically designed to transfer information from one computer to another. With these programs, you can also send and receive faxes if you have connected to a computer not a regular modem, but a fax modem. With the help of a fax modem and the corresponding program, you can send faxes just how to print documents on the printer.

There are programs that work in email mode. In this case, you do not need to dial up to your partner to convey data to him. You can call the telephone node dedicated to email and leave your mail there. Mail will be delivered to the addressee automatically, and quite quickly.

We note however, that most truly running e-mail systems are paid, and you need to pay for connection, make a monthly fee, as well as pay for the number of transmitted information. If you pass the data to another continent, the fee for the transmitted data can be a significant amount, so commend the volume of information transmitted with your capabilities.

If you have not yet learned to use your computer with benefit, then our article will help you. The fact is that all people who acquire a personal computer have in their presentation of good and high goals for this miracle of technology.

Someone wants to satisfy your little child on learning games. Someone wants to choose teaching materials and become an expert in some kind of area. Many people planned to study foreign languages \u200b\u200busing a computer. And it is not surprising, there are many interesting programsWith the help of which (with the necessary proportion of persistence), you can explore a foreign language.

Unfortunately, many of the good plans are not destined to come true, because others, more interesting things displacing good goals. Interesting things can be considered: infinite news lanto, constantly emerging online games, social networks and different other entertainment sites. In general, many specialists are addicted to social networks - on one bar with chemical dependencies from alcohol and drugs. Only this is a more complex dependence, because people dependent on the computer and social networks very rarely consider themselves as such. Moreover, their acquaintances can consider these people with good workers and people. But, be that as it may, a person who cannot feel comfortable without a computer - can be safely considered dependent.

But still, you can make useful using a computer. Using the computer, you can create a copyright business card that you will need if you look for work or promote your products or services of the population. If you need a business card, that is, a very simple program for creating business cards. The program is so simple that the trial user of the computer will be able to create a business card with its help. Of course, if you want to create a beautiful and unique business card - you have to sweat. If you do not have time to create a unique business card - in the program Master Business cards have a lot of ready-made patterns that simplify the task of creating your own business card.

In addition, you can replenish your collection of video materials - unique entries. Unique entries You can do with a screen camera. The on-screen camera is a program with which you can capture online video from the monitor screen. There are many interesting sports competitions that do not show cable television And do not "distribute" on torrents. Therefore, these programs are not able to copy somewhere. But using the on-screen camera, they can move from the monitor screen to your hard drive.

In order to measure computer performance using tests, it is not necessary to download some third-party applications and utilities.

It suffices to use the resources already built into the operating system.

Although to get more detailed information The user will have to find a suitable program.

According to the test results, it is possible to draw conclusions, which of the parts of the PC or requires replacement before the rest - and sometimes just understand about.

Building:

The need to check

Performing a computer speed testing is available for any user.

No specialty knowledge is required for verification, no experience with defined versions Windows. And the process itself is unlikely to need to spend more than an hour.

For reasons for which it is worth using the built-in utility or third-party app include:

  • dusty slowdown in computer. Moreover, not necessarily old - the check is needed to identify problems and in the new PC. For example, the minimum results and indicators of good video card indicate incorrectly;
  • checking the device when selecting multiple similar configurations in a computer store. Usually they do before buying laptops - the launch of the test for 2-3 practically the same parameters of the device helps to know which one is best suited to the buyer;
  • the need to compare the possibilities of various components of the gradually upgraded computer. So, if the least, it means, it is necessary to replace it first (for example, on SSD).

According to the test results, which has revealed the speed of the computer's various tasks, you can detect problems with drivers and the incompatibility of installed devices. And sometimes even poorly functioning and failed details - for this, the truth will need more than those that are built into Windows by default. Standard tests show the minimum of information.

Check by means of system

Check the performance of individual components of the computer using the built-in features of the Windows operating system.

The principle of operation and informativeness they are approximately the same for all t. And the differences are only in the way of running and reading information.

Windows Vista, 7 and 8

At the 7th and 8th version of the platform, as well as Windows Vista, the computer performance counters can be found in the list of basic information about the operating system.

To display them on the screen just click right-click Mice on the "My Computer" icon and select Properties.

If testing has already been done, information about its results will be available immediately. If the test is performed for the first time, it will have to run it by clicking on the performance check menu.

The maximum assessment allowed by Windows 7 and 8 is 7.9. To think about the need to replace parts worth it, if at least one of the indicators below 4.

Windows 8.1 and 10

For more modern operating systems, find information about computer performance and run it count is not so simple.

To start the utility that estimates the system parameters, actions should be performed:

1 Go to command line operating system (CMD through the menu "Run"caused by simultaneously pressing keys WIN. + R.);

2 Enable the evaluation process, leading team winSat Formal -restArt Clean;

3 Wait for the completion of work;

4 Go to folder Performance \\ Winsat \\ Datastore located in the Windows system directory on system disk computer;

5 Find and open in text editor file "Formal.assessment (Recent) .winsat.xml".

Among the set of text, the user must find WinSpr blockwhere approximately the same data that is issued on the screen and Windows systems 7 and 8 are only in another form.

