Module 3 / Using Computer Hardware Using Computer Hardware

The following CompTIA ITF domain objectives and examples are covered in
this module:

CompTIA ITF+ Certification Domains Weighting

1.0 IT Concepts and Terminology 17%
2.0 Infrastructure 22%
3.0 Applications and Software 18%
4.0 Software Development 12%
5.0 Database Fundamentals 11%
6.0 Security 20%

Refer To Domain Objectives/Examples

Unit 3.1 / System 2.3 Explain the purpose of common internal
Components computing components.
Motherboard/system board • Firmware/BIOS •
RAM • ARM CPU (Mobile phone, Tablet) • 32-bit
CPU (Laptop, Workstation, Server) • 64-bit CPU
(Laptop, Workstation, Server) • Storage (Hard
drive, SSD) • GPU • Cooling • NIC (Wired vs.
wireless, Onboard vs. add-on card)
Unit 3.2 / Using 2.1 Classify common types of input/output
Device Interfaces device interfaces.
Networking (Wired [Telephone connector (RJ-11),
Ethernet connector (RJ-45)], Wireless [Bluetooth,
NFC]) • Peripheral device (USB, FireWire,
Thunderbolt, Bluetooth, RF) • Graphic device
(VGA, HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, Mini-DisplayPort)
2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install
common peripheral devices to a laptop/PC.
Devices (Keyboard, Mouse)
Unit 3.3 / Using 2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install
Peripheral Devices common peripheral devices to a laptop/PC.
Devices (Printer, Scanner, Camera, Speakers,
Display) • Installation types (Plug-and-play vs.
driver installation, Other required steps, IP-based
peripherals, Web-based configuration steps)
3.1 Manage applications and software.
Device management
3.2 Compare and contrast components of an
operating system.
Drivers
Unit 3.4 / Using 2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install
Storage Devices common peripheral devices to a laptop/PC.
Devices (External hard drive)
2.5 Compare and contrast storage types.
Volatile vs. non-volatile • Local storage types
(RAM, Hard drive [Solid state vs. spinning disk],
Optical, Flash drive)
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Module 3 / Unit Summary
Refer To Domain Objectives/Examples
Unit 3.5 / Using File 3.2 Compare and contrast components of an
Systems operating system.
File systems and features (File systems, NTFS,
FAT32, HFS, Ext4) • Features (Compression,
Encryption, Permissions, Journaling, Limitations,
Naming rules) • File management
(Folders/directories, File types and extensions,
Permissions)

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 Module 3 / Unit 1 System Components

System Components

Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

□ Explain the way in which system components determine performance and

how to specify an appropriate computer system.

□ Describe the types and functions of motherboards, processors, memory,

and the expansion bus.

□ Explain the importance of a cooling system and the components used.

□ Identify the role of PC firmware and access the firmware setup program.

Syllabus Objectives and Content Examples

This unit covers the following exam domain objectives and content examples:

□ 2.3 Explain the purpose of common internal computing components.

Motherboard/system board • Firmware/BIOS • RAM • ARM CPU (Mobile
phone, Tablet) • 32-bit CPU (Laptop, Workstation, Server) • 64-bit CPU
(Laptop, Workstation, Server) • Storage (Hard drive, SSD) • GPU • Cooling
• NIC (Wired vs. wireless, Onboard vs. add-on card)

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Module 3 / Unit 1
Selecting a Computer

In this unit, you will look at the main components inside the PC and how they
affect performance and upgrades. Computer performance is determined both
by the type of components installed and how well matched the components are
to one another. When considering performance, you need to understand how
the main components in a PC work together.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the device that "runs" software
programs. Software is composed of many simple instructions. The CPU
processes these instructions and directs other components to perform actions,
such as displaying an image on the screen or printing a document.

Memory (System RAM)

When a program is started, its instructions are loaded into system memory.
System memory uses a type of technology called Random Access Memory
(RAM). Having more RAM allows the PC to open more programs
simultaneously and work on large files more efficiently. As well as system
memory size, the speed of the memory subsystem is also important. The CPU
fetches instructions from system memory as it needs them. This means that
the bus between the CPU and memory, often referred to as the Front Side
Bus (FSB), must be as fast as possible. If the memory is slow and the CPU is
fast, the CPU will not be supplied with enough instructions and become under-
utilized.

Fixed Disk
Because RAM only works while the power is on, when the computer is turned
off, programs and data are stored on a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State
Drive (SSD). The type and specification of the mass storage drive such as an
HDD or SSD is important for three reasons:

■ If there is not enough space, fewer programs and data files can be stored
on the computer.

■ If the disk is not fast enough, performance will suffer when the computer
tries to load programs and data files into memory (read operations) or write
data from memory to files.

■ The computer may use part of the hard disk to supplement system RAM
(virtual memory). If the computer does not have much system RAM, it
helps for the hard disk to be fast otherwise accessing virtual memory often
will reduce performance even more than usual.

HDDs are based on a magnetic disk technology. SSDs use a type of transistor-
based memory called flash memory and are much faster than HDDs.

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 System Components

See Unit 3.4 for more information about memory and storage
devices.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

Displaying a high-resolution image to the user requires a lot of processing
power, especially if the image changes rapidly, as with video, or uses
complicated 3D and texture effects, as with computer games. Consequently,
display functions are often performed by a dedicated processor, referred to as
the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). This might actually be part of the CPU
package or a more powerful GPU might be provided on a plug-in expansion
card.

See Unit 3.3 for notes on graphics and displays.

Network Interface
Computers, smartphones, and tablets are almost always used as part of a
computer network. They can use the network to share information locally and
to access data over the Internet. There are two main ways of making a
network link:

■ Wired network—on a home network, the computer will be connected to an

Internet router via an Ethernet port. On a business network, the computer
will be connected to the wider network via an Ethernet switch. The Ethernet
port in the computer is provided by a Network Interface Card (NIC).
Almost all workstation computers come with a NIC on the motherboard
(onboard card). Servers may have additional NICs supplied on expansion
(or add-on) cards. The connection to the router is made using a cable with
RJ-45 connectors on each end.

■ Wireless network—most home networks support Wi-Fi radio networking

so that computing devices do not have to be cabled to the Internet router to
access the network. Most laptops, smartphones, and tablets have built in
Wi-Fi adapters. Workstation computers more typically have a Wi-Fi add-on
card. Most business networks support Wi-Fi via wireless access points.

An Internet router designed for home use actually combines the

functions of an Internet modem or bridge, a router, an Ethernet
switch, and a Wi-Fi access point. On a business network, these
functions are more typically provided by separate appliances.
Networking is discussed in more detail in Unit 4.1 and Unit 4.2.

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Module 3 / Unit 1
Motherboard Components

If you open up a PC or a laptop, the main thing you will see is the
motherboard (or system board). The motherboard is a Printed Circuit
Board (PCB) with some built-in processors (the chipset), sockets and slots for
upgradable components (CPU, RAM, adapter cards, disk drives), and wires
(buses) to connect them together.

The motherboard determines the upgrade potential of the computer. If a

component is not compatible with the motherboard, it cannot be installed. A
component may not be compatible with the motherboard either because it
does not physically fit in the type of sockets available or because it is too new
for the motherboard's chipset to be able to communicate with it.

You could upgrade the motherboard itself, but this is rarely cost-
effective.

Main components on a PC motherboard. Image © 123rf.com.

The motherboard chipset provides "built-in" functions that might otherwise

require an adapter card. Most motherboard chipsets support graphics, audio,
and network adapter functions. An add-on card may still be used to upgrade
those functions though.

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 Processors System Components

A microprocessor (usually shortened to "processor") is a programmable

integrated circuit—a silicon chip embedded on a ceramic plate. A silicon chip
is a wafer of purified silicon doped with a metal oxide, typically copper or
aluminum. The doping process creates millions of transistors and signal
pathways within an area called the die, which provide the electrical on/off
states that are the basis of binary computer systems.

PCs contain a number of processors, but the most important is the Central
Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU is commonly described as the "brains" of a
computer; in fact, it is better thought of as a very efficient sorting office. The
CPU cannot think, but it can process simple instructions very, very quickly and
efficiently. A computer is only as "clever" as its software.

There have been numerous CPU architectures, developed by the vendors

Intel and AMD, and, within each architecture, a number of different models
and for each set of models a brand to position them within a particular market
segment. For example, budget PCs, laptops, high-end workstations, and
server computers would all be served by different CPU brands and models.
The model names are used to market a CPU to consumers, but a model may
go through several different versions. The "core" used for a version is given a
codename, such as "Haswell," "Skylake," "Piledriver," or "Zen." You will see
these names used on PC tech websites and in magazines.

The following list is designed to give you a brief overview of the main brands
produced by Intel and AMD.

Intel CPU Brands

■ Core—this is Intel's flagship desktop and mobile CPU series. The earliest
models (Core Solo and Core Duo) were laptop-only chips. The Core 2
series introduced desktop versions plus 64-bit and multi-core support. The
current product line is divided into Core i3, i5, and i7 brands, with i7
representing the best performing models. The Core iX brand has been
based on successive generations of microarchitectures, named Nehalem,
Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Haswell, Broadwell, and Skylake.

■ Pentium—the Pentium used to be Intel's premium 32-bit CPU brand and

you may still find Pentium 4-based computers in use. The Pentium brand
has been reintroduced to represent "mid-range" CPU models based on the
Core microarchitectures.

■ Celeron—this has long been Intel's budget brand.

■ Atom—this is a brand designating chips designed for low-power portable

devices (smartphones and tablets).

■ Xeon—this brand is aimed at the server/workstation market. Current Xeons

are often differentiated from their Core i counterparts by supporting n-way
multiprocessing and ECC memory and coming with larger caches.

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Module 3 / Unit 1 AMD CPU Brands
Older AMD brands such as Athlon, Phenom, Sempron, and Turion have been
phased out over the last few years. The following brands represent the
company's Zen microarchitecture in different segments:

■ Ryzen/Threadripper and Ryzen Mobile—this brand now represents AMD's

pitch for the high-end enthusiast segment, replacing older AMD FX chips.

■ Epyc—AMD's server-class CPU brand, replacing its long-standing Opteron

series of chips.

ARM CPUs
CPUs and their chipsets for mobile phones/smartphones and tablets are often
based on the ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) microarchitecture, such as the
Apple A, Samsung Exynos, and nVIDIA Tegra, derivatives. RISC stands for
Reduced Instruction Set Computing. RISC microarchitectures use simple
instructions processed very quickly. This contrasts with Complex (CISC)
microarchitectures, which use more powerful instructions but process each one
more slowly. Intel's microarchitecture is CISC with RISC enhancements (micro-
ops).

Features of Processors

The CPU is designed to run software programs. When a software program

runs (whether it be an operating system, anti-virus utility, or word processing
application), it is assembled into machine code instructions utilizing the
fundamental instruction set of the CPU and loaded into system memory. The
CPU then performs the following operations on these instructions:

■ The Control Unit fetches the next instruction in sequence from system
memory to the pipeline.

■ The control unit decodes each instruction in turn and either executes it
itself or passes it to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) or Floating Point
Unit (FPU) for execution.

■ The result of the executed instruction is written back to a register or to

system memory. A register is a temporary storage area available to the
different units within the CPU.

This overview is grossly simplified of course. Over the years, many different
internal architectures have been developed to optimize the process of fetch,
decode, execute, and writeback, while retaining compatibility with the basic
x86 instruction set, which defines a CPU as IBM PC compatible.

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 Instruction Set (32- versus 64-bit) System Components

The original version of x86 created in 1978 was designed for 16-bit CPUs. This
means that each instruction is 16-bits "wide." The first 32-bit CPU was
introduced in 1985 and the x86 instruction set was updated to a 32-bit version,
called x86-32 or IA-32 (Intel Architecture).

AMD developed the AMD64/x86-64/x64 instruction set now used by most 64-
bit CPUs in 2003. Intel refers to it as EM64T or Intel 64.

Note that CPUs feature additional larger registers for floating point
calculations and other specialized processing units. It is the
General Purpose (GP) register size that makes a CPU 32- or 64-
bit.

The main advantage of 64-bit is the ability to use more system memory. 32-bit
systems are limited to addressing up to 4 GB whereas systems with 64-bit
CPUs can address 256 Terabytes (or more). A 64-bit CPU can run a 64-bit or
32-bit OS. A 32-bit CPU cannot run 64-bit software.

Most workstations and laptops now use 64-bit CPUs. Some budget models
might come with a 32-bit chip, though this is increasingly unusual. Almost all
server computers would use a 64-bit CPU with only very old servers relying on
32-bit. 64-bit also dominates the premium smartphone and tablet sector,
though 32-bit is still prevalent on budget and midrange models.

Clock Speed and Bus Speed

A CPU's clock speed is the number of instructions it can process in one
second. As a measure of frequency, this value is expressed in Hertz (Hz).
Early processors had clock speeds measured in Megahertz (MHz), or
1,000,000 times faster than 1 Hz. Modern CPUs run at 1 Gigahertz (GHz) or
better. 1 GHz is 1000 times faster than 1 MHz.

When Intel or AMD release a new CPU, they produce a range of models
clocked at different maximum speeds (2 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 2.8 GHz, and 3 GHz
for instance). The speed at which the CPU runs is generally seen as a key
indicator of performance. This is certainly true when comparing CPUs with the
same architecture but is not necessarily the case otherwise. Dual-core CPUs
(see below) run slower (up to about 3 GHz) than many earlier single core
CPUs (up to about 4 GHz), but deliver better performance.

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Module 3 / Unit 1 The core clock speed is the speed at which the CPU runs internal processes
and accesses cache (see below). The Front Side Bus speed is the interface
between the CPU and system memory. The speed of the bus is usually
determined by the memory controller, which might be part of the motherboard
chipset or part of the CPU.

While older bus speeds are typically measured in MHz, modern bus types and
memory interfaces work at GHz speeds. Also, modern memory designs
increase bandwidth by transferring data twice per clock cycle (Double Data
Rate) and often by transferring data from two memory modules simultaneously
(Dual-channel).

Multiprocessing and Dual-core

Trying to make the CPU work faster by increasing the clock speed has the
drawbacks of using a lot of power and generating a lot of heat. A different
approach to making a computer system faster is to use two or more physical
CPUs, referred to as Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP). An SMP-aware OS
can then make efficient use of the processing resources available to run
application processes on whichever CPU is available.

SMP means physically installing two or more CPUs in a multi-socket

motherboard. Obviously, this adds significantly to the cost and so is only
implemented on servers and high-end workstations.

However, improvements in CPU manufacturing techniques have led to another

solution: dual-core CPUs, or Chip Level Multiprocessing (CMP). A dual-core
CPU is essentially two processors combined on the same die. The market has
quickly moved beyond dual-core CPUs to multi-core packages with four or
eight processors.

System and Expansion Bus Technologies

A bus is circuitry that connects the various microprocessors and other

components on the motherboard. If you look closely at a motherboard, you will
see many tiny wires. These wires are the circuitry that makes up a bus
imprinted on the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that is the basis of a
motherboard (there are actually multiple layers of circuitry in addition to what
you can see on the surface). A bus carries four things:

■ Data—the information being transferred between components.

■ Address information—where the data is located in memory.

■ Timing signal—as different components can work at different speeds, the

system clock synchronizes the way they communicate over the bus.

■ Power—electricity to run the component.

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 A PC system has two main types of bus: the system (or local) bus and the System Components
expansion bus.

■ The system bus, also referred to as the Front Side Bus (FSB) or local
bus, provides connections between the CPU and system memory.

■ The expansion bus, also called the Input/Output (I/O) bus, provides
connections between the CPU and add-on components, which can be
integrated onto the motherboard, installed as expansion cards, or
connected as peripheral devices.

The architecture of the expansion bus depends on what generation the

motherboard and CPU platform are. Broadly speaking, since 1993, PC
architecture has been based on one of Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI), PCI with AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port), or PCI Express (PCIe).

The main characteristics of these technologies are summarized below:

Bus Bandwidth Notes

PCI (32-bit) 133 MBps Very old but still used on some
desktops for compatibility; bandwidth is
shared between all devices attached to
the bus.
AGP 2133 MBps Used for old graphics adapters only.
PCI Express 250 MBps per Can use x1, x2, x8, or x16 lanes
(PCIe) 1.0 lane depending on the size of the slot; uses
point-to-point links so each device gets
the full bandwidth of the number of
lanes it supports.
PCIe x16 4 GBps Graphics adapters typically use x16
lanes.
PCIe 2.0 500 MBps per Version 2 doubles the bandwidth per
lane lane.
PCIe 2.0 8 GBps
x16
PCIe 3.0 1 GBps per Version 3 doubles the bandwidth per
lane lane again.

