In the section on the question whether a computer can work without a hard disk. given by the author All-Russian the best answer is there are two questions. 1. A computer without a disk can work. 2. It depends on when to turn off, if during operation, Allah alone knows what will happen to the disk.
Answer from Strip[guru]
Can work
Answer from European[guru]
he will cut in and ask him intently
Answer from Unmanned Module ™[guru]
just bios.
Answer from B.A.G.[guru]
The hard disk contains an operating system.
The computer will not work without an operating system.
Can boot operating system from floppy, cd, dvd, usb disk
Accordingly, the functionality of the computer will be determined by the operating system,
that is, if you boot using ms-dos, then no beauty except
you will not see the command line and DOS commands.))
Answer from Vladimir[guru]
Will not be. There is an operating system on the hard drive. And if you physically turn off the hard disk, the BIOS will simply not allow the computer to start at all, since it will not find the necessary equipment.
Answer from WENDiG0[guru]
will work and still how. you can run a virtual Windows or linux from a CD. swing mona here link
Answer from Fun city[guru]
it will work
but you are not on it
where will you load the operating system from?
you can of course boot from CD but not convenient
Answer from Andrey Makronovich[guru]
Will work.
Answer from Mamont[guru]
will be, this is called a thin client 🙂
and the OS is loaded either from a flash drive or from a CD
Answer from Edor Burkovsky[guru]
Of course it is possible, since the computer can be loaded from a floppy disk, SD-ROM, or even through a local network (but this requires a BIOS on a network card).
Answer from CJ R08ert[guru]
in addition to flash drives and disks, the OS can also be loaded from the network. ...
we have a powerful server in college. ... and one cabinet 12 first / second stumps ...
so XP is loaded on these combos, not 2003 ... and it doesn’t shit. ...
The world is actively being computerized. But, at the same time, the principles of home, tablet and other PCs are not always actively studied by users. Let's consider the main aspects concerning the device of the computer, its performance and the peculiarities of the functioning of programs.
Basic principles of computer operation
The main task of a computer is computation. The rest of the operations and actions that are of any significance from the point of view of a person's needs, performed on him, are derivatives. The structure of the calculations in question is multilevel. Studying it will help us understand how a computer works.
At the lowest level, PC microcircuits “process” bits — binary signals made up of ones and zeros. There are no other numbers at this level, and on it the computer, rather, does not calculate something, but correctly arranges a sequence of zeros and ones. For what? The point is that 8 bits form a byte. Which, in turn, becomes the basis for the next level of computation.
It is easy to calculate that the possible number of bit combinations in one byte is 256, that is, 2 to the 8th power. Why 2? Because, as we said above, there are only two digits in a bit - 0 and 1. In practice, combining bits into bytes allows you to "encode" some information in the latter. For example, a letter, number, or, say, a punctuation mark. How does a computer work at this level? It converts bytes into practically meaningful objects on the screen - text, pixels that make up a picture, sounds, etc.
The next level is the calculations associated with operations with the information that is composed of bytes. That is, if it is text, then it can be editing, formatting, printing. If music or video, then playback, recording, etc.
These are the basic principles of how a computer works. However, each of the levels noted above does not exist separately from the other. Together they form the operating environment for computing. Which is also heterogeneous. Based on modern theoretical concepts in the field of informatics, experts distinguish two components of the operating environment in which computations take place - hardware and software. Let's study the features of each.
Hardware
The hardware part (in the slang of IT specialists - "hardware", less often "hard", from the English. Hardware) - these are all microcircuits, mechanisms and devices that ensure the operation of a computer. The classification of hardware components varies. It all depends on the specific type of device. As for a typical "home" PC, the hardware installed on it is represented by a set of the following components:
1. System unit. It usually contains:
- CPU;
- motherboard;
- video card;
- audio card;
- RAM;
- HDD;
- DVD or CD drive;
- LAN card.
2. Monitor.
3. Controls - usually a keyboard and mouse.
4. Peripheral devices - modems, printers, scanners, routers, etc.
A variant is possible in which some of the above devices are mutually integrated. For example, a number of motherboard models include an integrated video and audio card. Much depends on the type of computer technology. For example, the way a tablet computer works may differ from the basic principles of a desktop - desktop PC.
Software
The next component of the operating environment in which calculations are carried out is software, or software (also called software in the slang of specialists). It is a set of algorithms that allow you to control the hardware. That is, without software, the hardware components of a computer are of no use. Even at the very first level, where the PC processes zeros and ones - and there the hardware acts according to the programmed algorithms.
