Labsheet 1

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Royal Commission at Yanbu University College – Yanbu Department of ACS & AIT Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah

‫ا ا اد‬ %&' ‫ا)( ا‬ %&'-./0‫ا ا‬ 3/'4‫ ا‬%&' 2ND Semester 2007-08

LAB SHEET 1 (Week No. 1 and 2)

PREPARATORY COMPUTERS I [HARDWARE DEVICES, WINDOWS XP & UTILITY PROGRAMS] OBJECTIVE The objective of this Lab exercise is to make the students be familiar with both internal and external components of the computer system in order to have a better understanding of how the computer works. The usage of some computer utilities will also be demonstrated.

LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this laboratory exercise, the student will learn how to: • Open and identify the components in the system unit • Connect all the I/O devices to the system unit. • Put on and shutdown the computer system. • Defragment the Hard disk • Use antivirus software

MATERIAL REQUIRED a. b. c.

PC With MS Office 2003 Installed Toolkit Lab Sheet 1 & 2 (Combined)

1.0

HARDWARE DEVICES

1.1

Microcomputer Hardware

Hardware for a microcomputer system consists of a variety of different devices. See Figure 1 for a typical desktop system. This physical equipment falls into three basic categories: • • •

System unit Input/Output and Secondary storage.

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Figure 1: Common computer hardware components

1.2

The System Unit

The system unit, also know as the system cabinet or Chassis, is a container that houses most of the electronic components that make up a computer system. Two important components of the system unit are the microprocessor and memory. The microprocessor controls and manipulates data to produce information. Many times the microprocessor is contained within a protective cartridge. Memory, also known as primary storage or random access memory (RAM), holds data and program instructions for processing the data.

2.0

UTILITY PROGRAMS

2.1

Introduction

Utilities, also known as service programs, perform specific tasks related to managing computer resources. Such programs include Backup, Disk Cleanup, and Disk Defragmenter. 2.2

Disk Defragmentation

Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single, contiguous space on the volume. As a result, your system can gain access to your files and folders and save new ones more efficiently. By consolidating your files and folders, Disk Defragmenter also consolidates the volume's free space, making it less likely that new files will be fragmented. Note: You might need to have a computer administrator account to perform some tasks.

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To open Disk Defragmenter • Click Start • Point to All Programs • Point to Accessories • Point to System Tools and then • Click Disk Defragmenter.

Figure 2: Disk Defragmenter

To Defragment a volume 1. Open the Disk Deframenter 2. Click the volume that you want to defragment, and then click Defragment. 3. Click View Report to view the Defragmentation Report, which displays detailed information about the volume you defragmented. 2.2.1. •

•

•

Best practices

Analyzing before defragmenting Analyze volumes before defragmenting them. After analyzing a volume, a dialog box tells you the percentage of fragmented files and folders on the volume and recommends whether to defragment the volume. Analyzing after large numbers of files are added Volumes might become excessively fragmented when users add a large number of files or folders, so be sure to analyze volumes after this happens. Ensure that your disk has at least 15% free space A volume must have at least 15% free space for Disk Defragmenter to completely and adequately defragment it. If a volume has less than 15% free space, Disk Defragmenter will only partially defragment it.

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2.3

Defragmenting during low-usage periods Defragment file server volumes during low-volume usage periods to minimize the effect that the defragmentation process has on file server performance. Defragmenting after installing software or installing Windows Defragment volumes after installing software or after performing an upgrade or clean install of Windows. Volumes often become fragmented after installing software, so running Disk Defragmenter helps to ensure the best file system performance. Anti Virus Software

To find out if your computer has antivirus software: 1. Click Start, and then point to All Programs (or point to Programs if you are using the classic Start menu). 2. In the list of programs, look for the word "antivirus." 3. If you do not have antivirus software installed, you should purchase and install an up-todate antivirus program to help protect your computer. Note: If you have antivirus software installed on your computer but you want to install a new product from a different company, be sure to uninstall your current antivirus software before installing the new one. Having two different antivirus programs installed can cause problems on your computer. There are several anti virus software in the market today, two of such are: 1. Norton Anti virus (See Figure 2) 2. McAfee (See Figure 3)

Figure 3: Norton AntiVirus Software

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Figure 4: McAfee AntiVirus Software

3.0

EXERCISES

3.1

EXERCISE 1

Analyze your hard disks and determine if it needs to be defragmented or not. If the Defragmenter on your computer recommends you to defragment the volume, go ahead to Defragment the hard disk. 3.2

EXERCISE 2

Using the installed anti virus software on you computer system, scan for virus on your Hard Disks.

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