A new computer would most likely have a PCIe x16 slot for a graphics adapter,
one or two PCIe x1 slots, and one or two PCI slots for backward compatibility.

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Module 3 / Unit 1
System Cooling

As a by-product of pushing electric current through the various electronic

components in the computer, the system generates heat. The faster the
components work, the more heat is produced. Excessive temperatures can
cause the components to malfunction or even damage them. One of the most
significant problems with CPUs (and RAM chips and graphics cards) is their
thermal output. While Intel and AMD are both focusing on making new CPU
designs more thermally-efficient, all CPUs require cooling. Also, a specific CPU
model requires a specific cooling system, as some run hotter than others; the
old Pentium 4 CPUs being a good example.

There are several ways of dissipating heat from the system case.

Heatsinks and Thermal Paste

A heatsink is a block of metal with fins. As the fins expose a larger surface
area to the air around the component, a greater cooling effect by convection is
achieved. The heatsink is "glued" to the surface of the chip using thermal
paste, also referred to as thermal grease or compound, to ensure the best
transfer of heat.

A heatsink is a passive cooling device. Passive cooling means that it does

not require extra energy (electricity) to work. In order to work well, a heatsink
requires good airflow around the PC. It is important to try to keep "cable clutter"
to a minimum and to keep the PC interior free from dust.

As heatsinks are bulky objects with a lot of height, they cannot be used in
laptops or other mobiles. Computers with thin cases use a heat spreader
instead. This is a flat tube with liquid inside. As the component heats up the
liquid, it moves to another part of the tube and is cooled down by a fan or other
type of convection. The cooler liquid then passes back over the component,
heats up again, and moves away, creating a constant cooling cycle.

Page 218 CPU heatsink and fan assembly. Image © 123rf.com.

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 System Components

Fans
Many PCs have components that
generate more heat than can be
removed by passive cooling. A
fan improves air flow and so
helps to dissipate heat. Fans are
used for the power supply and
chassis exhaust points. The fan
system will be designed to draw
cool air from vents in the front of
the case over the motherboard
and expel warmed air from the
back of the case.

Typically, the speed of the fan is

varied according to the
temperature and sensors are
Fan for a PC case. Image © 123rf.com.
used to detect whether a fan has
failed.

Smaller fans may be used to

improve the performance of the
heatsink on the CPU, GPUs, and
even hard disks.

Fan assembly to cool the processor on a graphics (video) adapter card, Image © 123rf.com.

A fan is an active cooling device. It requires power to run. Power is supplied

to a CPU or case fan by connecting its power connector to an appropriate
header on the motherboard.

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Module 3 / Unit 1 Liquid-based Cooling Systems
PCs used for high-end gaming, those with twin graphics cards for instance,
and with overclocked components may generate more heat than basic thermal
management can cope with. PCs used where the ambient temperature is very
high may also require exceptional cooling measures.

Liquid-cooled PC design. Photo ©123rf.com.

Liquid-based cooling refers to a system of pumping water around the chassis.

Water is a more effective coolant than air convection and a good pump can run
more quietly than numerous fans. On the downside, liquid cooling makes
maintenance and upgrades more difficult, requires comparatively more power
to run, and is costly. Liquid cooling is an active cooling technology as the pump
requires power to run.

BIOS and UEFI System Firmware

When a computer is powered on, it needs some standard means for the CPU
to start processing instructions and initialize the other components. This is
referred to as bootstrapping or more simply as booting. The bootstrapping
process occurs before the operating system software is loaded and is enabled
by a low-level operating system called firmware.

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is one example of PC firmware. It

provides industry standard program code to get the essential components of
the PC running and ensures that the design of each manufacturer's
motherboard is PC compatible.

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 Newer motherboards may use a different kind of firmware called UEFI (Unified System Components
Extensible Firmware Interface). UEFI provides support for 64-bit CPU
operation at boot, a full GUI and mouse operation at boot, and better boot
security. A computer with UEFI may also support booting in a legacy BIOS
mode.

System Firmware Setup Program

Low-level PC settings affecting the operation of the motherboard can be
configured via the system firmware setup program. This may also be referred
to as CMOS setup, BIOS setup, or UEFI setup.

The term "CMOS Setup" is still widely used because the settings
used to be stored on a chip with CMOS RAM. CMOS RAM is
obsolete but the term persists.

Press the key to enter setup before or during the memory count.

You can normally access the system setup program with a keystroke during
the power-on (boot) process. The key combination used will vary from system
to system; typical examples are ESC, DEL, F1, F2, or F10. The PC's
documentation will explain how to access the setup program; often a message
with the required key is displayed when you boot the PC.

One issue with modern computers is that the boot process can be
very quick. If this is the case, you can SHIFT+click the Restart
button from the Windows logon screen to access UEFI boot
options. Alternatively, the motherboard vendor may supply a tool
for disabling fast boot or accessing the setup program.

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Module 3 / Unit 1 You navigate a legacy BIOS setup program using the keyboard arrow keys.
Pressing ESC generally returns to the previous screen. When closing setup,
there will be an option to exit and discard changes or exit and save changes.
Sometimes this is done with a key (ESC versus F10 for instance), but more
often there is a prompt. There will also be an option to reload the default
settings, in case you want to discard any customizations you have made.

System firmware BIOS setup program.

UEFI Setup Programs

A UEFI setup program may feature a graphical interface with mouse support.

UEFI system setup software with a full GUI and mouse support.

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 System Components

Review Questions / Module 3 / Unit 1 / System Components

Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit.

1) What type of component provides persistent storage?

2) What computer component is most restrictive in terms of determining

upgrade potential for a desktop computer?

3) True or false? A plug-in card is always required to support PC sound.

4) What is the main advantage of using a CPU in 64-bit mode?

5) What is a typical speed for a modern CPU to run at?

6) You want to purchase a computer with a fast graphics interface. What type
of expansion slot should you look for?

7) What type of component provides a passive cooling solution?

8) How would you access the system setup program on a PC?

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Module 3 / Unit 1

Lab 11 / Specifying PC Systems

You should make yourself familiar with the sort of cost associated with different
types of desktop, laptop, netbook, and handheld computers. Vendors such as
HP (hp.com) and Dell (dell.com) have online stores where you can build
computers to order. Use one or two of the sites to try to obtain specifications
for the following requirements (all budgets to exclude sales taxes and delivery).

■ Tower case business system (no monitor required) for $300.

■ Portable (laptop or netbook) for basic word processing, email, and web
access for $500.

■ Ultraportable business laptop with fast CPU and memory for $800.

■ Desktop media center/gaming PC with high specification graphics and

premium HD widescreen flat-panel display for $2000.

When you have obtained the specifications, use the component vendors' sites
to compare some of the technologies (CPU and graphics card models for
instance).

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 Module 3 / Unit 2 Using Device Interfaces

Using Device Interfaces

Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

□ Distinguish peripheral, graphics, and networking interfaces and their uses.

□ Install and configure input devices.

Syllabus Objectives and Content Examples

This unit covers the following exam domain objectives and content examples:

□ 2.1 Classify common types of input/output device interfaces.

Networking (Wired [Telephone connector (RJ-11), Ethernet connector (RJ-
45)], Wireless [Bluetooth, NFC]) • Peripheral device (USB, FireWire,
Thunderbolt, Bluetooth, RF) • Graphic device (VGA, HDMI, DVI,
DisplayPort, Mini-DisplayPort)

□ 2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install common peripheral devices to a

laptop/PC.
Devices (Keyboard, Mouse)

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Module 3 / Unit 2
Computer Port and Connector Types

Whether the computer is a desktop or laptop, the system case contains the
computer motherboard. The motherboard connects all the other computer
components together. One of its functions is to provide the ports used to
attach peripheral devices and cabling to the computer. These Input/Output
(I/O) ports are positioned so that they appear through holes cut in the case.

I/O ports on a motherboard. Image © 123rf.com.

Ports and connectors are described as male (pins) or female

(holes). Connectors are usually male (with pins); ports are usually
female (with holes).

On a desktop, there may be ports at the front and back of the computer.
Laptop ports are positioned around the edge of the case.

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 USB and Firewire Using Device Interfaces

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become the standard means of
connecting peripheral devices to a computer. USB devices are Plug-and-Play.
This means that when a device is connected via the port, Windows can identify
the device and try to install a driver for it (make the device usable)
automatically. Another feature of USB is that devices are hot-swappable. This
means that Windows can detect and configure a device without requiring a
restart.

As well as providing a data connection, USB can supply enough power (about
4.5W) over the cable to run small devices. Devices that require more power
than this, such as optical drives or printers, must be connected to an external
power supply.

USB Type A port and connector. Image © 123rf.com.

Devices supporting fast charging can supply 7.5W if the port is in

charging mode (no data transfer is possible in charging mode).
Devices conforming to the USB Power Delivery version 2.0
specification are able to deliver up to 100W of power.

USB Ports and Connectors

There are several types of USB connector:

■ Type A—for connection to the host. The connector and port are shaped like
flat rectangles.

■ Type B—for connection to a device. The connector and port are square,
with a beveled top. There are also small form factor versions of the type B
connector and port:

● Type B Mini—a smaller connector for connection to a device. This type

of connector was seen on early digital cameras but is no longer widely
used.

● Type B Micro—an updated connector for smaller devices, such as

smartphones and tablets. The micro connector is distinctively flatter
than the older mini type connector.
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Module 3 / Unit 2 ■ Type C—a new reversible connector type (can be inserted either way up).

USB ports and connectors (from left to right): Type A, Type B, Mini Type B, Micro Type B, Type C.
Image © 123rf.com.

Type A and B USB connectors are always inserted with the USB symbol ( )
facing up. Type C (USB-C) connectors are reversible (can be inserted either way
up). There are various converter cables with different connector types on each end
(for example, a USB Type A to USB-C cable).

USB Data Rates

The data rate for USB 1.1 is 12 Mbps (megabits per second) while the USB 2.0
(Hi-Speed) standard has a nominal data rate of 480 Mbps. USB 2.0 uses the
same connectors as USB 1.1 but a USB 1.1 device plugged into a USB 2.0
port will operate at the lower speed.

Note that this bandwidth is shared between all devices attached to

the same host.

The USB 3.0 standard introduces a SuperSpeed mode. SuperSpeed improves

the bus bandwidth tenfold (to 5 Gbps or 5000 Mbps) and makes the link full
duplex, so a device can send and receive at up to 5 Gbps simultaneously. USB
3.x receptacles and connectors often have a blue connector tab or housing to
distinguish them.

USB 3.1 defines a SuperSpeed+ mode with a data rate of 10 Gbps.

Firewire
The Firewire bus was based on the IEEE 1394 standard and the Small
Computer System Interface (SCSI) communications protocol. Firewire was a
competitor to USB but never received mainstream support amongst PC
vendors. It was used on some Apple Mac computers. If you do encounter a
Firewire device and the motherboard does not provide Firewire ports, an
expansion card can be fitted.

This is the symbol used to denote a Firewire Port:

A single bus can connect up to 63 devices. Like USB, the bus is powered and
supports hot swapping.
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 The Firewire 400 standard used 6-pin "alpha" connectors and cabling. The 6- Using Device Interfaces
pin connectors slightly resemble USB but have a beveled edge on one side.
There is also a 4-pin unpowered connector.

The maximum transfer rate is 400 Mbps.

The IEEE 1394b (Firewire 800) standard supported transfer rates up to 800
Mbps. Firewire 800 used 9-pin ("beta") connectors and cabling.

Firewire ports and cables with "alpha" 6-pin connector on the left and 4-pin connector on the right.
Image © 123rf.com.

Graphics Devices

While USB is used to connect a wide range of different peripheral devices,

including keyboards, mice, scanners, cameras, and printers, it is not used to
connect the computer display or graphics device. The graphics interface
can be provided by a number of different technologies.

A computer's graphics system involves some sort of display unit, such as a

flat-panel screen, connected to the computer via a video card (or graphics
adapter). The video card generates the signals to send to the screen and
provides support for one or more connection interfaces. Low-end graphics
adapters are likely to be included as part of the motherboard or CPU. If a
computer is to be used for 3D gaming or multimedia work, a better-quality
expansion adapter is required. This is often one of the key features
distinguishing budget desktops and laptops from premium versions.

Most graphics adapters are based on chipsets by ATI/AMD (Radeon chipset),

nVIDIA (GeForce and nForce chipsets), SiS, VIA, and Intel.

Resolution and Color Depth

A computer image is made up of a number of pixels. The number of horizontal
and vertical pixels gives the resolution of the image. Each pixel can be a
different color. The total number of colors supported in the image is referred to
as the color depth (or bit depth).

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Module 3 / Unit 2 The other important component of video is the speed at which the display is
refreshed, measured in Hertz (Hz). Increasing any one of these factors
increases the amount of bandwidth required for the video signal and the
amount of processing that the CPU or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) must
do and the amount of system or graphics memory required.

IBM created VGA (Video Graphics Array) as a standard for the resolution and
color depth of computer displays. VGA specifies a resolution of 640x480 with
16 colors (4-bit color) at 60 Hz. The VGA standard is long obsolete but was
further developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)
as Super VGA (SVGA). SVGA was originally 800x600 @ 4-bit or 8-bit color.
This was very quickly extended as the capabilities of graphics cards increased
with the de facto XGA standard providing 1024x768 resolution, better color
depths (16- and 32-bit), and higher refresh rates.

Resolutions for modern display systems use some variant of the XGA
"standard" (in fact, these are labels rather than standards). Most computer
displays now use a widescreen form factor (16:10) with a High Definition (HD)
resolution such as 1280x720, 1360x768, 1600x900, or 1920x1080 (Full HD).
Larger display devices are likely to use even higher resolution, such as
3840x2160 (4K or Ultra HD).

Consumer widescreen (for DVD movies) is 16:9 but many PC

widescreen display formats are 16:10 to leave room for on-screen
controls above or below the movie.

Graphic Device Interfaces

There are many different types of graphic device/display connectors and

cabling. Many video adapters and display screens come with more than one
type. When computers were primarily used with Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
monitors, the graphics adapter would generate an analog video signal to drive
the monitor. Now that most screens use flat-panel technology, the video signal
is usually digital.

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

The High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the most widely used
graphic device interface. It is ubiquitous on consumer electronics, such as
televisions and Blu-Ray players, as well as computer equipment. HDMI
supports both video and audio digital streams, plus remote control (CEC) and
digital content protection (HDCP).

HDMI cabling is specified to different HDMI versions, the latest being 2.1.
Newer versions support higher bandwidths and consequently better resolutions
(4K UHD for instance). HDMI uses a proprietary 19-pin (Type A) connector.

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 Using Device Interfaces

HDMI Type A port and connector. Image © 123rf.com.

HDMI v1.3 introduced the Mini HDMI connector (Type C) for use on portable
devices, such as camcorders. This is more compact but has the same number
of pins. HDMI v1.4 also introduces the even smaller Micro HDMI connector
(Type D), still with 19 pins.

DisplayPort and Thunderbolt

HDMI was principally developed by consumer electronics companies (Hitachi,
Panasonic, Sony, and so on) and requires a royalty to use. DisplayPort was
developed by VESA, the organization largely representing PC graphics
adapter and display technology companies. It is a royalty-free standard
intended to "complement" HDMI.

DisplayPort uses a 20-pin connector. A DP++ port allows a connection with

DVI-D and HDMI devices (using a suitable adapter cable). There is also a mini
DisplayPort format (MiniDP or mDP), developed by Apple and licensed to other
vendors.

DP++ DisplayPort port and connector. Image © 123rf.com.

The Thunderbolt (TB) interface was developed by Intel and is primarily used
on Apple workstations and laptops. Thunderbolt can be used as a display
interface (like DisplayPort) and as a general peripheral interface (like USB or
Firewire). In its first two versions, Thunderbolt uses the same physical interface
as MiniDP and is compatible with DisplayPort, so that displays with a MiniDP
port can be connected to a host via Thunderbolt. TB ports are distinguished
from MiniDP by a lightning bolt icon.

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Module 3 / Unit 2

Thunderbolt ports and connectors—on the left is the version 1 and 2 connector (same as MiniDP)
while the image on the right shows the USB-C form factor adopted for Thunderbolt 3. Image ©
123rf.com.

Version 2 of the standard supports links of up to 20 Gbps. Up to six devices

can be connected to a single port by daisy-chaining the devices. You can also
use a dock or hub device to channel a variety of ports (TB, USB, HDMI, and
Ethernet for instance) via a single Thunderbolt port on the host PC or laptop.