Again, depending on the type of computer, the mechanisms for classifying software may differ. In the early days of the IT industry, there were entire disciplines of engineering that taught students how to use a computer that was a device the size of a garage. As for modern home PCs, the situation is, of course, simpler. Most types of software are friendly, intuitive, with detailed help, designed for the average user, management tool. Based on the views of modern theorists, programs can be divided into the following main types:
System software (enables the user to solve tasks related to PC functions: how to see how long the computer is running, what programs are running, etc.);
Application software (designed to solve practically important tasks for the user - typing text, drawing, programming, listening to music, watching videos, etc.).
But there is no clear line between these two types of software. For example, the task: "How to find out how long the computer is running?" (seemingly, typically systemic) can be delivered with an applied purpose. For example, in order to program the launch of a program or file on a schedule.
How does a computer work in terms of the interaction of hardware and software? Very simple. The user sets a "task" for the machine by entering data into the program using a PC control - a keyboard or mouse. For example: "make the text font red" (in practice - by selecting the desired area of letters on the screen and clicking on the corresponding area of the palette in Word). The program "informs" the hardware (let's agree that the monitor and the video card) that it is necessary to display such and such a red section on the screen. The video card and monitor, "interacting" with each other, give the user the desired result: the text in the selected area turns red. Of course, all this happens in a split second.
At the same time, the speed of decision-making by a computer is predetermined by its special characteristic - productivity. If it is high, then the hardware will be able to receive more "orders" from programs per unit of time, as a result of which the user solves his tasks faster. Let's consider this aspect.
PC performance
The performance of a PC depends mainly on the level of manufacturability of the "hardware". Although both literacy and the quality of the development of algorithms in software are also an important condition. It so happens that a piece of hardware may be high-performance, but the program that "controls" it is unable to fully utilize the available resource. In the architecture of modern "home" PCs, two basic types of hardware are responsible for performance - the processor and RAM. Why exactly are they?
CPU
How does a computer processor work? What is its main task? It works like many other types of microcircuits. In the silicon crystal, there are regions responsible for processing zeros and ones, combining them into bytes and then transferring them to the "competence" of other hardware components (as well as the reverse operations).
The invention of the processor was a real boon in the computer industry. For a long time, computers simply did not have this component: operations with numbers were distributed over different parts of the hardware. But in the late 60s and early 70s, engineers nevertheless decided that it would be more expedient to concentrate key, and in mathematical terms - the most complex, operations in one microcircuit, "patronizing" others.
Processor performance is measured in clock speed, the number of operations per second. The unit of measurement here is Hertz. In practice, if we talk about modern models of microcircuits, we are talking, as a rule, about hundreds of millions, about billions of operations per second. Therefore, with the factory marking, the corresponding indicator of processor performance is expressed in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz). General rule: the higher the number, the faster the "patronizing" PC microcircuit, and hence the entire computer as a whole, will work.
A nuance should be noted: modern processors, performing a large number of operations, tend to get very hot. How do I know if my computer was working? You just need to put your hand to the system unit. If it is noticeably warm, then it has just been turned off.
Thus, you need to install a cooler on the processors. Otherwise, the main microcircuit will burn out. How does a computer cooler work? It simply blows a powerful stream of cold air onto the processor, cooling it down. Cooler power is expressed in rpm. The higher this figure, the more efficiently the processor is cooled.
RAM
How does computer memory, another critical PC hardware resource that directly affect performance, work? The fact is that the processor, due to the peculiarities of its structure, is not endowed with the ability to quickly, tactically "memorize" the computational operations performed in order to use their results in the future. The "patronizing" microcircuit needs a "notebook" in order to record the intermediate results of work with numbers.
And this very notebook is RAM. It is also called RAM. Or random access memory. The larger the "notebook" in volume, the more efficiently the control of the rest of the microcircuits will be, and the faster the computer as a whole will work. The main resource of RAM is its capacity. It is calculated in bytes - the very basic units of information discussed above. But, if we talk about modern PC models, the corresponding indicators are expressed in hundreds of millions and gigabytes of capacity units - in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB).
By the way, RAM and processor have a number of common features. Regarding the first hardware component, RAM also has a metric that reflects the number of operations per second. Accordingly, the larger it is, the more efficient is the interaction between the memory and the processor: they will be able to "run" at the same pace.
In turn, the processor also has some built-in RAM. It is called "cache memory". The more it is, the less the "patronizing" microcircuit will have a reason to "distract" the main RAM, and the more productive the work of the PC as a whole will be.