So, called SystemScore. The general index is hidden, calculated by the minimum value, and MemoryScore., CPUSCORE and GraphicsScore. denote memory indicators, processor and graphic card, respectively. Gamingscore. and Diskscore - Performance for the game and reading /.

The maximum value of the indicator for Windows 10 and version 8.1 is 9.9. This means that the owner of the office computer can still be afforded to have a system with numbers less than 6But for the full work of the PC and the laptop, it should achieve at least 7. And for the game device - at least 8.

Universal way

There is a way that is the same for any operating system. It consists in starting the task manager after pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys.

A similar effect can be achieved by right click on the taskbar - there you can find the item that runs the same utility.

On the screen can be seen - for the processor (for each stream separately) and RAM.

For more details, you should go to the menu "Resource Monitor".

According to this information, it is possible to determine how the individual components of the PC are highly loaded.

First of all, it can be done on a percentage of loading, in the second - line color ( green means normal work component yellow - moderate, red - the need to replace the component).

Third-party programs

Via third-party applications Check computer performance is even easier.

Some of them are paid or conditionally free (that is, requiring payment after completing the trial period or to improve functionality).

However, testing these applications are carried out more detailed - and often give a lot of other useful information for the user.

1. AIDA64.

One of the most popular programs To test performance and other PC characteristics, replaced earlier released Everest utility.

The AIDA64 application is able to check any computer part of the computer with and display performance indicators, brand, driver name and other information.

As part of AIDA64, you can find tests for memory, disks, SSD and flash drives. And when testing a processor, 32 threads can be checked.

Among all these advantages there is a small drawback - it is possible to use the program for free only during the "trial period" 30 days.

And then you have to go to another application, or pay 2265 rubles. For a license.

2. SISOFTWARE SANDRA LITE

Program Sisoftware Sandra. is a good computer parameter analyzer providing information about such components:

  • graphic and central processor;
  • sound card;
  • printer (if available) and network card;
  • all ports and inputs.

Information is quite detailed. So, during testing the video card, its speed, and memory, and the real bandwidth are also checked.

Advantage of the program - Fully free distribution, thanks to which it can be considered a good replacement of AIDA64.

3. 3DMark.

One of the most popular "benchmarks" (programs for performance testing), designed to verify the indicators of the graphics core.

It is a peculiar game, downloading a computer to carry out the test of its capabilities.

When testing, various effects are used - from volumetric lighting to smoke modeling. There is a kit and a test using the simulation of soft and solid tel.

You can buy such a program for 30 dollars.

4. PCMark 10.

Another set of tests - but not only checks, but also other parameters.

Testing allows you to evaluate the capabilities of a game or work computer, having received a lot more information compared to information from.

For comparison, the indicators of popular programs and the standard actions of most users are working with documents and editing photos.

The application allows not only to test the works of the computer elements, but also save the results of the checks for further use.

The only drawback of the application is relatively high price. Pay for it will have $ 30.

5. Cinebench

Inter-platform program evaluates many various characteristics Computer - Including its performance.

When performing a check, most part is used, so even at this time you should not use the computer for other purposes - for example, Internet surfing or work.

But the maximum number of threads that can be tracked and control Cinebench reaches 256.

Test images consist of 300 thousand polygonal images folding in more than 2,000 objects. And the results are issued as pTS indicator - what it is more, the more powerful computer. The program is distributed free of charge, which makes it easy to find and download it on the network.

6. ExperienceIndexok.

A small and easy-to-use application does not require installation in the system. However, it does not allow you to configure some parameters.

In fact, it is an analogue of the built-in windows utilitiesbut showing the results in real time.

Information is issued on the screen in points. Maximum number - 9.9, as for recent versions Windows. It is for them that ExperienceInceindexok is designed.

It is much easier to use such a program than to enter commands and search for files with results in the system directory.

7. Crystaldiskmark.

The advantages of the CrystalDiskmark application is free distribution and no need to install in the system.

Minus - Check only one computer element. With the help of the utility, only hard drives are tested.

To test the disk, select the disk and set the check parameters. That is, the number of runs and sizes of the file to be used to diagnose.

After a few minutes, the screen will appear on the middle speed of reading and.

8. PC Benchmark.

The PC Benchmark program is also free and Does not require any settings. The user of the computer should only run testing and wait for the appearance of the results.

Check is performed in the background, allowing you to use a computer and for other purposes.

Having received test results, the program proposes to optimize the system. And after improving work in the browser, a page opens, where you can compare the performance indicators of your PC with other systems. On the same page you can check if the computer will be able to run some modern games.

9. METRO EXPERIENCE INDEX

The free app does not require installation and is a small widget that issues the system information in the background.