Thunderbolt version 3 changes the physical interface to use the same port,
connector, and cabling as USB-C. Converter cables are available to connect
Thunderbolt 1 or 2 devices to Thunderbolt 3 ports. A USB device plugged into
a Thunderbolt 3 port will function normally but Thunderbolt devices will not
work if connected to a USB port. Thunderbolt 3 supports up to 40 Gbps over a
short, high-quality cable (up to 0.5m/1.6ft).

Digital Visual Interface (DVI)

Digital Visual Interface (DVI) is a high-quality digital interface designed for
flat-panel display equipment. There are several types of DVI. The pin
configuration of the ports and connectors identifies what type of DVI is
supported.

■ Single- or dual-link—dual-link makes more bandwidth available. This may

be required for resolutions better than HDTV (1920x1200).

■ Analog and/or digital—DVI-I supports analog equipment (such as CRTs)

and digital. DVI-A supports only analog equipment, and DVI-D supports
only digital.

Page 232 DVI port and connector types. Image © 123rf.com

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 DVI has been superseded by HDMI and DisplayPort/Thunderbolt but was very Using Device Interfaces
widely used on graphics adapters and computer displays. HDMI is backward-
compatible with DVI-D using a suitable adapter cable. This means that (for
example) a DVI-D graphics adapter could be connected to an HDMI port on
the display device.

Video Graphics Array (VGA)

The distinctive blue, 15-pin Video Graphics Array (VGA) port (HD15F/DE-15)
is a legacy analog video interface for PC devices. Many graphics adapters and
display screens continue to support it.

VGA port and connector. Image © 123rf.com.

The connector is a D-shell type (HD15M) with screws to secure it to the port.
The interface is analog, meaning that it carries a continuous, variable signal.
The interface carries Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) component video signals.
As this signal must be converted to work with digital displays, VGA is not very
efficient and is not as reliable as other interfaces at supporting high
resolutions.

Input Devices

Input devices, or Human Interface Devices (HID), are peripherals that enable
the user to enter data and select commands.

Keyboard
The keyboard is the longest serving type of input device. Historically,
keyboards used the PS/2 interface, which had a round connector with pins. A
keyboard PS/2 port is colored purple to differentiate it from the otherwise
identical mouse connector. Modern keyboards use USB or Bluetooth ports
however.

Extended PC keyboards feature a number of special command keys. These

include ALT and CTRL plus keys such as PRINT SCREEN, NUM LOCK,
SCROLL LOCK, START, SHORTCUT, and FUNCTION. Multimedia keyboards
may also feature programmable keys and buttons that can be used for web
browsing, playing CD/DVDs, and so on.
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Module 3 / Unit 2

Special keys on a PC keyboard. Image © 123rf.com.

Mouse
The mouse is the main type of input device for graphical software. It is an
example of a class of input devices described as pointing devices. A pointing
device is used to move an on-screen cursor to select screen objects and text.

Mice can use PS/2 (the one for the mouse is color-coded green), USB, or
Bluetooth connections. There are three distinct types of mice:

■ Mechanical mouse—this contains rollers to detect the movement of a ball

housed within the mouse case. As the user moves the mouse on a mat or
other firm surface, the ball is moved and the rollers and circuitry translate
that motion to move a cursor on the screen. Mechanical mice are no longer
in production.

■ Optical mouse—this uses LEDs to detect movement over a surface.

■ Laser mouse—this uses an infrared laser, which gives greater precision

than an optical mouse.

Another distinguishing feature of different mouse models is the number of

buttons (between two and many), which can be customized to different
functions, and the presence of a scroll wheel, used (obviously) for scrolling and
as a clickable extra button. Mice are also distinguished by their size and
shape. Smaller mice are useful with portable systems; some mice are
marketed on the basis of their ergonomic shape.

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 Laptop Keyboards and Touchpads Using Device Interfaces

Laptops have built-in keyboards. On smaller laptops, the keyboard may not
feature full size keys, which can make typing difficult. Laptop keyboards do not
often have numeric keypads either. Instead, the keypad functions are
accessed using the FN (Function) key or by toggling NUM LOCK. The FN key
also accesses laptop specific functions indicated by distinctive color-accented
icons. These include switching the display output between the built-in screen
and a connected monitor, adjusting the screen brightness, switching to battery
power, disabling wireless functions, and so on.

A laptop also has a built-in touchpad, replicating the function of the mouse. To
use a pad, you move your finger over the surface to move the cursor and tap
the pad to click. Touchpads come with buttons and (usually) scroll areas to
replicate the function of a mouse's scroll wheel.

None of the input devices on a laptop are really suitable for sustained use. An
external keyboard and/or mouse can of course be connected using a USB or
Bluetooth port.

Stylus Pen
A stylus pen can be used with a compatible touch display or graphics tablet.
The stylus can be used like a mouse to select commands, but its main
functions are for handwriting and drawing. Most touchscreens are now
operated primarily with fingers rather than a stylus. Styluses for art applications
can be fitted with nibs of different thicknesses and characters.

Digitizer and stylus. Image © 123rf.com.

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Module 3 / Unit 2
Configuring Peripherals

Peripheral devices can be configured using a mixture of the properties dialogs

provided for standard Windows device drivers and the vendor's own driver (if
available).

Configuring a Mouse
Mice can be installed on PS/2, USB, or wireless ports depending on the model.

■ PS/2—connect the mouse to the PS/2 port marked with a mouse icon
(usually color-coded green) then switch on the PC.

■ USB—connect the mouse to any USB port. USB is hot-swappable so you

can attach the mouse when the computer is already switched on.

■ Wireless—make sure the computer has a working wireless adapter and put
a charged battery in the mouse. The mouse generally needs to be
synchronized with the receiver using a push button (check the instructions
for details) or paired with a Bluetooth receiver.

A standard mouse does not need a special driver installing and basic settings
can be configured using the Mouse applet in Control Panel/Settings.
However, to access and configure extra buttons on some mice you will need to
install the manufacturer's driver.

The Mouse applet in Control Panel allows you to configure both mice and touchpads. Installing the
vendor's driver makes extra configuration settings available. Screenshot used with permission
from Microsoft.
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 Configuring a Keyboard Using Device Interfaces

A keyboard is connected in the same way as a mouse. You use the Keyboard
applet in Control Panel to configure it.

The main options are to set the repeat rate and sensitivity for keys.

Multimedia keyboards will also have programmable keys and key combos.

Keyboard applet in Control Panel. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Keyboard Regionalization
NFC

If multiple layouts are enabled, a key combo (START+SPACEBAR in Windows

10) can be used to switch between them (and that this is quite easy to do by
accident).

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Module 3 / Unit 2

Switching keyboard layouts using the language icon in the notification area. Screenshot used with
permission from Microsoft.

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 Configuring a Pen/Stylus Using Device Interfaces

A pen (or stylus) can be used with a touchscreen to operate Windows and
enter text. Handwriting recognition software can then convert this into
characters that can be edited in word processing software.

Tablets can also be operated using touch and gesture recognition.

You configure the pen and gestures via the Pen and Touch applet in Control
Panel.

Pen and Touch settings for Press and Hold and Double-Tap gestures. Screenshot used with
permission from Microsoft.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is used for so-called Personal Area Networks (PAN) to share data
with a PC, connect to a printer, use a wireless headset, connect to a wireless
mouse/keyboard, and so on. Bluetooth is a radio-based technology but it is
designed to work only over close range.

Bluetooth is quoted to work at distances of up to 10 meters (30 feet) for Class

2 devices or one meter (three feet) for Class 3 devices. There are also Class 1
devices that work at a range of 100m, but these are restricted to industrial
applications. Devices supporting the Bluetooth 2.0—Enhanced Data Rate
(EDR) standard have a maximum transfer rate of 3 Mbps; otherwise the
maximum rate is 1 Mbps.

Bluetooth 3 supports a 24 Mbps HighSpeed (HS) mode, but this

uses a specially negotiated Wi-Fi link rather the Bluetooth
connection itself.

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Module 3 / Unit 2 Configuring Bluetooth
To set up Bluetooth, you need to "pair" or "bond" the device with the computer.
This is done by putting the devices into discoverable mode.

■ On devices such as mice and keyboards this is normally done by pressing

a recessed switch.

■ In Windows, you manage Bluetooth devices using the Settings app. Click
the Devices category and select the Bluetooth & other devices tab.
There should also be an icon for Bluetooth in the notification area to
provide easy access to the configuration settings.

■ On a smartphone or tablet, Bluetooth devices are configured via Settings >

Bluetooth.

Switch Bluetooth on to make the device discoverable and locate other nearby
devices. Some devices use an authentication passcode for security.

■ Devices such as a keyboard, mouse, or headset typically do not have a

passkey.

■ Devices without a keypad are typically preconfigured with a passkey.

Check the product documentation to find the passkey and enter that key on
the source computer.

■ Many devices are configured to automatically generate a passkey when a

connection request is received. This passkey will be shown on both the
source and destination device. Input or confirm the key on both devices to
accept the connection.

Pairing Bluetooth devices using the Add Device wizard and Bluetooth settings on an Android
phone. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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 Disabling Bluetooth Using Device Interfaces

Bluetooth can be disabled quickly via the notification shade in iOS or Android.
On a PC, you can use the Bluetooth icon in the notification area to change
settings and make the computer non-discoverable. The Bluetooth radio can
also be switched on or off using the Wi-Fi adapter toggle.

RF and Near Field Communications (NFC)

Radio Frequency ID (RFID) is a means of tagging and tracking objects using

specially-encoded tags. When an RFID reader scans a tag, the tag responds
with the information programmed into it. A tag can either be an unpowered,
passive device that only responds when scanned at close range (up to about
25m) or a powered, active device with a range of 100m. Passive RFID tags
can be embedded in stickers and labels to track parcels and equipment and
are used in passive proximity smart cards.

Near Field Communications (NFC) is a peer-to-peer version of RFID; that is,

an NFC device can work as both tag and reader to exchange information with
other NFC devices. NFC normally works at up to two inches (six cm) at data
rates of 106, 212, and 424 Kbps. NFC sensors and functionality are starting to
be incorporated into smartphones. NFC is mostly used for contactless payment
readers, security ID tags and shop shelf edge labels for stock control. It can
also be used to configure other types of connection (pairing Bluetooth devices
for instance).

Networking Interfaces

Networking interfaces allow computers to be connected to exchange data.

Most computers have a local network adapter or Network Interface Card
(NIC) already installed as part of the motherboard chipset. A local network
adapter (or Ethernet adapter) allows the computer to join a wired network with
other nearby computers by connecting the devices to the same Ethernet
switch, or switched fabric in an enterprise network. The computer is also likely
to be able to access the Internet via the local network connection.

RJ-45 ports on a Network Interface Card (NIC). Image © 123rf.com. Page 241
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Module 3 / Unit 2 Ethernet Connector (RJ-45)
An Ethernet network adapter used
with twisted pair cable will have an
RJ-45 port to connect the computer
to the network, via another RJ-45
port in the network equipment.
These ports will be marked "LAN"
(Local Area Network). Twisted pair
is a type of copper cabling where
pairs of insulated conductors are
twisted around one another, to
RJ-45 port and connector. Image © minimize electrical interference.
123rf.com.

Networking is discussed in more detail in Unit 4.1 and Unit 4.2.

Telephone Connector (RJ-11)

While local networking uses Ethernet technologies, some networking and
communications functions depend on direct use of the telephone network. Not
many computers and laptops ship with a dial-up/analog modem anymore, but
they are still often a feature of "all-in-one" print/scan/fax devices. If required, a
modem could be added to a PC using an expansion card or to a laptop using a
USB fax modem adapter.

A fax modem uses twisted pair

cabling with an RJ-11 connector at
the fax end and a connector suitable
for use with the country's phone
system at the other end. This could
be another RJ-11 connector, but
different connectors may be used in
different regions; for example, a BT
phone plug would be used in the
UK.
RJ-11 port and connector. Image © The RJ-11 connector is smaller than
123rf.com.
the RJ-45 connector so you cannot
plug one into the wrong port.

You are also likely to encounter RJ-11 ports on the DSL (Digital Subscriber
Line) modem/router appliance used to connect a home network to the Internet.
The Internet or Wide Area Network (WAN) port on the router will be the RJ-11
type. This is connected to the DSL port on the telephone master socket to
create a fast, always-on "broadband" Internet link over the telephone line.

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 Using Device Interfaces

Review Questions / Module 3 / Unit 2 / Using Device Interfaces

Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit.

1) True or false? Mice and keyboards must be connected to a computer via

PS/2 ports.

2) True or false? USB cables have the same connectors at either end.

3) A user has two USB drives connected to her PC. She complains that when
she copies large files to both drives at the same time, it seems to take
much longer. Why might this be?

4) You want to purchase a flat-panel monitor that can show widescreen

movies. You are considering models with native resolutions of 1400x1050
and 1920x1200. Which should you choose?

5) True or false? HDMI is the only type of display interface that supports High
Definition picture resolutions.

6) You are considering buying a new display device. The model you are
considering accepts digital inputs only. Your computer's graphics adapter
has a blue port with 15 holes. Would this flat-panel be a wise purchase?

7) You need to configure settings for an input device. What should be your
first step?

8) A friend is asking for your help in using her computer. When he presses the
key marked @, a different symbol appears. What could be the cause?

9) What type of mouse would you recommend for someone who uses their
computer principally to play computer games and why?

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Module 3 / Unit 2

Lab 12 / Configuring Input Devices

In this lab, you will look at the configuration options for input devices. As you
may have noticed, in Windows 10 there are two interfaces for configuring the
OS: the Settings app and Control Panel. The Settings app interface is for
touchscreen-enabled configuration. Microsoft often moves a few controls to the
Settings app with each feature update, but many configuration tasks on a
desktop computer or laptop still have to be performed via a Control Panel
applet. Similarly, newer hardware devices designed for Windows 10 might be
managed using an app while older device drivers use Control Panel.

1) If necessary, start your computer and sign in.

2) Click Start then click the Settings icon .

3) Click Devices then from the left-hand panel, select Mouse.

As you can see, the "app" settings for the mouse are fairly limited:

Mouse Settings app. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

4) Click Additional mouse options.

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 Using Device Interfaces

The exact options presented here may be different on your

computer as they depend on the hardware and driver software
installed.

5) Click the Buttons tab.

Typical mouse driver configuration page. On this computer you can switch between configuring
the USB-attached mouse and the built-in laptop touchpad. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

6) If you are left-handed, click the Left-handed button.

7) Adjust the Double Click Speed slider and test using the folder icon to get
the response rate to a setting you are comfortable with. Click Apply if you
make a change.

8) Click the Pointers tab and browse through the schemes available, picking
a new one if you like. Again, click Apply if you have changed something.

9) Click the Pointer Options tab and set the cursor speed to whatever is
comfortable for the way you use the mouse (faster speeds mean using
smaller "sweeps" of the mouse). Enable any other options you want to use
then click Apply.

10) If your mouse has a scroll wheel, use the Wheel tab to adjust the scroll
speed.

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Module 3 / Unit 2 11) Your mouse driver may make other settings available—take some time to
explore these then close the dialog when you have finished.

12) In the Settings app, click Typing then from the left-hand panel.

Note that these are primarily options for using an on-screen keyboard.

13) In the "Find a setting" box, type keyboard

14) Click the Show all results link.

Searching the Settings app. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

The search results contain links to pages within Settings and links to
Control Panel applets and Windows troubleshooters.

15) From the search results, click the Keyboard icon (shown with the mouse
cursor over it in the screenshot above).

16) Use the dialog to configure the repeat rate and delay to suit then click OK.

As well as adjusting the way the keys respond, you may also need to
reconfigure the keyboard input language.

17) In the Settings app, in the "Find a setting" box, type region and select the
link to Region & language.
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 18) The "Country or region" setting should show the country you are in. Adjust Using Device Interfaces
it if you like.

The "Languages" option provides support for using more than one display
and input language.

19) Click the Add a language button.

20) Browse through the list to locate and select an alternative language, such
as English (United Kingdom).

21) When the language has been added, select it and click the Options button.

Depending on the support available for the language, you can add packs to
support using that language for the Windows interface or typing /
handwriting in that language. You can also change the keyboard layout for
the language, if necessary.

22) Optionally make any changes you want then click the Back button.

Language bar. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

23) On the taskbar, locate the language bar in the notification area and click it.

You can use this to switch between keyboard layouts. Note the key combo
for switching (START+SPACEBAR).

24) Click Start, type notepad, and then press ENTER.

25) Type the following text, pressing ENTER after each line.

@ Felicia Dorothea Hemans

"The boy stood on the burning deck

Whence all but he had fled;

The flame that lit the battle's wreck

Shone round him o'er the dead"

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Module 3 / Unit 2 26) Press START+SPACEBAR and try to type the same text—what happens?

