Today computer devices are so durableentered our lives, that imagine our existence without them seems impossible. However, most users almost never think about how all these systems work. Next will be considered how the computer works (for dummies, so to speak). Of course, to describe everything in detail and to highlight all the technical aspects will not work (yes, this is not necessary for the majority). Therefore, we confine ourselves to the main aspects, in simple "human" language.
Speaking about the device of any computer device, it should be clearly understood that at its core it consists of hardware and software.
Under the hardware understand all connecteddevices that, if I may say so, can be touched (processors, memory bars, hard drives, monitors, video, audio and sound adapters, keyboard, mouse, peripherals such as printers, scanners, etc.). In the people, all these components are sometimes called "computer hardware".
The software part consists of manycomponents, among which the main role is played by the operating system, on the basis of which the interaction between the hardware and other programs is made and the device drivers installed in it - special programs with the help of which the OS can interact with the hardware itself and use it when performing certain tasks.
Отсюда нетрудно сделать вывод о том, что главный The principle of operation of a computer of any type consists in the interaction of hardware and software components. But this is only a superficial view. These processes will be described later.
In the hardware, as many believe, on the firstplace are the processor and RAM. In part, this is the case. It is they who ensure the execution of all program commands and make it possible to run certain processes.
On the other hand, if you dig deeper, noneThe “iron” component in itself does not cost anything, because you need to connect it somewhere for use. And here, paramount importance is given to the so-called motherboards (in the people - "motherboards") - special devices on which all other components, chips, etc. are mounted. In this sense, the basic principle of the computer (correct functioning without failures) consists in correctly connecting all hardware components through the appropriate controllers to special slots or connectors on the board itself. It has its own rules, for example, on the correct use of PCI buses, on connecting hard drives and removable drives using the Master / Slave principle, etc.
Отдельно стоит сказать о постоянном запоминающем device (ROM), which recorded the information, as if forever, and random access memory (RAM), which serves to run the software components.
The program principle of the computer involves the use of appropriate software to perform the tasks.
In the general understanding of the software is divided into severalcategories, among which you can separately distinguish system and application software. The system software includes the operating systems themselves, device drivers, and sometimes service utilities necessary to ensure the correct operation of the entire system. This is, so to speak, the general shell into which application programs and applications are embedded. Software of this type has a strict focus, that is, focused on the performance of a particular task.
But since it’s about what they representare the basic principles of the computer in a general sense, it comes to the first place is the system software. Next, consider how the entire computer system runs.
Probably many users of desktop PCsnoticed that when you turn on the computer heard the characteristic sound of the system dynamics. Few people pay attention to him, but from the fact of his appearance it can be concluded that all the "iron" devices work normally.
What is the result?The principle of operation of the computer is that when power is applied to a special chip, called a primary input / output device, all devices are tested. First of all, there is a detection of problems in the video adapter, because if it is not in order, the system simply will not be able to display visual information on the screen. Only then is the type of processor and its characteristics, the parameters of RAM, hard drives and other devices determined. In fact, the BIOS initially stores information on the entire hardware.
In addition, the download can also be interpreted as the software principle of the computer, since the check is done in a program, not a physical way.
There is also a boot selection systemdevices (hard disk, optical media, USB device, network, etc.). In any case, the further principle of the computer in terms of boot is that the device has a so-called boot record needed to start the system.
To boot the OS you need a special loader,which initializes the core of the system, recorded on the hard disk, and puts it into RAM, after which the OS itself transfers control of the processes.
In addition, the master boot record canhave more flexible settings, giving the right to choose the download system to the user. If the start is made from removable media, the executable boot code is read from it, but the boot in any variant is performed only if the BIOS determines the executable code as valid. Otherwise, a notification about the impossibility of the start will appear on the screen, such as the fact that the boot partition was not found. In this case, a partition table is sometimes used, which contains information about all the logical disks into which the hard drive can be divided. Among other things, access to information directly depends on the structure of the organization of files, which is called the file system (FAT, NTFS, etc.).
Note that this is the most primitive interpretation of the boot process, because in fact everything is much more complicated.
So, the operating system is loaded.Now let us dwell on the functioning of programs and applications. For their implementation, first of all, the central processor and RAM are responsible, not to mention the drivers involved in other devices.
The principle of computer memory isthat when launching an executable file of a program or other object from ROM or removable media, when an application plays a complementary role, some accompanying components are usually placed in the RAM (RAM) through the system kernel (although for simple programs their presence may not be provided), and device drivers necessary for operation.
They provide the connection between the operatingsystem, the program itself and the user. It is clear that the greater the amount of RAM, the more components can be loaded into it and the faster they will be processed. Upon receipt of interaction commands, the central processor enters the process, which performs all computational actions in the system. Upon completion of the application or when you turn off the computer, all components from the "RAM" are unloaded. But this is not always the case.
Some processes may be operational.memory constantly. Therefore, they must be stopped manually. In Windows systems, many services start automatically, but for the user, they are completely unnecessary. In this case, the autorun setting is applied. In the simplest version, optimizer programs are used that clean up unnecessary processes, remove computer debris in automatic mode. But this is a separate conversation.