You can download it free from the official site of the manufacturer. And the time to evaluate will need only a couple of minutes.

Fig. 16. Test results using Passmark Performancetest.

conclusions

Using different ways Computer performance checks allows you to check how your system works. And, if necessary, compare the speed of the individual elements with the indicators of other models. For preliminary assessment Conduct such a test using the built-in utilities. Although much more convenient to download for this special applications - Especially since among them you can find several fairly functional and free.

Video:

The average person believes that the computer can all. But the usual PC, located in the apartment or at work in the office, is able to solve a limited number of tasks. He is far from the real supermasms who enjoy professionals. Therefore, an ordinary person does not quite understand what the computer is intended for.

What is a computer?

Computer is a systematic device, the purpose of which is to solve certain tasks by successive operations. It is used in all computers originate from the computer and they passed a long way through decades, constantly changing and improving.

Purpose of computer

The initial goal of the computer is to solve problems by calculating. In the modern world, such equipment is used in many spheres of human life. Consider what a computer is intended for.

Leisure and entertainment

Users available listening to music in different sound formats, its rewriting from the computer to the disk and if necessary programs - Its creation. Also, with the help of PC, it is convenient to watch movies, and having a large monitor and powerful stereo-cashers, they can be replaced by a home theater at all. On the computer you can play games that there is a fine amount of all kinds and all genres (strategies, shooters, arcade and so on). You can read books directly from the screen. But the most interesting thing is that, having a powerful computer and certain programs, you can create games and cartoons.

Internet access

If you have access to the Internet, then there is a connection with foreign world. In World Wide Web can communicate with people from different countriesRead any information about everything in the world, play and much more. This use Computer modern person It is the most common.

Work

You can work on the computer, draw up documents, check the spelling and the correctness of writing, calculate and solve problems and much more. The most interesting thing is that you can find and work on the Internet, but it is not so light, as it seems sometimes at first glance. Here, too, it is necessary to improve and go to the intended goal.

Communication

In the modern world, the computer combines many means of communications. Among them, email, telephones, faxes, messages in social networks, Forums, chat rooms. All this happens through the Internet and directly through the computer itself.

Payment of Accounts and Shopping

On the Internet there are a huge number of shops in which you can buy anything. And besides the prices there are lower than in ordinary outlets. Also in major cities bills for utilities, Internet and mobile communications come on emailthat is very convenient for modern people.

Storage and removal of information

Depending on the size of the hard drive memory, it is possible to store certain amounts of information. Photos, video recording, as well as favorite music and films - everything will be in your computer.

Computer in different spheres of human life

Knowing why a computer is intended, you can understand that in modern society It is necessary in different spheres of human vital activity. For example:

  • in medicine (calculations of epidemics, patient incidence database, research results, etc.);
  • in education (with its help, you can view a large number of pages, view video tutorials, read books, pass testing, perform calculations and much more);
  • in the law enforcement sector (the creation of documentation of the Protocols, operational-search activities, the database of crimes committed and card files on criminals, the analysis of substances in the laboratory of criminals and so on);
  • in the field of art (drawing, creating music, animation, games, programs, writing books and the like), etc.

How to use Computer

Computer, ready to use, plus speakers, monitor, keyboard, mouse and network filter. You also need to make sure that the operating windows system (or other) regularly installed on your machine. In addition, there is additional devices: modem, fax, printer, webcam, etc. With a laptop, everything is a little different: it is not so overall as PC, and many devices are built into it directly, as well as it can work without connecting to the network. To start the computer, you need to make sure that the network filter is turned on, and click on the appropriate button. She is on system block and noted special symbol. Next will follow the enabling of the computer, and then download Windows (or other). On the desktop there are icons, they are small signed icons. To learn to use the computer to fully, it needs to be well mastered. It is worth going by clicking on the appropriate icon, in My Computer. Depending on how the hard drive is divided into the BIOS, the machine may consist of several hard disks. You can store information for various kinds: music, movies, books, and so on. To systematize everything (to clean up and decompose everything around the shelves), you can learn how to create folders in these disks, and then ask them needed names. How to do it? By pressing the right mouse button in an empty place (not on the icon), select "Create" and the string - "folder". Voila, ready! To rename it, click on the name twice, and the name of the name will be dedicated, press the backspace key, and the old inscription will shit, now using the keyboard you can safely enter your name folder. You can also do with other files.

Required programs

If you have already figured out what a computer is intended for, you need to take care of it. Often, for its proper functioning, a number of programs are needed:

  • Antivirus is a very important program that the computer does not become infected with viruses.
  • Archiver - to compress documents.
  • Complex Microsoft Office. - Everything to work with the computer is fully: to print, calculate, create presentations, etc.
  • Different codecs for watching movies and listening to music.
  • Additional software Type DirectX and Microsoft Visual C ++: To make the games perfectly walked on the computer.

Over time, having mastered the technique of using a PC, you can become ASA in this matter.