27) See if you can work out the correct keys to use to type the text using the
"foreign" keyboard layout.

28) Press CTRL+S to save the document. If necessary, in the left pane, expand
This PC and select the Documents folder.

29) In the "File name" box, type Great Sea Battles then click the Save
button. Close Notepad.

30) Optionally, use the Region & language app to remove the foreign
keyboard layout.

It's quite easy to switch input languages by mistake if you leave the
key combo set to the default. Unless you need it, it's best to have
only one keyboard layout installed.

31) Optionally, shut down your computer if you are not continuing to use it after
this lab.

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 Module 3 / Unit 3 Using Peripheral Devices

Using Peripheral Devices

Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

□ Use Plug-and-Play to install devices and understand the use of device

drivers.

□ Describe different display technologies and install and configure a PC

display.

□ Install and configure multimedia devices, such as sound cards, speakers,

microphones, and webcams.

□ Describe the features and capabilities of different types of printer and their
associated interfaces.

□ Install and configure a printers and scanners.

Syllabus Objectives and Content Examples

This unit covers the following exam domain objectives and content examples:

□ 2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install common peripheral devices to a

laptop/PC.
Devices (Printer, Scanner, Camera, Speakers, Display) • Installation types
(Plug-and-play vs. driver installation, Other required steps, IP-based
peripherals, Web-based configuration steps)

□ 3.1 Manage applications and software.

Device management

□ 3.2 Compare and contrast components of an operating system.

Drivers

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Module 3 / Unit 3
Installing and Uninstalling Peripherals

Peripheral devices are generally quite straightforward to install and remove.

Installing device drive notification. When you connect a new device, Windows automatically
locates and installs a driver. You may need to authorize the installation. Screenshot used with
permission from Microsoft.

Plug-and-Play Installation
Windows devices are now all Plug-and-Play. This means that when you
connect a new device, Windows identifies it and tries to install a device driver.
The device driver makes the device work with the operating system and may
come with software to allow the user to configure advanced settings or
properties. The way this works varies between versions of Windows and from
device to device. Often a device will be installed silently, at other times you
may see a configuration message, and sometimes you will be prompted to
locate driver files or configure settings.

Devices connected via USB are hot-swappable. This means that you can add
or remove them when the system is running. If a device is not hot-swappable,
you need to restart the system when adding it or shut down the system before
removing it.

Manual Driver Installation

There may be occasions when Plug-and-Play does not work and you need to
install driver software manually before the device can be recognized. Windows
ships with a number of default drivers and can also try to locate a driver in the
Windows Update website. If no driver is available from there, you need to
obtain one from the device vendor. The device may come with setup software
or you may be able to download a driver from the vendor's website.

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 Devices and Printers Using Peripheral Devices

Following installation there may be other required steps to complete

configuration of the device. In Windows 7, Windows 8, and early versions of
Windows 10, Devices and Printers is the location for the basic user-
configurable settings for peripheral devices attached to the computer.

Devices and Printers. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Double-clicking an icon brings up the device's status page and available

configuration options. The shortcut menu for each device also allows you to set
configurable properties, start a troubleshooter (devices with a icon are not
working properly), or remove the device from the computer.

Device status page for an HP printer. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 In Windows 10 version 1803, Devices and Printers is replaced by a simpler
Devices page within the Settings app.

Devices page within the Settings app for Windows 10 (1803). Screenshot used with permission
from Microsoft.

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 Removing and Uninstalling Devices Using Peripheral Devices

Windows detects when a device has been removed and will only load the
driver for it when it is necessary. In some circumstances however you may
want to completely uninstall a driver. Usually you can do this by uninstalling the
software package used to install the driver in the first place. Alternatively, you
can open Device Manager via the START+X menu, locate the device, then
right-click and select Uninstall. A check box may allow you to remove the
driver files from the system at the same time.

Uninstalling a keyboard using Device Manager. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 IP-based Peripherals and Web Configuration
Some types of devices are not connected to the computer via a peripheral port
but accessed over a network. Such a device will be configured with an Internet
Protocol (IP) address. The device vendor will normally provide a tool to locate
the device on the network and then open a web configuration page in a
browser. You can use the configuration page to set device options.

Using a web configuration page to manage a Wi-Fi access point. The configuration page is
accessed via the IP address 192.168.1.252.

Networking is discussed in more detail in Unit 4.1 and Unit 4.2.

Display Devices

Some notable manufacturers of display devices include Viewsonic, Iiyama,

Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Acer, Sanyo, and Mitsubishi.

Flat-screen Displays
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens, or flat-screen displays, are used by
portable computers and have also replaced the old and bulky Cathode Ray
Tube (CRT) units as the standard display type for desktops.

Each picture element (pixel) in a color LCD comprises cells (or subpixels) with
filters to generate the three primary colors (red, green, and blue) and
transistors to vary the intensity of each cell, so creating the gamut (range of
colors) that the display can generate.

The whole panel is illuminated by a fluorescent or LED (Light Emitting Diode)

backlight.

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 Using Peripheral Devices

Desktop computer with TFT display. Image © 123rf.com.

You will also see these displays referred to as TFT (Thin Film
Transistor). TFT is a high-quality type of LCD.

Touchscreens
A touchscreen can be used for input where a mouse and/or keyboard are
impractical. Typically, touchscreens are used on handheld portable devices,
but they are also useful in industrial environments or for public terminals, such
as kiosks, where mice or keyboards could be damaged, stolen, or vandalized.

Tablets and smartphones have integrated capacitive touchscreens.

Capacitive touchscreens support multitouch events. This means that the
screen (with compatible software) can interpret more complex hand and finger
gestures as actions, such as rotating, scrolling, zooming, and moving objects.
Laptop screens and full size flat-screen monitors may also be touch-enabled.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 Digital Projectors
A video projector is a large format display, suitable for use in a presentation or
at a meeting. The image is projected onto a screen or wall using a lens system.
Some types of projector are portable; others are fixed in place. There are CRT
and LCD versions but the top end of the market is dominated by Digital Light
Processing (DLP), developed by Texas Instruments. Projectors use the same
HDMI, DVI, Thunderbolt, or VGA interfaces as other display equipment.

DLP projector. Image © 123rf.com.

Each pixel in a DLP device is represented by a mirror, which can be tilted

toward or away from a light source and color filters to create the required
shade.

Take care handling projectors. During use, the bulb becomes very
hot and while it is hot, will be very fragile. Allow a projector to cool
completely before attempting to move it.

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 Display Settings Using Peripheral Devices

You can customize almost any aspect of how Windows is displayed using
options in the Personalization applet (right-click the desktop or open the
applet in Control Panel/Settings). For example, you can change window colors
and styles manually or using themes, adjust mouse pointers, change the
sounds used for various events, and so on.

Personalization in Windows 10 settings app. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Screen Resolution
The screen resolution is the number of pixels used to create the screen image.
It is measured as the number of pixels wide by the number of pixels high.
Screen resolutions are either 4:3 (standard) aspect ratio or 16:10 (widescreen)
aspect ratio.

To adjust screen resolution, open Settings, click System and then select the
Display tab.

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Module 3 / Unit 3

Display options in Windows 10 settings app. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Using a high screen resolution means there is more screen "real estate" to
show windows and documents. The downside is that objects can look very
small. If you have an LCD with a high native resolution, using a lower
interpolated resolution makes screen images slightly fuzzy.

Most applications support a zoom function to make the actual content larger,
but to increase the size of window text, menus, and toolbars at a high
resolution, you can adjust the DPI setting. To do this in Windows 10, open
Settings, select System, and on the Display tab, under the Scale and layout
heading, click the drop-down list and select a scale in percent. You might need
to sign out and sign back in for the change to take effect.

Installing and Configuring Dual Monitors

A PC (or laptop) can be set up to use two display devices. In terms of
hardware, the PC requires either a graphics adapter with two display ports or
two graphics adapters or a display interface that supports daisy-chaining
(DisplayPort or Thunderbolt for instance). A laptop can also send the display to
an external monitor or use both the built-in display and an external one.

Connect the extra display device and a dialog will be displayed automatically.
You can also set the display mode later using the Display tab in the System
node in the Settings app.

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 Dual monitors can be used in one of three modes: Using Peripheral Devices

■ Display the same image on both devices—select the Duplicate these

displays option (this mode is useful for delivering presentations).

Configuring dual monitors in Windows 10 to duplicate the desktop to both devices. Screenshot
used with permission from Microsoft.

■ Display the desktop over both devices—select Extend these displays

(this mode makes more screen "real estate" available and is useful for
design, publishing, and programming work). Drag the displays in the box to
position them correctly. You can put them to the left and right or above and
below one another.

Configuring dual monitors in Windows 10 to extend the display - you can drag the icons around to
reflect the physical position of your monitors. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

■ Display the desktop on one device only—select either Show only on 1 or

Show only on 2.

In Windows 10, you can select a multi-monitor mode quickly using

START+P. This causes a prompt to appear on the right side of the
primary display listing the options: PC screen only, Duplicate,
Extend, Second screen only.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 Configuring a Touchscreen
Touchscreen options are configured using the Tablet PC Settings and Pen
and Touch applets.

Use the Tablet PC Control Panel applet to set up or calibrate a touchscreen. Screenshot used with
permission from Microsoft.

Tablet PC Settings allows you to calibrate the display and set options for
orientation and left- or right-handed use.

The calibration utility involves touching the crosshair at different points of the screen. Screenshot
used with permission from Microsoft.

Pen and Touch allows you to configure gesture settings, such as using tap-
and-hold to trigger a right-mouse click event.
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 Multimedia Ports and Devices Using Peripheral Devices

Multimedia refers to ports used to play and record audio and video from
different inputs and outputs. One distinction that can be made between
different types of multimedia ports is whether they are analog or digital. Analog
signals need to be converted to digital to be processed by the computer, which
can degrade the signal.

Audio Card
A computer's audio subsystem is made up of a sound card to process audio
signals and provide interfaces for connecting equipment and one or more input
(microphone) and output (speaker) devices. Most computers come with an
audio or sound "card" as part of the chipset (embedded on the motherboard).
An expansion card might be installed as an upgrade, to make better quality
recordings or support surround sound for instance.

The basis of a sound card is the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) chip, which
processes data from the computer to output a signal to drive the speakers and
processes audio input from a microphone to convert it to computer data.
Creative, Terratec, RealTek, and Turtle Beach are the most notable vendors of
consumer sound cards, while E-MU, Yamaha, and Creative are noted for their
professional-level cards.

Speaker and Microphone Jacks

A microphone allows for audio input and recording, while audio playback is
achieved via speakers or headphones. A headset is a device with both
microphone and headphones. Both analog and digital audio equipment is
available.

Most analog audio connectors are 3.5 mm (⅛") jacks. A standard sound card
will have a number of these for different equipment:

■ Audio in (light blue)—audio in (or line in) is a low-level (1V) stereo signal
as supplied by most tape decks, video players, tuners, CD players, and so
on.

■ Microphone input (pink)—this is generally a mono analog input.

■ Audio out (lime)—audio out (or line out) is a low-level (1V) analog stereo
signal suitable for feeding into an amplified speakers or headphones.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 ■ Audio out (black)—signal for rear speakers in a surround sound system
(see below).

■ Audio out (orange)—signal for the subwoofer in a surround sound

system.

Audio jacks on a sound card. Image © 123rf.com.

Higher end sound cards will include an S/PDIF (Sony/Phillips Digital

Interface) jack. S/PDIF can either use coax cabling with RCA connectors or
fiber optic cabling and connectors. S/PDIF is most often used to carry digital
signals for surround sound speaker systems.

RCA connectors are distinguished by a collar surrounding the

connector, which makes the fit between plug and socket more
secure.

Many models of microphone, headset, and speaker can also be attached via a
USB port or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

Speaker Configurations
Sound cards supporting multiple output channels with an appropriate speaker
system can provide various levels of playback, from stereo (left and right
speakers) to some type of surround sound. Surround sound uses multiple
speakers positioned around the listener to provide a cinematic audio
experience. A 5.1 digital system (Dolby Digital or Digital Theatre System
[DTS]) has three front (center, left, and right) speakers, and two rear (left and
right) speakers, and a subwoofer for bass sounds. A 7.1 system (Dolby Digital
Plus or DTS-HD) has two extra side speakers.

A speaker system will usually have controls for adjusting volume, bass, and
treble plus optionally, an equalizer (EQ) or preset sound effects.

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 Audio Settings Using Peripheral Devices

To set up audio, connect the microphone, headset, or speakers to the

appropriate ports on the card or motherboard.

Use the Sound applet in Control Panel/Settings to test the hardware and
configure settings.

Configure audio properties using the Sound applet. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

If you have multiple devices, you can choose the defaults here and test levels
for audio input and output.

Changing the Volume

If you have a multimedia keyboard, there are usually keys for adjusting the
volume. Also, laptops have push buttons and special FN keys to adjust the
volume.

In Windows, use the icon in the Notification Area to control the volume.

Windows volume control—drag the slider to adjust the volume and click the button to mute or
unmute sound. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 Webcams
Webcams record video images using a digital sensor and usually feature a
microphone to record audio. They range in quality from models with low
resolution and frame rates (25 fps [frames per second]) to models capable of
High Definition resolution at 60 fps. Webcams are used for online video
conferencing, as feeds for websites, and as surveillance devices. Webcams
can be built into a laptop computer chassis or connected via USB.

Built-in and USB-attached webcam options. Image © 123rf.com.

Printer Types

Printing has always been associated with PC use. Reading from a screen is
comparatively difficult compared to reading from paper. Printers also meet the
need to keep hard copy records of important data.

A printer technology is the mechanism used to make images on the paper.

The most widely-used technologies for general home and office use are inkjet
and laser, though others are used for more specialized applications.

■ A laser printer works by fixing a fine powder called toner to the page
surface. The toner is applied using electrostatic charging then fixed using
high heat and pressure in the fuser unit, creating a durable printout that
does not smear or fade.

A laser printer operates on the whole image as a single item. This means
that laser printers need quite sophisticated processors and large amounts
of memory.

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 ■ Inkjets (or ink dispersion) printers are often used for good quality color Using Peripheral Devices
output. Inkjets are typically cheap to buy but expensive to run, with high
cost consumables such as ink cartridges and high-grade paper. Compared
to laser printers, they are slower and often noisier, making them less
popular in office environments, except as a cheap option for low volume
color printing.

Color images are created by combining four inks: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow,
and Black (K). The inks are stored in separate reservoirs, which may be
supplied in single or multiple cartridges.

Inkjet (left) and laser (right) color printer types. Image © 123rf.com.

Some of the major vendors include HP, Epson, Canon, Xerox, Brother, OKI,
Konica/Minolta, Lexmark, Ricoh, and Samsung.

Installing and Configuring a Printer

A local printer is usually connected to the computer via the USB interface.
Some printers can be connected as network devices, either via wired Ethernet
or Wi-Fi. Finally, a printer might be connected over a Bluetooth link.

As with any other device, the appropriate driver must be installed for a printer
to function correctly. You can either use the setup software supplied with the
printer or (in most cases) simply connect the printer and let Windows find a
driver. When you connect a new Plug-and-Play printer, Windows installs
drivers automatically, only prompting you if authorization is required or an
appropriate driver cannot be found.

As with other types of hardware, the printer vendor may have a

more up-to-date driver or setup software available on their website
than the one supplied with Windows or available via Windows
Update. Only use drivers from the genuine vendor or from
Microsoft however.

Once the driver has been installed all applications will use it to send output to
the printer.

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Module 3 / Unit 3 Configuring Printers
Printers are configured using the Devices and Printers folder.

Choosing a default printer and configuring preferences through the Devices and Printers folder.
Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Opening a printer object displays its status page while the shortcut menu
allows the selection of the default printer and configuration of sharing,
properties, printing preferences, and management of the print queue (See
what's printing).

Print queue—use the shortcut menu to cancel or restart jobs or the Printer menu to pause the
printer. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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 Printer Properties and Preferences Using Peripheral Devices

A local printer can be managed using Printer Properties and Printing

Preferences. Properties allows you to update the driver, print to a different
port, configure sharing and permissions, set basic device options (such as
whether a duplex unit is installed), and configure default paper types for
different feed trays. A duplex unit allows the printer to print to both sides of the
paper. The unit turns the sheet over within the printer. Other options for
printers include extra input and output trays and units that can collate output or
bind or staple documents automatically.

This dialog also lets you print a test page (off the General tab). The Print Test
Page command shows that a printer is installed and configured correctly.

Printer properties—use the General tab to print a test page. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

Preferences sets the default print options.

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Module 3 / Unit 3

Printing preferences—this page lets you choose from a number of preset print settings templates.
Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

These settings can also be changed on a per-job basis by clicking the

Properties button in the application's Print dialog. Alternatively, the printer
may come with management software that you can use to change settings.

Scanners and Cameras

A scanner is an imaging device, designed to create a digital file from a page of

print, photo, or another object. Typically, scanners handle flat objects, like
documents, receipts, or photographs.

Types of Scanners
A flatbed scanner works rather like a photocopier. The object to be scanned is
placed on a glass faceplate and the cover closed to prevent ambient light
affecting the image. A bright light, usually from a Cold Cathode Fluorescent
Lamp (CCFL), illuminates the object while the image is recorded using a
Charge Coupled Device (CCD) array. A CCD is composed of picture
elements (pixels) that generate an electrical charge in proportion to the
intensity of light shined on them. This is used to create a digital image.

The quality of the scanner depends on its resolution (that is, the number of
pixels in the CCD array). This is measured in pixels per inch (ppi). You may
see dots per inch quoted instead, but this term is generally avoided to prevent
confusion with a printer's output resolution.

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 Using Peripheral Devices

Flatbed scanner. Image © 123rf.com.

Multi-function Devices (MFD) may use a sheet-fed scanner rather than a

flatbed one. The main drawback of sheet-fed scanners is that they may only
handle fairly thin paper objects.

Scanning a Document
When the scanner has been connected to the PC and configured by Plug-and-
Play, it should become available to applications that can use the scan
interface. Older scanners use TWAIN-based software; modern scanners are
more likely to use WIA (Windows Image Acquisition). The software will present
options for the image output format (PDF or JPEG for instance) and tools for
selecting and correcting the image. Another option may be to use Optical
Character Recognition (OCR) software to convert a text image into a
computer-editable text document.

HP Scan image acquisition software.

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Module 3 / Unit 3

TWAIN is an interface name and while it is always capitalized it is

not an acronym, though the expansion Technology Without An
Interesting Name has been suggested.

Digital Cameras
A digital camera stores images on a flash memory-based card, such as
CompactFlash or Secure Digital. There are a number of ways to transfer the
images stored on the card from the camera to the computer:

■ Connect the camera to a USB port—this will mount the camera storage as
a Windows drive and the pictures can be copied or moved using Explorer.

■ Use a memory card slot—the memory card can be removed from the
camera and inserted into a memory card reader on the PC, if available.

■ Use Wi-Fi—a camera that supports wireless networking can make the
images folder available as a shared folder on the network.

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 Using Peripheral Devices

Review Questions / Module 3 / Unit 3 / Using Peripheral Devices

Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit.

1) Which Windows interface is used for advanced management and

troubleshooting of devices?

2) What do you need to know to connect to a device that is configured over

the network?

3) True or false? If you want to configure the DPI of a display device, you
would do so via the Personalization app.

4) You are configuring dual monitors positioned side-by-side. You want to

increase the amount of screen space available. Which multiple display
option should you set?

5) You need to plug a microphone into a computer to make a recording. How

would you identify which jack to use?

6) What, if any, type of printer uses a fuser?

7) What are the four inks used to produce color prints?

8) What type of wired interface is a printer MOST likely to use?

9) You want to configure a printer to use both sides of the paper (duplex) by
default. You have alt-clicked the printer object—which command should
you select to proceed?

10) What basic command demonstrates that a printer is connected properly to

a computer and that its driver is installed correctly for Windows?

11) What function of a scanner would you use if you want to convert a letter
that someone has mailed to you into a computer-editable document?

12) True or false? If your PC does not have a flash memory card reader, you
should be able to connect the camera itself to the PC over USB to copy
images off the card.

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Module 3 / Unit 3

Lab 13 / Playing Audio

You will need a sound card and speakers or headphones for this lab.

1) Referring to the system documentation if necessary, connect the speakers

or a pair of headphones to the appropriate output jack on your computer.

2) Press START and type control panel then click the Control Panel icon
when it appears.

3) In the "Search" box, type sound

4) Click the Sound applet from the list of results.

5) On the Playback tab, select your speakers then click the Configure
button.

6) Click Test—you should hear a sound from first one speaker then the other.

7) Cancel out of the dialogs.

8) Open the browser. Type the following URL into the address bar then press
ENTER:

www.youtube.com/embed/rConxNFPn7g
9) Press Play to start the video—as it plays, try adjusting the volume using
the icon on the taskbar.

10) Optionally, shut down your computer if you are not continuing to use it after
this lab.

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 Using Peripheral Devices

Lab 14 / Using a Printer

You will need a printer to complete this lab.

1) If necessary, start your computer and sign in.

2) Read the documentation that accompanies the printer and complete any
steps required to prepare the printer before plugging it in. The printer may
come with setup software that you should install first. You should also
check that the printer is loaded with paper properly.

3) Connect the printer using the appropriate port then switch it on. Allow
Windows to install the driver.

4) When the printer has been installed, open Settings > Devices > Printers
and Scanners. The printer should be the default, unless you have more
than one.

5) Select the printer and then click Manage.

Printer management options. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

6) Click the Printing preferences link. Browse the tabs in the dialog that
opens to explore the features available on your printer. For example, find
out if there are color or duplex options.

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Module 3 / Unit 3

Printing preferences—this printer supports duplex (Finishing tab) but only manual duplex.
Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

7) Click Cancel then in the Settings app, click Open print queue. From the
Printer menu, select Pause Printing.

8) Right-click one of the picture files you created earlier and select Print.

Selecting print options. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

9) If necessary, select your printer from the Printer list box.

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 10) Choose the Full Page Photo option. Using Peripheral Devices

11) Click Print.

12) Switch to the print queue window and note that the job waits in the queue
while the printer is paused. Right-click the job and note the options in the
shortcut menu, but do not select any of them. Unpause the printer to allow
the picture to print.

Managing the print queue. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

13) Collect the print job then turn off the printer.

14) Close any open windows.

15) Optionally, shut down your computer if you are not continuing to use it after
this lab.

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Module 3 / Unit 4
Module 3 / Unit 4
Using Storage Devices

Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

□ Contrast volatile and non-volatile storage types.

□ Describe the types of system memory modules used in PCs.

□ Describe the types and features of Hard Disk Drives, Solid State Drives,
optical drives, and flash memory.

Syllabus Objectives and Content Examples

This unit covers the following exam domain objectives and content examples:

□ 2.2 Given a scenario, set up and install common peripheral devices to a

laptop/PC.
Devices (External hard drive)

□ 2.5 Compare and contrast storage types.

Volatile vs. non-volatile • Local storage types (RAM, Hard drive [Solid state
vs. spinning disk], Optical, Flash drive)

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 System Memory Using Storage Devices

System memory is the main storage area for programs and data when the
computer is running. System memory is necessary because it is much faster
than accessing data in a mass storage system, such as a hard disk. System
memory is a type of volatile memory called Random Access Memory (RAM).
Volatile means that data is only retained in the memory chips while there is a
power source.

A large amount of system memory is essential for running a PC. The size of
RAM determines a computer's ability to work with multiple applications at the
same time and manipulate larger files. If there is not enough system RAM, the
memory space can be extended by using disk space (virtual memory), but
accessing the disk is very slow compared to accessing RAM.

Some notable RAM vendors include Kingston, Crucial (Micron), Corsair, PNY,
and Integral.

DRAM
System RAM is a type of RAM called Dynamic RAM (DRAM). DRAM stores
each data bit as an electrical charge within a single bit cell. The electrical
charge gradually dissipates, causing the memory cell to lose its information. In
order to preserve the information, dynamic memory has to be refreshed
periodically by accessing each cell at regular intervals.

SDRAM
Many different types of DRAM have been developed and become obsolete. Since
the mid-1990s, variants of Synchronous DRAM, or SDRAM, have been used for
system memory.

SDRAM packaged in 168-pin DIMMs. Image © 123rf.com.

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Module 3 / Unit 4 SDRAM is synchronized to the system bus. It has a 64-bit data bus, meaning that
in each clock cycle, 64 bits of information can be delivered to the CPU.
Consequently, if the bus is running at 66 MHz, the bandwidth available to the
memory controller is 66*64 or 4224 megabits per second. Dividing by 8 gives the
bandwidth in megabytes per second (528 MBps).

SDRAM for desktop PCs is packaged in DIMMs (Dual Inline Memory

Module). Laptops use a smaller form factor called Small Outline DIMM (SO-
DIMM).

Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM)

Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM, or just DDR) is an updated type of
SDRAM featuring "double pumped" data transfers. This means that 64 bits of
information are transferred at the start of a clock cycle then another 64 bits at
the end. For example, if the bus speed is 100 MHz, the maximum data rate
would be ([64+64]*100)/8 = 1600 MBps (Megabytes per second).

Since its first introduction, DDR has moved through DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4
technology updates. These increase bandwidth by increasing the bus speed,
as opposed to the speed at which the actual memory chips work. This
produces scalable speed improvements without making the chips too
unreliable or hot. The drawback is increased latency, as data takes longer to
access on each chip. Latency is offset by improving the memory circuitry.

DDR3 SDRAM in 240-pin DIMMs. Image © 123.rf.com.

DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4 still use DIMM and SO-DIMM packaging, but the
form factors of the edge connectors are different, so you must obtain modules
that match the type of slots on the motherboard. For example, if you have a
DDR4 motherboard, you cannot reuse older DDR3 modules with it.

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 Mass Storage Devices Using Storage Devices

Random Access Memory (RAM) is a volatile type of storage; it requires a

constant power source to work. A mass storage device provides non-volatile
storage where the data is preserved when the power is turned off. Every
computing device has at least one internal mass storage device (or "fixed
drive") to store the OS and application files plus user data.

Hard Disk Drives

Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are one of the most widely used type of mass
storage device. Data on an HDD is encoded magnetically on specially coated
glass or plastic platters accessed by drive heads. The platters are spun at
very high speeds, giving rise to the term "spinning disk" drive. There are two
formats for HDDs: 3.5" units are the type used in desktops; 2.5" form factors
are used for laptops and as portable external drives.

3.5" form factor hard disk drive. Image © 123rf.com.

HDD Capacity and Performance

HDDs are available in a range of capacities. At the time of writing this ranges
from 100 GB up to 10 TB (10,000 GB).

HDD performance is largely a measure of how quickly it can read and write
data. One factor in determining read/write speeds is the speed at which the
disks can spin, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). The higher the
RPM, the faster the drive. High performance drives can reach 15,000 RPM;
budget and midrange performance units are 5400 and 7200 RPM. RPM is one
factor determining access time (measured in milliseconds), which is the delay
that occurs as the read/write head locates a particular position on the drive. A
high performance drive will have an access time below four ms; a typical drive
might have an access time of around nine ms.

Some of the major hard drive vendors include Seagate, Western Digital,
Maxtor, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Samsung. Page 279
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Module 3 / Unit 4 HDD Interfaces
Over the years, there have been several different standards for the controller
and bus connecting an internal hard disk to a PC. These standards include
EIDE/PATA, SATA, and SCSI. Modern PCs and laptops use the SATA (Serial
ATA) interface. A SATA port can support a single drive. Most motherboards
have at least four SATA ports.

External Hard Drives

HDDs are also available as external units. The drive is shipped in a special
enclosure, which provides some combination of USB, Firewire, eSATA, and/or
Thunderbolt ports. External units may be designed for desk use (3.5" drives) or
to be portable (2.5" drives). 3.5" drives require a separate power supply too;
consequently, most external drives now use the 2.5" form factor.

Standard Bandwidth Notes

USB 2 480 Mbps Many devices were released to this older
standard and remain in use.
USB 3 5 Gbps Widely supported on devices released in the
USB 3.1 10 Gbps last few years.
Thunderbolt 2 20 Gbps Uses MiniDP connector.
Thunderbolt 3 40 Gbps Uses USB-C connector. Bandwidth only
supported at up to 0.5m cabling.

An external drive can also be connected via a network. This is

often referred to as Network Attached Storage (NAS). Often, NAS
appliances can house multiple HDDs. NAS is covered in more
detail in Unit 4.4.

Solid State Drives (SSD)

Solid State Drives (SSD) are designed to replicate or supplement the function
of the hard drive. Solid state storage uses a type of non-volatile memory
technology called flash memory. Flash memory is non-volatile because it
does not need a power source to retain information even though it is a
transistor-based technology. Compared to spinning disk storage, flash memory
is very small and light and much faster. Mass manufacturing has seen prices
fall to very affordable levels, though the cost per gigabyte of an SSD is still
considerably higher than an HDD and it is unusual for SSDs to be supplied
with more than 512 GB capacity.

While HDD specifically refers to a spinning disk drive, you may

come across the term "hard drive" used to mean the main fixed
disk in the computer, whether the drive format is HDD or SDD.

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 SSDs are available as either standalone units or hybrid drives. In a hybrid Using Storage Devices
drive, the SSD portion functions as a large cache, containing data that is
accessed frequently. The magnetic disc is only spun up when non-cached data
is accessed. This reduces power consumption but can degrade performance.

2.5" form factor solid state drive. Image © 123rf.com.

SSDs can be packaged in the same 2.5" form factor with SATA connectors as
HDDs. Better performance is obtained from SSDs installed as PCIe adapter
cards or using the M.2 adapter interface, as the PCIe bus is much faster than
SATA.

Optical Discs and Drives

Compact Discs (CDs), Digital Video Discs or Digital Versatile Discs

(DVDs), and Blu-ray Discs (BDs) are storage formats for consumer
multimedia, such as music and video. They are referred to as "optical" drives
because a laser is used to read data from the discs.

These formats have been adapted for data storage with PC systems. The
CD/DVD/BD drives used with PCs and gaming consoles can also play
consumer versions of the discs.

The data version of the CD (CD-ROM) became ubiquitous on PC systems as it

has sufficient capacity (700 MB) to deliver most software applications. DVD is
an improvement on CD technology and delivers substantially more capacity
(up to about 17 GB). DVDs are used for some software installs and for games
and multimedia. Blu-ray is the latest format for delivering High Definition
movies and computer games.

Recordable and Rewritable Optical Discs

A recordable version of the CD (CD-R) was developed in 1999. Where an
ordinary CD uses a premastered layer of foil with pits and lands to represent
binary data, CD-Rs use a layer of photosensitive dye. A special laser is used to
transform the dye, mimicking the structure of a normal CD, in a process called
burning. Most ordinary CD players and drives can read CD-Rs, but they may
not playback properly on older equipment.
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Module 3 / Unit 4 CD-R is a type of Write Once Read Many (WORM) media. Data areas once
written cannot be overwritten. If there is space, a new session can be started
on the disc. However, this makes the disc unreadable in older CD-ROM drives.
A rewritable (or multisession) disc format (CD-RW) has also been
developed.

DVD Media
DVD is similar to CD but with better storage capacity. DVD discs can be dual-
layer and/or double-sided. The different permutations result in the storage
capacities listed below.

Standard Capacity Description

DVD-5 4.7 GB Single layer/Single sided.
DVD-9 8.5 GB Dual layer/Single sided.
DVD-10 9.4 GB Single layer/Double sided.
DVD-18 17.1 GB Dual layer/Double sided.
DVD-Video Up to 17.1 GB Commercially produced DVDs using MPEG
encoding and chapters for navigation (can
be single or dual layer and single or double
sided).
DVD-Audio Format for high quality audio (superior
sampling rates and 5.1 surround sound for
instance).

MPEG stands for Motion Picture Experts Group. Refer to Unit 3.5
for more information about file formats, encoding, and
compression.

Like CD, there are recordable and rewritable versions of DVD, some of which
support dual layer recording. There are two slightly different standards for
recordable and rewritable DVDs, referred to as DVD-R/DVD-RW versus
DVD+R/DVD+RW. Most drives can read all formats but write in either + or -
format. Many consumer DVD players can play DVD±R discs.

Consumer DVDs feature copy protection mechanisms (Digital Rights

Management) and region coding. Region coding, if enforced, means that a disc
can only be used in a player from the same region.

Blu-ray Discs
Blu-ray Discs (BD) are replacing DVD as the media for distributing consumer
multimedia and video games.

Blu-ray is principally required to cope with the demands of High Definition

video recording and playback. HD requires more bandwidth and storage space
because it uses a much higher resolution picture (1920x1080 compared to
720x480 [NTSC]) and better audio quality (digital surround sound).

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 A standard BD has a capacity of 25 GB per layer. Dual-layer discs can store up Using Storage Devices
to 50 GB and are readable in ordinary BD drives. Triple-layer 100 GB and
quad-layer 128 GB discs are defined in the BD-XL specification. These require
BD-XL compatible drives for writing and reading. There are currently no
double-sided formats.

Like DVDs, consumer Blu-ray Discs are likely to be DRM-protected and may
be region coded.

Optical Drive Units

A PC normally has an optical drive installed within the case, but it is now
relatively uncommon for laptops to include optical drives. An optical drive can
be connected via USB as an external unit.

Optical disc drive. Image © 123rf.com.

Optical drives are rated according to their data transfer speed. The original CD
drives had a data transfer rate of 150 KBps. Subsequently, drives have been
available that offer multiples of the original rate; this would be around 52x for
new models, offering transfer rates in excess of 7 MBps.

Many optical drives also function as recordable/rewritable burners (or writers).

Such drives feature three speeds, usually expressed as the
Record/Rewrite/Read speed (for example, 24x/16x/52x).

DVDs feature a higher transfer rate, with multiples of 1.38 MBps (equivalent to
9X CD speed). The fastest models feature 16X read speeds. The base speed
for Blu-ray is 36 MBps and the maximum theoretical rate is 12x (432 MBps). At
the time of writing, most drives are 2x or 4x; 2x is the minimum required for
movie playback.

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Module 3 / Unit 4
Removable Flash Memory Devices

There are many ways of packaging

flash memory other than fixed
SSDs. One of the most popular is
the USB drive (or thumb drive). This
type of drive simply plugs into any
spare USB port. Capacities are
typically between 1 and 64 GB
(128؎512 GB thumb drives are
available but are very expensive).
USB thumb drive (left) and SD memory card
(right). Image © 123rf.com. Some USB drives may come with
security features, such as
encryption or fingerprint recognition.

Another popular type of packaging is the memory card, used extensively in

consumer digital imaging products, such as digital still and video cameras.
There are several proprietary types of memory card. Some popular examples
include Secure Digital (SD) and Compact Flash (CF), plus formats such as
Sony Memory Stick and xD Picture Card that are no longer produced. Memory
cards are available in a number of sizes up to 256 GB capacity. There are 512
GB and even 2 TB cards but they are only available at a high price point.

SD cards also come in Mini (small) and Micro (smaller) form

factors. The smaller form factors can be used with regular size
readers using a caddy to hold the card.

Many PCs are fitted with Multi-card Readers with two or three slots that will
accommodate most of the cards on the market. Some may have single slot
readers that can only accept a single brand (typically SD).

Multi-card reader. Image © 123rf.com.

Data transfer rates vary quite widely between different devices. The best-
performing cards are about 312 MBps.

Another use for flash memory is as the main storage for electronic devices,
such as tablets, smartphones, mobile media players (or mp3 players),
handheld games consoles, and so on. Such devices typically have a few
megabytes or gigabytes of internal flash memory that can be expanded using a
memory card (though most will only support one particular brand of card).

Some of these devices may require special software to transfer music between
the device and a PC (such as iTunes for Apple's range of iPod players). Very
often though the device's flash memory will appear as a storage device when
the media player is connected to the PC (via a USB port).

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 Using Storage Devices

Review Questions / Module 3 / Unit 4 / Using Storage Devices

Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit.

1) You have a motherboard that is designed for DDR2 memory that works at
a bus speed of 533 MHz. You have some DDR3 memory modules that also
work at a bus speed of 533 MHz. Are the modules compatible with the
motherboard?

2) Why can't you use memory modules designed for a desktop computer in a
laptop?

3) A hard drive is rated at 10,000 RPM. What is the significance of this

statistic?

4) What type of connector would you use for an external hard drive to connect
to a Windows PC?

5) Your computer has 4 SATA ports. How many hard drives can be installed?

6) True or false? A single layer Blu-ray Disc has greater capacity than a dual-
layer, double-sided DVD.

7) What sort of device would you need to transfer data from a "Memory
Stick?"

8) What sort of device could you use to expand the storage capacity of a
smartphone?

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Module 3 / Unit 4

Lab 15 / Adding a Removable Drive

Removable storage devices are simple ways to extend storage capacity on a
PC or transfer files. You can complete this lab if you have a USB stick, memory
card, or removable hard drive. There are a number of different types of drive,
but adding and removing them is usually straightforward. Check the
instructions that came with the device if you are unsure.

1) If necessary, start your computer and log on.

2) If the device is connected by a cable, connect the smaller "B" connector on

the USB cable to the device then the larger "A" connector to a USB port on
the PC. Otherwise, plug a USB stick into a USB port or push a memory
card into the multi-card reader.

New drive detected notification. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

3) After a few seconds, Windows will detect the device and begin configuring
it. Click or tap the notification and an AutoPlay dialog is shown prompting
you with different actions associated with the type of drive.

AutoPlay dialog for a USB-attached hard drive. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

4) For now, just click the Take no action button to cancel the AutoPlay
dialog.

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 5) Open File Explorer and make sure This PC is selected. Using Storage Devices

6) You should see that the drive is listed within under "Devices and drives"
and has been assigned a drive letter in the left-hand pane.

Locating the newly attached drive in File Explorer. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

Note the capacity of the drive. In the screenshot above, you can see that
what the vendor describes as a 1 TB drive has a formatted capacity of 931
GB. When the vendor uses the term "1 TB," they mean 1000 4 or one trillion
bytes. Windows reports drive capacity using binary measurements (without
using the proper notation), where 1 tebibyte would be 10244 bytes.
Consequently, the capacity appears as a bit less than "1 TB."

7) Right-click the drive and note the options—for a read/write disk you should
see the option to Format. Select Properties.

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Module 3 / Unit 4

Disk properties dialog. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Note that you can confirm that the disk does have one trillion bytes of
space (more or less).

8) Look through the dialog box to view the options available then click
Cancel.

9) Double-click the drive to view its contents.

10) Close the Computer window.

11) Look in the Notification Area for the Safely Remove Hardware icon
(you may have to click the arrow to expand the area) then click it and select
the Eject option.

12) Click OK.

13) Unplug the device.

14) Optionally, shut down your computer if you are not continuing to use it after
this lab.

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 Module 3 / Unit 5 Using File Systems

Using File Systems

Objectives
On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

□ Describe the properties of file systems and select an appropriate file

system for a given OS and usage.

□ Use a file manager to create, open, move/copy, and delete files and
folders/directories.

□ Use search tools and view options to locate files quickly.

Syllabus Objectives and Content Examples

This unit covers the following exam domain objectives and content examples:

□ 3.2 Compare and contrast components of an operating system.

File systems and features (File systems, NTFS, FAT32, HFS, Ext4) •
Features (Compression, Encryption, Permissions, Journaling, Limitations,
Naming rules) • File management (Folders/directories, File types and
extensions, Permissions)

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Module 3 / Unit 5
Managing the File System

Non-volatile computer storage is based around mass storage drives. Every

computer comes with a primary fixed disk (HDD or SSD). This stores the
operating system and applications software that has been installed to the PC
plus data files created by users.

The computer may also have a number of other storage devices, such as a
secondary HDD or SSD, a CD/DVD/BD optical drive or writer, USB removable
drives, or a flash memory card reader.

In order for the OS to able to read and write files to a drive, it must be
partitioned and formatted with a file system.

Hard Disk Partitions

Partitioning a hard disk is the act of dividing it into logically separate storage
areas. This may be done to improve the performance of the disk, to install
multiple operating systems, or to provide a logical separation of different data
areas. You must create at least one partition on the hard disk before
performing a format to create a file system. Typically, this is done through
Windows Setup when building a new PC or through Disk Management when
adding an extra hard disk.

Historically, removable media such as USB thumb drives can only

be formatted with a single partition using the Disk Management tool
provided with Windows. However, the Windows 10 1703 update
added support for creating multiple partitions on removable drives.

External hard drives usually come preconfigured with a partition

and file system.

On the primary fixed disk, one of the partitions must be made active. This
active partition is also referred to as the system partition. An active partition is
used by the computer to boot. In Windows, the system partition is usually
hidden from File Explorer and is not allocated a drive letter.

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 Windows Drives Using File Systems

In Windows, each formatted partition can be allocated a drive letter, from A

through Z. The boot partition (containing the operating system files) is usually
allocated the letter C. Each removable drive (CD/DVD/BD or flash memory
card for instance) can also be allocated a drive letter.

Windows drives—this computer has four: 1) The Local Disk (C:) drive is the boot partition on the
hard disk; 2) D: is an optical drive; 3) E: represents an external USB-attached hard drive; 4) I: has
been assigned to an SD memory card. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

File Systems
Each partition can be formatted with a different file system. Under Windows,
there is a choice between FAT and NTFS.

■ FAT (File Allocation Table)—this was used for older versions of Windows
and is preserved under Windows for compatibility. Typically, the 32-bit
version (FAT32) is used. This permits a maximum file size of 4 GB and a
maximum partition size of 32 GB.

■ NTFS (New Technology File System)—as a 64-bit addressing scheme,

NTFS allows much larger partitions (up to 2 TB) than FAT. NTFS also
supports extended attributes, allowing for file-level security permissions,
compression, and encryption. These features make NTFS much more stable
and secure than FAT. Windows must be installed to an NTFS partition.
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Module 3 / Unit 5 FAT32 is used for formatting most removable drives and disks as it provides
the best compatibility between different types of computers and devices.

CDs and DVDs are often formatted using Universal Disk Format (UDF),
though the older CD format ISO 9660 (or CDFS) offers the best compatibility
with legacy drives. Recordable media can be written to once only; rewritable
media support deleting and adding files later, but to make the disc fully
compatible with consumer DVD players, the session must be closed.

Most Linux distributions use some version of the ext file system to format
partitions on mass storage devices. ext3 is a 64-bit file system with support for
journaling, which means that the file system tracks changes, giving better
reliability and less chance of file corruption in the event of crashes or power
outages. Support for journaling is the main difference between ext3 and its
predecessor (ext2). ext4 delivers significantly better performance than ext3
and would usually represent the best choice for new systems.

Apple Mac workstations and laptops use the extended Hierarchical File
System (HFS+), though the latest macOS version is being updated to the
Apple File System (APFS).

File System Features

You can evaluate file systems by considering which features they do or do not
support:

■ Compression—the file system can automatically reduce the amount of disk

space taken up by a file. The file system applies a non-lossy algorithm to
the file to find ways to store the data in it more efficiently without discarding
any information. Note that file system compression only benefits files that
are not already compressed. A file type such as JPEG that already applies
compression will be significantly reduced in size.

■ Encryption—the file system can automatically encrypt data in a file when it

is saved. This means that the file can only be opened when there is access
to the encryption key. If this is stored separately to the data and/or its use
is protected by a password, the data on the drive is protected even if the
disk is stolen and installed in another computer system.

■ Permissions—the file system maintains an Access Control List (ACL) for

each file or folder object. The ACL records which user accounts are
allowed to read, write, or control the object.

■ Journaling—the file system tracks changes or intended changes in a log.

This means that if there is a sudden power cut and a particular write
operation was interrupted, the journal may be used to recover the data or
at least restore the file system to good working order (consistent state).

■ Limitations—as noted in the table below, file systems have limits in terms
of their maximum capacity and the size of individual files.

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 ■ Naming rules—very old file systems limited the size of a file name to eight Using File Systems
characters plus a three-character extension. Modern file systems support
longer file names (usually up to 255 characters) and complete directory
paths, use of Unicode characters in the name, and support distinguishing
the case of file name characters. File systems also have a number of
reserved characters which cannot be used in a file name.

FAT32 NTFS HFS+ ext4

Compression No Yes Yes No
Encryption No Yes No Yes
Permissions No Yes Yes Yes
Journaling No Yes Yes Yes
Max File Size 4 GB 16 ExaBytes 8 EB 16 TB
Max Volume Size 8 TB 16 EB 8 EB 1 EB
Case-aware No Yes Yes Yes
Reserved " * / : < > " * / : < : / /
characters ? \ | + , . > ? \ |
; = [ ]

Folders and Directories

The purpose of a drive is to store files. Folders are a means of organizing files
on each drive to make them easier to find. Folders can also create distinct
areas in terms of security access controls. Operating system files can be
separated from user data files, and standard users can be prevented from
modifying them. Also, each user can have a protected storage area that other
standard users cannot access, unless the folder is shared.

Folders are created in a hierarchy of subfolders. The first level of the hierarchy
is called the root folder. This is created when the drive is formatted. The root
folder is identified by the drive label and a backslash. For example, the root
folder of the C: drive is C:\ The root folder can contain files and subfolders.
The path to a subfolder is also separated by backslashes. For example, in
C:\WINDOWS\System32\, WINDOWS is a subfolder of the root and System32
is a subfolder of WINDOWS.

Windows System Folders

A default folder structure is created on the boot partition when Windows is
installed. A default installation creates the following three system folders:

■ Windows—the "system root," containing drivers, logs, add-in applications,

system and Registry files (notably the System32 subfolder), and so on.
System32 contains most of the applications and utilities used to manage
and configure Windows.

■ Program Files—subfolders for installed applications software.

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Module 3 / Unit 5

A 64-bit version of Windows uses a "Program Files" folder for 64-bit

applications software and a "Program Files (x86)" folder for 32-bit
applications software.

■ Users—storage for users' profile settings and data (Documents,

Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, recent file shortcuts, desktop shortcuts,
and so on).

The contents of Program Files and Windows should not be moved

or changed except by using the proper Windows utilities and
application installers. Moving or deleting files manually could cause
serious problems. Ordinary users are denied access to system
folders.

Linux Directories
"Folder" is a Windows-specific term. In Linux, these containers are called
directories. Also, Linux uses the forward slash (/) to represent the root and as
a directory delimiter. For example, in the directory path /home/andy, home is
a subdirectory of the root directory and andy is a subdirectory of home.

Note that a forward slash will also work in Windows if you type it
into the address bar or use one in a file path at the command
prompt.

It is important to realize that everything available to the Linux OS is

represented as a file in the file system, including devices. This is referred to as
the unified file system. For example, a single hard drive attached to a SATA
port would normally be represented in the file system by /dev/sda. A second
storage device—perhaps one attached to a USB port—would be represented
as /dev/sdb. There is no concept of "drive letters" in Linux. Everything is
represented through the file system.

Think of the root file system representing everything on the

computer as "THE" file system and a file system for a particular
partition as just "A" file system.

A file system configured on a partition on a particular storage device is

attached to a particular directory (mount point) within the unified file system
using the mount command. For example:

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/mydrive

...mounts partition 1 on the mass storage device sda to the directory
/mnt/mydrive. Mountable file systems are listed in the /etc/fstab file.

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 File Explorer Using File Systems

In Windows, File Explorer (called Windows Explorer in previous versions

and very widely just referred to as "Explorer") provides a visual means of
navigating the file system. In the main pane, you can double-click a folder to
open it. You can use the Navigation pane to expand and collapse objects or
the Breadcrumb on the address bar and Back and Forward buttons on the
toolbar.

Navigation Pane
When browsing the computer using File Explorer in Windows 10, two top-level
categories are shown in the navigation pane. Quick access contains shortcuts
to folders that are most useful. These can be modified by dragging and
dropping. By default, it contains shortcuts to your personal Desktop,
Downloads, Documents, and Pictures folders.

File Explorer navigation pane showing top-level categories. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

The second top-level category is the Desktop. Under the "Desktop" object, you
can find the following categories:

■ OneDrive—if you sign into the computer with a Microsoft account, this
shows the files and folders saved to your cloud storage service on the
Internet. As you can see from the screenshot, other cloud service providers
may add links here too.

■ User account—the folders belonging to your account profile. For example,

in the screenshot above the user account is listed as "James at CompTIA."

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Module 3 / Unit 5 ■ This PC—access to user-generated files in the user's profile plus the hard
drives and removable storage drives available to the PC.

■ Libraries—these can be used to create views of folders and files stored in

different locations and on different disks.

■ Network—contains computers, shared folders, and shared printers

available over the network.

■ Control Panel—options for configuring legacy Windows features (most

configuration is now performed via the Settings app rather than Control
Panel).

■ Recycle Bin—provides an option for recovering files and folders that have
been recently deleted.

Earlier versions of Windows use different organizational principles

for the top-level system objects. For example, Windows 7 has the
user's name as the system object for accessing profile folders and
the "Computer" object equivalent of "This PC" only shows drives.

User Profiles and Libraries

Each user has his or her own profile folder, stored under the Users system
folder. Files in each user's profile are private (though a user with administrative
privileges can still access them). Each profile folder contains subfolders for
different types of file (documents, music, pictures, video, and so on). The
profile folder also contains hidden subfolders used to store application settings
and customizations, favorite links, shortcuts, temporary files, and so on.

Windows also configures a Public profile to allow users of the PC to share files
between them (a local share).

Folders can also be made available over a network (a network

share). See Unit 4.4 for more information about folder sharing.

Browsing libraries. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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 In Windows 10, libraries are used to provide easy access to different kinds of Using File Systems
documents that may be stored in different places. For example, you may store
pictures in your pictures folder, on a flash drive, and on a network. You can
view all these pictures in one location by adding the locations to a library.
Libraries work as a kind of "virtual" folder.

By default, each profile contains libraries for Documents, Music, Pictures, and
Videos. You can create new libraries using the toolbar or by right-clicking in the
Libraries folder. Right-clicking a library icon allows you to set the locations
(folders) it includes and optimize the library display settings for a particular type
of file.

You can also set the default save location (the physical folder used when you
save a file to a library)

Customizing a library. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

The shortcut menus for folders have the Include in Library option,
providing another way of adding them to a library.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 Creating a Folder
You can use the shortcut or File menus to create a new folder within another
object. Windows has various folder naming rules that must be followed when
modifying the folder structure:

■ No two subfolders within the same folder may have the same name.
Subfolders of different folders may have the same name though.

■ Folder names may not contain the following reserved characters:

\ / : * ? " < > |

■ The full path to an object (including any file name and extension) may not
usually exceed 260 characters.

A warning message is displayed if these rules are not followed and the user is
prompted to enter a new folder name.

Folder and file names are case aware, which means that the
system preserves case in the name as entered but does not regard
the case as significant for operations such as detecting duplicate
names or indexing.

Files

Files are the containers for the data that is used and modified through the
operating system and applications. Files store either text or binary data; text
data is human-readable, while binary data can only be interpreted by a
software application compatible with that file type.

File Types and Extensions

Files follow a similar naming convention to folders, except that the last part of
the file name represents an extension, which describes what type of file it is
and is used by Windows to associate the file with an application. The extension
is divided from the rest of the file name by a period. By convention, extensions
are three characters. By default, the extension is not shown to the user.

Linux (and Android) use file permissions rather than extensions to

determine whether a file is executable. Many Linux GUI file
managers do use extensions to make opening a file within a
suitable application easier though.

You can use a period as part of the main part of the file name too.
It is the last period that delimits the file extension.

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 Creating and Opening Files Using File Systems

System and application files are created when you install programs. User files
are created when you use the Save or Save As function of a program.

As you can see, the File Explorer tools are available in an application's Save
dialog to navigate between folders. Most applications let you save the file in
one of several file formats, accessed through the Save as type box.

Save As dialog. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

You can also create certain types of file in Explorer by right-clicking in a folder
and selecting New, followed by the type of file you want to create.

Files are usually opened by double-clicking them. You may want to open a file
in a software product other than the default however. When you right-click a
file, the shortcut menu displays a list of suitable choices, or you can choose
Open With and browse for different application. You can also use the Default
Programs applet to configure file associations. When creating and editing text
files, you must be careful to use a plain text file format, such as that used by
Notepad (a Windows accessory). If you convert a plain text system file to a
binary format, it will become unusable.

Some files can have different associations for the Open and Edit
commands. For example, a picture file might open in the Photos
app when you double-click it, but if you right-click and select Edit, it
will open in Paint.

You must also use the Save command to retain any changes you make while
editing a document. If you want to keep both the original document and the
edited version, use the Save As command to create a new file with a different
name and/or stored in a different folder.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 File Explorer Options
The File Explorer Options applet in Control Panel controls how Explorer
works. The General tab contains options for opening files by single-clicking
and for opening folders in the same or new windows.

Folder Options dialog—View settings tab. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

The View tab contains a long list of options affecting how folders and files are
displayed in Explorer (such as whether to show hidden files or file
extensions). View settings (such as whether to show thumbnail icons or
details) are retained on a per-folder basis but can be reset using the buttons on
the View tab.

Renaming Files and Folders

To rename a file or folder, select it, press F2, then type the new name. You
can also right-click the file and select Rename.

Do not change a file's extension if it is shown. If you delete or

change the extension, the file will not be associated with the correct
program for opening it.

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 Copying and Moving Files Using File Systems

Explorer supports multiple methods of moving or copying files. These include:

■ Use the Edit > Cut/Copy/Paste commands from the main menu or
shortcut menu or their keyboard shortcuts (CTRL+X, CTRL+C, CTRL+V).

■ Drag and drop the object, holding down CTRL to copy or SHIFT to move
(or CTRL+SHIFT to create a shortcut).

The default action (no key press) for drag and drop is to move the
selection if the destination is a local drive or copy it if the
destination is a network or removable drive.

It is simplest to have the destination folder visible before you start

to drag and drop, but you can cause a window to scroll up or down
during the drag process or make a minimized window active by
dragging the selection over the window's taskbar icon.

■ Right-click drag the object and select an option from the shortcut menu
displayed when you release the mouse button.

■ Use the Edit > Move to Folder/Copy to Folder commands.

■ Use the Send To command from the main menu or shortcut menu to copy
a file to a disk or send it by email.

If a folder contains a file with the same name as the file being pasted, a
confirmation dialog is shown:

Replace or Skip Files confirmation dialog. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

You can choose to overwrite the destination file, cancel the paste operation, or
keep both files by renaming the one you are moving or copying (in Windows 8,
choose the Compare info for both files option to do this). If doing this with
several files, there is also a check box to choose the same option for all
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Module 3 / Unit 5 Deleting Files and the Recycle Bin
To delete a file using Explorer, select it then press DEL (or use the shortcut
menu). Confirm the action using the prompts.

If you accidentally delete a file or folder from a local hard disk, you can retrieve
it from the Recycle Bin. A retrieved file will be restored to the location from
which it was deleted. The size of the Recycle Bin is limited by default to 10% of
the drive's capacity. If large numbers of files are deleted, those files that have
been in the Recycle Bin the longest will be permanently deleted to make room
for the newly deleted files.

To recover a file, open the Recycle Bin , right-click the icon(s) to

recover, and select Restore.

Recycle Bin. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

If disk space is low, the Recycle Bin can be emptied (right-click the Recycle
Bin icon and select Empty Recycle Bin from the shortcut menu). This process
will permanently remove deleted files.

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 Using File Systems

Recycle Bin properties—note that on this PC there are two hard drives, each with its own recycle
bin. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

From a security point of view, note that the data is not actually
erased until that area of disk is overwritten by different data. Third-
party utilities can recover files that have been "deleted" in this way.
Other file "shredding" utilities are available to properly erase
confidential data.

You can set the amount of space to use on a per-drive basis or set one
Recycle Bin for all local drives. You can also choose to suppress the use of
delete confirmation dialogs.

To set these options, right-click the Recycle Bin and select Properties.

There is also an option not to use the Recycle Bin. If you want to
delete a particular file without using the bin, hold down the Shift
key as you delete it.

The Recycle Bin works only for local hard drives, including USB-
connected hard drives but not with flash memory thumb drives,
removable media, or network folders. Files deleted from these
locations are deleted permanently, though on a network, the
administrator may be able to recover a file from the server itself.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 Selecting Multiple Files and Folders
You can also perform actions on multiple files and folders. To do so, you need
to be able to select the icons you want. There are various ways of doing this:

■ Click and drag the mouse cursor around a block of files or select the first
icon then hold SHIFT and click the last icon to select a block. You may
want to sort the icons into a particular order first (see the "Searching for
Folders and Files" topic below).

■ Select the first icon then hold CTRL and select any other icons you want.

■ Use SHIFT with the ARROW keys to select a block of files using the
keyboard.

■ Use CTRL with the ARROW keys to keep your existing selection, using the
SPACEBAR to add icons to it.

File Attributes and Permissions

A file's name is just one of its attributes. Other attributes include the date the
file was created, accessed, or modified, its size, its description, and the
following markers, which can be enabled or disabled:

Attribute Usage
Read-only (R) Prevent changes being saved back to the file. The user
will be prompted to create another file containing the
modified data.
Hidden (H) Specifies whether the file is visible in the default view (it
is possible to adjust Windows to display hidden files and
folders though).
System (S) Specifies that the file should not be accessible to
ordinary users.
Archive (A) Shows whether a file has changed since the last backup.

Files stored on an NTFS partition have extended attributes, including

permissions, compression, and encryption.

File Properties Dialog

You can set some attributes manually using the file or folder's properties
dialog. To open the properties dialog for a file or folder, right-click and select
Properties. The properties for a folder will show the size of all the files in that
folder (plus any subfolders). The properties for a file (or selection of multiple
files) will show the file size.

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 Using File Systems

Properties dialog for a folder. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Note there is an actual file size and a size on disk shown. The size
on disk is usually larger due to the way storage locations (or
clusters) are created on the disk.

You can also view file and folder information in the Details Pane in
File Explorer or in Details view (see below).

Folder and File Permissions

To view, create, modify, or delete a file in a folder, you need the correct
permissions on that folder. Permissions can also be applied to individual files.
Administrators can obtain full permissions over any file, but standard users can
generally only view and modify files stored either in their profile or in the public
profile. If a user attempts to view or save a file with insufficient permissions to
do so, Windows displays an Access Denied error message.

Custom permissions can be configured for a file or folder using the Security
tab in its properties dialog.

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Module 3 / Unit 5

Viewing permissions for a folder object. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

Remember that permissions can only be configured if the file

system is NTFS. FAT does not support permissions.

To configure permissions, you first select the account to which the permissions
apply. You can then set the appropriate permission level. In simple terms, the
permissions available are as follows:

■ Full control—allows the user to do anything with the object, including

change its permissions and its owner.

■ Modify—allows the user to do most things with an object but not to change
its permissions or owner.

■ Read/list/execute—allow the user to view the contents of a file or folder or

start a program.

■ Write—allows the user to read a file and change it, or create a file within a
folder, but not to delete it.

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 Searching for Folders and Files Using File Systems

Windows Search enables you to locate files and information located in on your
computer, within apps, such as email, or on the web. Search makes automatic
use of file and folder properties (or metadata) and file contents. In Windows 10,
the simplest way to search is to press the START key and type a search
phrase. Files, programs, apps, messages, and web pages that match your
search are displayed instantly:

Windows 10 search box. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

In Windows 10, the search box is located next to the Start button. You can type
your search text straight into the box, or you can use vocal commands to
initiate a search by using Windows Cortana, Windows 10’s digital assistant.

Cortana. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 Type the required search string, and if necessary, click the Apps, Documents,
or Web tab to filter results accordingly.

File Explorer Search

To search for files, you can also use File Explorer. The Explorer search box is
located in the top-right corner of the window. Pressing F3 in Explorer activates
the search box.

Performing a file search. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

You can open, rename, delete, move, and copy files from the search results as
normal. If a basic search does not locate the file you want, you can add a filter
to reduce the number of results:

Search filter options. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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 View, Group, and Filter Options Using File Systems

In any folder, you can also use the view options to make finding a file or files
easier. The view options set how large icons are, and you can use Details
view to show information about each file in columns. The column headers allow
you to sort files in ascending or descending order (or in other views you can
right-click and select Sort By).

Applying view options to group and sort search results. Screenshot used with permission from
Microsoft.

The column headers or right-click menu also allow you to group and filter by
the information in that field:

■ Group—show icons in groups with dividers between them (for example, all
files with names beginning "A," then all files beginning with "B," and so on).

■ Filter—show only the files that match the selected criteria.

The contents of libraries display an Arrange By option, allowing

you to stack files in virtual folders according to the chosen field
(Author or Type for instance).

The Windows Search service indexes files and folders in the

background. Indexing (and re-indexing) files can slow the computer
down, so you may need to configure Indexing Options from
Control Panel.

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Module 3 / Unit 5
File Types and Extensions

It is worth knowing some of the extensions used to identify common file types.

Word Processing Software

The following file formats are often used by word processing software:

■ txt—a text-only file with no "binary" file information linking the file to a
particular software application. Any application can open a text file, but this
file type cannot store any information about formatting or layout.

■ rtf—Rich Text Format is an early "generic" file format for sharing

documents between different word processing applications. It is capable of
storing basic formatting information, such as font and paragraph formatting,
and layout features, such as tables.

■ odf—the Open Document Format is an XML-based specification with better

support for the features of modern word processors than RTF.

■ doc/docx—this format is the one used by Microsoft Word. The docx XML-
based format was introduced in Word 2007.

Spreadsheet Software
Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet software saves files with an xls or xlsx (Excel
2007 and up) file extension.

Presentation Software
Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation software saves files with a ppt or pptx
(PowerPoint 2007 and up) file extension.

PDF Viewers and Creators

Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format for distributing
documents. It is now an open standard, so different productivity applications
can use it. For example, you could save a Microsoft Word document to PDF
format and then open it in the Adobe Reader PDF viewer application. Most
web browsers have plug-in PDF viewers. PDF was envisaged as a "final"
format for the distribution of a published document. A PDF should look the
same on-screen as it does when printed. It is possible to edit PDFs (using
special applications) or to export a document from PDF to another format. In
most cases though, it is important to keep a copy of the document in its
"native" format. For example, having published a PDF from a Word document
file, you would also save the latest changes to the Word file and keep it as the
source file for any future changes.

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 Image File Types Using File Systems

DTP and graphic design applications (and most productivity software) can
make use of images in digital file formats. A number of different image file
formats have been developed for use in different scenarios:

■ jpg/jpeg (Joint Pictures Expert Group)—this lossy compression format is

the most widely used for photographic pictures. The lossy compression
method relies on dithering the image to some extent (changing the color
value of some pixels). The user can select a level of compression when
saving the file, trading picture quality for reduced file size.

A lossy compression method irreversibly discards some of the

original data. This will, for example, reduce the quality of an image.
Lossless compression is fully reversible because no information is
discarded (it is just stored more efficiently).

■ gif (Graphics Interchange Format)—this is an old lossless compression

format. It only supports up to 8 bits per pixel, seriously limiting the available
color palette. An 8-bit image can have up to 256 color values. Modern
image formats support up to 24 bits per pixel, allowing a palette of millions
of color values.

■ tiff (Tagged Image File Format)—this is a popular format for exchanging

images between editing applications. It can use lossless or JPEG
compression.

■ png (Portable Network Graphics)—this is a full-color (24-bit) lossless

format designed to replace GIF. It also supports transparency.

■ bmp—this is a Windows-only lossless format. It is not widely used due to

its lack of compatibility with other operating systems.

Video File Types

■ mpg—this is an early MPEG (Motion Pictures Expert Group) standard for
video files with lossy compression.

■ mp4—the MPEG-4 standard audio/video file format. The format acts as a

container for audio and video media streams (plus additional media, such
as subtitles). A number of different encoding methods (or codecs) are
available. One of the most widely used is H.264.

■ flv—another container file format designed to deliver Flash Video. This is

video created in the Adobe Flash developer tool. It can be viewed through
the free Flash Player browser plug-in. Flash was once ubiquitous on the
web but its use is declining since Apple refused to support it on the iPhone
and iPad. The HTML5 web page coding language provides a standards-
based alternative to Flash.

■ wmv (Windows Media Video)—a video container file format developed by

Microsoft. It is well supported by media players and can also be used as
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Module 3 / Unit 5 ■ avi—a legacy Windows-only video format. It is a limited format with not
much ongoing support.

Audio File Types

■ mp3—developed from MPEG, this remains one of the most popular
formats for distributing music and is almost universally supported by media
players. The only drawback is that it is a lossy compression format, which
means that some of the audio information is discarded.

■ aac (Advanced Audio Coding)—developed from MPEG as a successor to

mp3. This format is also widely supported.

■ m4a—this is an audio-only file format deriving from the MPEG-4 standards

track. It usually uses AAC compression, though other methods are
available (including lossless ones).

■ flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec)—as the name suggests, this format
achieves file size compression without discarding audio data. The only
drawback is that it is not quite as widely supported by media players.

■ wav—this is an early Windows audio file format. It is not widely supported

by media players but may be used by audio editing applications.

Executable Files
An executable file is one that contains program code. Unlike a data file,
program code can make changes to the computer system. Most operating
systems enforce permissions to restrict the right to run executable code to
administrator-level users.

■ exe—this is the basic type of program file in Windows.

■ msi—this is a Windows Installer file used to install and uninstall software

applications under Windows.

■ app—this is the equivalent of an exe file for macOS.

■ bat/cmd/vbs/js/ps1—contains a sequence of commands either from the

operating system's command interpreter or from a scripting language
supported by the OS. A script is slightly different from program code in that
it is not compiled into executable code. Instead, the script runs within an
interpreter.

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 Compression Formats Using File Systems

Often, to send or store a file it needs to be compressed in some way, to reduce

the amount of space it takes up on the storage media or the bandwidth
required to send it over a network. There are a number of compression utilities
and formats.

■ zip—this format was developed for the PKZIP utility but is now supported
"natively" by Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. "Natively" means that the OS
can create and extract files from the archive without having to install a
third-party application.

■ tar—this was originally a UNIX format for writing to magnetic tape (tape
archive) but is still used with gzip compression (tgz or .tar.gz) as a
compressed file format for UNIX, Linux, and macOS. A third-party utility is
required to create and decompress tar files in Windows.

■ rar—this proprietary format is used by the WinRAR compression program.

■ 7z—this type of archive is created and opened using the open-source 7-Zip
compression utility.

Extracting .gz files in Windows using the 7-zip utility.

■ gz—this type of archive is created and opened by the gzip utility, freely
available for UNIX and Linux computers. A number of Windows third-party
utilities can work with gzip-compressed files.

■ iso—this is a file in one of the formats used by optical media. The main
formats are ISO 9660 (used by CDs) and UDF (used by DVDs and Blu-Ray
Discs). Many operating systems can mount an image file so that the
contents can be read through the file browser.

■ vhd/vmdk—these are disk image file formats used with Microsoft Hyper-V
and VMware virtual machines respectively. A disk image is a file containing
the contents of a hard disk, including separate partitions and file systems.
Like an ISO, such a file can often be mounted within an OS so that the
contents can be inspected via the file browser.

■ dmg—this is a disk image file format used by Apple macOS.

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Module 3 / Unit 5

Review Questions / Module 3 / Unit 5 / Using File Systems

Answer these questions to test what you have learned in this unit.

1) In Windows, you can access data via letter-labeled "drives." Do these

correspond exactly to physical disks?

2) What type of file system must the partition that Windows files are installed
on use?

3) What default installation folders contain system and application files that
should not normally be deleted or modified manually?

4) What is the file path to the Documents folder for a user named "David,"
assuming Windows is installed to a hard disk with a single partition using
the default settings?

5) How is a Windows library different from a folder?

6) If you have made changes to a file and want to keep both the original file
and the modified version, what command should you use?

7) Why should you be more careful about deleting files from a USB flash drive
than from the main hard drive?

8) What view options could you use to show files of a particular type sorted by
date?

9) What kind of data would you expect to find in a file with a TIFF extension?

10) What is a zip file?

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 Using File Systems

Lab 16 / Using File Explorer

In this lab, you will investigate the Windows file system and practice some
typical file management tasks.

Exercise 1 / The Windows File System

In this exercise, you will investigate the user profile folders, navigate the
Windows directory structure, and look at how libraries can be used to
consolidate multiple file locations into one view.

1) If necessary, start your computer and sign in.

2) Press START+E to open File Explorer.

File Explorer opens the "Quick Access" object by default. This contains
shortcuts to frequently-used folders (you can change these by dragging
new shortcuts into the menu) and also a list of recently opened files.

3) Double-click the Desktop folder. This folder contains shortcuts, files, or

folders that you have added to the desktop folder in your profile, plus any
shortcuts added by setup programs (it may be empty).

4) Click the Up One Folder button or click the This PC segment in the
address bar breadcrumb.

"This PC" contains the drives connected to the computer and the main
profile folders. There are default folders designed for storing different types
of data (Documents, Pictures, Music, Video, and so on).

5) Click the Up One Folder button again or click the arrow on the
breadcrumb root icon and select Desktop (note the different icon)

Using the breadcrumb. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

This selects the system-level desktop object. This contains all the system
objects you can see in the left-hand navigation pane plus the shortcuts
from your "personal" desktop folder.
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Module 3 / Unit 5 6) Right-click in some empty space here and select New > Text Document.
Type the name Navigating the Desktop then press ENTER.

7) Press START+D to show the desktop. You should be able to see the text
document you just created. Press START+D again to restore the File
Explorer window.

8) Right-click the desktop and then click Personalize.

9) In the left-hand pane, select Themes, and then scroll down to click
Desktop icon settings.

10) In the "Desktop Icon Settings" dialog, select the Computer and User’s
Files check boxes, and then click OK.

11) Close the Settings app.

12) On the desktop, double-click the icon for your user account .

User home folder. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

This folder is the root for your user profile. You will see extra folders
compared to those listed in "This PC."

13) In File Explorer, click the View tab menu then select the Hidden items
check box.

This option shows hidden files and folders, such as the AppData folder.
These objects are hidden because it is not usually necessary for standard-
level users to interact with them, and moving or deleting them might cause
system problems.

14) Open the Pictures folder. You should see the Paint picture you created
earlier. Make a note of the navigation objects shown in the breadcrumb.

____________________________________________________________

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 15) Click in an empty part of the breadcrumb and note the directory path. It will Using File Systems
be something like "C:\Users\YourName\Pictures."

In the navigation pane, expand This PC, and then click Local Disk (C:).

The drive should be shown with a Windows logo over it . This

indicates that it is the boot volume or the drive that Windows is installed
to.

You can now see the folders stored on the root of the main hard drive,
including the Windows system folder, Program Files folders for software
applications, and the Users folder. You will also be able to see some
hidden folders.

Browsing the root of the boot volume. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

16) Open the Users folder. You should see a folder named after your user
account and a "Public" folder. Open the folder for your user account.

You'll also see a hidden "Default" folder. This controls the profile
settings for new user accounts.

17) Open the Pictures folder. You should see the Paint picture you created
earlier. Make a note of the navigation objects shown in the breadcrumb:

You are in the same folder as before, but the breadcrumb shows the
different route you have taken to get there.

18) Click in an empty part of the breadcrumb then overtype the existing file
path with C:\Users\Public and press ENTER.

Files stored in a user's home folder are private to that user, though the
computer administrator can always view them. The "Public" folder is a
means for different users of the same PC to share files.
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Module 3 / Unit 5 19) Press START then type paint and press ENTER. Draw a picture of a
seaside scene then press CTRL+S to save the file.

When you save a file for the first time, the Save As dialog provides you with
a mini File Explorer to use to choose a location in which to save your file.

20) In the "Save As" dialog, click in an empty part of the breadcrumb then
overtype the existing file path with C:\Users\Public\Pictures and
press ENTER.

21) In the "File name" box, overtype the existing file name with The Beach.
Click the Save button.

22) Press ALT+F4 to close Paint.

23) In the navigation pane, select the Libraries object.

If you don't see the Libraries object, select the View tab menu then
click the Navigation pane list button and select Show libraries.

24) Open the Pictures library. You may now see both Paint pictures you have
created or just one, depending on how your computer was set up.

To show both pictures, the library must be set up to include the Public
Pictures folder. If your computer was upgraded from Windows 7, this will be
the case by default but not if Windows 10 was "clean installed."

25) In the navigation pane, right-click the Pictures library object and select
Properties.

Opening library properties. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

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 26) In the dialog, click the Add button. Open C:\Users\Public then select Using File Systems
the Public Pictures folder and click the Include folder button. Click OK.

You should now see both pictures. Note the "Arrange By" view showing the
real folder in which each image is located.

27) In File Explorer, click the View tab menu then clear the Hidden items
check box.

Exercise 2 / Creating, Renaming, and Copying Folders and Files

Each user can create new folders and files within their own folders and in the
public folders. Creating folders and files outside these areas may require
administrator privileges.

1) Open your Pictures library, right-click and select New > Bitmap image.
Enter the name Sunny Day.

2) Right-click the new file and select Edit.

3) Create a picture of a sunny day in the countryside—the paintbrush tool is a

good choice. Save and close when you are done.

4) Click Start, type WordPad, and press ENTER. Use the Picture button on
the ribbon to add the picture you created. Write a caption or heading for it,
making sure you use the word holiday, then save and close the
document in the Documents folder as Day Out.

5) Right-click some empty space within your Documents folder then select
New > Folder. Type the name Holidays and press ENTER.

6) Select the Day Out file then click-and-drag it over the "Holidays" folder—do
not release the mouse button yet…

Click-and-drag to move an object on the same disk—hold down Ctrl to copy the object.
Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

7) Note that the default action shown in the tooltip is to move the file. Hold
down the CTRL key and note that the tooltip now reads "Copy to holidays."
Release the mouse button then the CTRL key.

8) Open the Pictures library from the navigation pane but ensure that the
"Holidays" folder is still expanded.

9) You should have two picture files (Sunny Day and The Sea). To select
multiple objects individually, CTRL+click them.

10) With both files selected, hold down CTRL then click-and-drag the selection
to the Holidays folder.
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Module 3 / Unit 5 11) Open the Holidays folder. Open the Day Out file and make some
amendments to it, making sure you use the word beach. Save and close
the file when done.

12) Select all the files (you can press CTRL+A to do this quickly). Drag and
drop the selection over the Documents folder in the navigation pane.

13) Note that because the destination folder contains a file with the same
name, you are prompted whether to replace it or not. Select the Compare
info for both files option.

Resolving file conflicts. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

14) In the File Conflict dialog, note the different file details (such as date
modified and size). Check both boxes to keep both versions of the file
where there is a name conflict. Click Continue.

15) Open the Documents folder and select the Day Out (2) file. Press F2 then
type the new name Another Sunny Day.

16) Move all the files back into the Holidays folder.

Exercise 3 / View Options and Search

When you have a lot of files and folders to manage, you can use view options
and the search function to assist with locating individual and groups of files
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 1) Open the Holidays folder. Select the View menu tab and cycle through the Using File Systems
different options in the "Layout" panel, leaving the folder set to using
Details.

2) Click the column headers to sort by different file properties in ascending

and descending order.

3) Right-click the column headers and look at the fields that you can add to
the view. You can also add or remove fields by right-clicking a header and
selecting More.

4) In the Choose Details dialog, check the box for Attributes and click OK.

5) From the View > Options list button select Change folder and search
options.

6) Click the View tab. Click the Apply to Folders button then click Yes to
confirm.

Folder Options dialog—View tab. Screenshot used with permission from Microsoft.

7) On the same tab, note some of the options, such as whether to preserve
folder customizations, launch new windows when opening folders, show
pop-up descriptions, and so on. Click OK.

8) Open your Pictures folder. Note that this is a different type of folder to
Documents (optimized for viewing images) so the default view settings you
just configured have not been applied.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 9) Open the Holidays folder again. On the "View" tab, experiment with
different options from the Group by list box. Try sorting with different group
options applied.

10) Select the The Sea image file. From the View tab, select Details pane.

Note that this file format has no editable details fields.

11) Right-click The Sea and select Edit. In Paint, from the File menu, select
Save As.

12) From the Save as type box, select JPEG. Use the Explorer tools to select
the Holidays folder. Click the Save button.

13) Click OK to the warning about transparency.

14) Close Paint.

Note that you have two files with the same name ("The Sea") but different
extensions.

15) In File Explorer, select The Sea.jpg. Click in the Tags field and type
beach. Click the Save button.

16) Press the START key then type beach then press ENTER. Note the search
results.

____________________________________________________________

17) Click the Documents icon to filter the results. Are any files found now?

____________________________________________________________

18) Switch back to File Explorer and select the Documents folder. Press F3
and type beach in the search box. Note the results:

____________________________________________________________

19) Now select the top-level Desktop icon under "Favorites" and repeat the
search for beach and note the results:

____________________________________________________________

20) Finally, select This PC and repeat the search for beach and note the
results:

____________________________________________________________

As you can see, file search operations outside the user document folders
can be a bit inconsistent. Also, searching in non-indexed locations such as
subfolders of "This PC" can take a long time.

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 Exercise 4 / Compressing Files Using File Systems

If your drive is getting low on space, you can compress files and folders. You
can either make the file system apply compression automatically or you can
add folders and files to zip archives (though you won't save any space this way
unless you delete the original files).

1) In File Explorer, open the Documents folder.

2) Right-click the Holidays subfolder and select Send to > Compressed

(zipped) folder.

3) Change the name of the zip file to HolidaysArchive.

4) Right-click the Holidays folder and select Properties.

5) Make a note of the Size on disk:

____________________________________________________________

6) Click the Advanced button.

7) Check Compress contents to save disk space and click OK.

8) Click OK then OK again.

9) Check the folder properties again—how much space does it take up now?

____________________________________________________________

10) How does the size of the zip file compare to the uncompressed and
compressed folder size?

____________________________________________________________

11) Open the zip file and then open one of the files. Change some text then try
to save—what happens?

12) Cancel the save and close the document.

13) Close any open windows.

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Module 3 / Unit 5 Exercise 5 / Deleting and Recycling Files
Files deleted from the local disk are not removed completely but put in the
Recycle Bin.

1) Right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop and select Properties.

Note the options here to suppress use of the bin, change its size, and
suppress use of delete confirmations. Click Cancel.

2) Open the Documents folder and delete all the contents.

3) Open Recycle Bin. Restore the Holidays folder. Check the restored folder
in Explorer to see what it contains.

4) Close all open windows.

5) Optionally, shut down your computer if you are not continuing to use it after
this lab.

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 Module 3 / Summary Using Computer Hardware

Using Computer Hardware

In this module you learned about the different types of peripheral and system
components that make up a computer. You also learned the basics of file
management.

Module 3 / Unit 1 / System Components

□ CPU performance is measured by a combination of its clock speed and
internal architecture. Multiple CPUs (SMP) or multi-core CPUs (CMP)
represent another way to boost performance. Most new CPUs can work in
32- or 64-bit mode; 64-bit mode allows for much larger amounts of system
memory but there are currently not many 64-bit software applications.

□ The amount of system memory affects the ability of the computer to open
multiple applications and work efficiently with larger files. The main types of
memory are SDRAM and DDR/DDR2/DDR3/DDR4, packaged in DIMM
modules for desktops or SO-DIMM modules for laptops.

□ The motherboard determines the compatibility of all the other components

(including CPU, memory, storage devices, and support for expansion
cards). The motherboard chipset provides memory and I/O controllers plus
any integrated peripherals (such as sound and video) and ports (such as
USB, parallel, serial, and network). The chipset and connectors provide
support for different I/O bus standards (PCI, PCIe, and AGP).

□ The motherboard can be configured using the low-level firmware (BIOS or

UEFI) setup program.

Module 3 / Unit 2 / Using Device Interfaces

□ You learned about the various interfaces used to connect peripheral
devices to computers. Most PCs and laptops use USB (and to a lesser
extent Firewire). Computers can also use wireless Bluetooth links for
peripheral devices. Make sure you learn the characteristics and capabilities
of these interfaces.

□ Make sure you can distinguish the types and features of input devices and
their configuration settings, usually accessed via Control Panel or the
Settings app.

□ The display signal is generated by the graphics adapter, which will

determine the supported resolution, color depth, and special effects
capabilities of the system. There are a number of display connectors,
including VGA (analog) and DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort (digital).

□ Local network (Ethernet) connections are made using a cable connected to

the RJ-45 port. Modem cables for the fax function of a compatible printer
are connected via an RJ-11 port. The RJ-11 port is also used with DSL
Internet services.

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Module 3 / Unit Summary Module 3 / Unit 3 / Using Peripheral Devices
□ Devices interface with the system using a device driver. Devices and
Printers and Device Manager provide tools for verifying and configuring
devices. You can use them to update drivers, check device properties, and
enable/disable devices.

□ Most computers use flat-screen displays but be aware that these now often
come with touchscreen capability. Computers can also use alternative
displays, such as projectors.

□ Multimedia devices allow for audio recording and playback and video
recording. Audio ports come in different sizes and types to allow the
connection of equipment such as microphones and speakers.

□ Printers for home and office use are usually either based on a laser print
process or an inkjet print process.

□ Printers use standard peripheral connections (typically USB or

wireless/Bluetooth) and can also be connected via a wired or wireless
network.

□ Printer installation is quite straightforward, but make sure you know how to
access the different configuration options and printing preferences.
Similarly, learn the output options for scanners.

Module 3 / Unit 4 / Using Storage Devices

□ Computers use system memory (RAM) for fast but volatile storage. Mass
storage devices such as HDDs and SSDs provide persistent storage when
the computer is turned off.

□ A number of types of removable drive and media provide extra storage

capacity, backup, and data transfer. Some examples include CD/DVD/Blu-
ray Disc (read-only, recordable, and rewritable) and flash memory (memory
cards, and USB drives). Make sure you know the characteristics and
capacities of these storage devices.

Module 3 / Unit 5 / Using File Systems

□ Hard disks can be divided into a number of partitions and each partition
must be formatted to make a drive accessible under Windows. Each
partition can be assigned a drive letter.

□ Windows creates three main folders during installation: Windows, Program

Files, and Users. Each profile stored in Users is divided into a number of
subfolders for different types of file.

□ Files and folders can be managed using File Explorer. Files are associated
with applications using a period plus three-character extension on the end
of the file name.

□ Files also have attributes, such as Read-Only or Archive, and permissions

that restrict access to authorized users.

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□ Make sure you can use file search and viewing tools effectively.
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