How do I make my computer run faster? There is only one way - to install a processor or RAM on it with the highest possible performance in terms of basic characteristics. Of course, in some aspects, the parameters of other hardware components are also important - the same video card, hard drive. But the key elements that affect performance are processor and memory. If their capacities are low, then the characteristics of other types of "iron" will not matter. At the same time, it will be useful to know what kind of tasks some hardware components "accountable" to the processor perform.
Video card
Let's start with the video card. She is responsible for visualizing calculations, presenting their results to the user. Interestingly, the video card has its own processor and memory. Moreover, in terms of characteristics (frequency and volume), they can in some cases even surpass the "sponsoring" components. And this is completely normal, based on the tasks assigned to the video card. The fact is that modern computer games require very high PC performance. The resources of the main processor and memory may simply not be enough for the necessary calculations. Therefore, modern video cards take over a significant part of the operations, as a result of which data processing is faster. The result is pleasing - the game does not "slow down" and does not "hang".
Therefore, the question of how to make the computer run faster may be especially relevant if the PC has an outdated video card with modest characteristics.
The performance of this hardware component is measured simultaneously in the clock frequency - megahertz and gigahertz, and in the amount of internal memory - in megabytes and gigabytes. However, as we said above, simply replacing one video card with another is usually not enough. The key hardware components of PC performance are processor and memory. They will probably also have to be changed to more powerful ones, following the video card.
Monitor
How does a computer monitor work? The fact is that the video card itself, like the processor, functions at the level of "zeros and ones". Naturally, a person cannot understand the corresponding set of numbers. A monitor is a device that is designed to "translate" signals from a video card into symbols and pictures that we understand. How can I check how my computer is working? In most cases, simply turning on the monitor is sufficient. If there is an image, then everything is functioning normally. Historically, it was the hardware component in question that preceded the appearance of many others - in particular, the same processor. From the point of view of the practical usefulness of the computer, the role of the monitor is extremely important, and this is obvious. Typically, the characteristics of this component do not directly affect performance. The monitor is rather a passive type of hardware that acts as an intermediary between the machine and the user. However, sometimes its size can make a difference. A monitor that is too small can be inconvenient for user tasks.
There are two main criteria for standardization - resolution and diagonal size. The first is expressed in pixels, or "points" - the number of single image elements on the screen horizontally and vertically. The second is usually in inches, but sometimes in centimeters.
HDD
We said above that the processor may need a "notepad" to record the tactical results of operations. A hard disk, also called a "hard drive", is a resource where data is permanently recorded. A kind of "notebook" of the processor. The results of computing the processor that are practically significant for a person are files: text, graphic, multimedia. They are stored on the hard drive.
The main characteristic of this hardware component is volume. It is expressed, by analogy with the principles implemented in RAM, in bytes. In practice, in megabytes, gigabytes, and even terabytes. Accordingly, the larger the figure that reflects the volume of the hard disk, the more files it can accommodate. Another indicator of the performance of the "hard drive" is the number of revolutions per minute. The fact is that it is literally a disk, revolving around its axis. The faster, the faster the files are written or read.
Balance of knowledge and skills
Knowing the basic principles of a PC is one of the conditions for learning how to work on a computer. In many cases, users are limited to mastering the skills of specific programs, not really thinking about how it turns out that this type of software works so great. Apart from the aspects discussed above, of course, there are many interesting areas to explore. For example, those that give an answer to the question of how a computer's power supply, modem, network card, printer, wired and Wi-Fi interfaces, etc. work. But, having basic knowledge of PC hardware components, it is always easy to understand the peculiarities of the functioning of any other types of "iron".
If you answer the question who is smarter: a person or a computer, the first thing that comes to mind is that computers are certainly capable of receiving and processing information much faster than us (namely, those very millions of operations per second).
What does a computer do better than humans
Advanced chess programs can calculate all possible game combinations in just a split second and build the most successful strategy. When it comes to people, we make mistakes much more often when performing such tasks.
Computers have other benefits as well. more reliable, it contains a huge amount of information.
In fact, to be honest, human memory contains incomparably much more information than any computer, but it is so arranged that not all of the information hidden in it can be used at the right time.
But computers do not suffer from such a disadvantage, and at any moment they are ready to use all the information stored in their memory.
If you do not take into account possible bugs () and system failures, computer calculations are characterized by a high degree of accuracy.
In what way is a person better than a computer?
On the other hand, humans are superior to machines in some ways. We perform tasks based not only on intelligence, but also on such abstract concepts as mind and life experience.
Computers receive information from electronic libraries. However, they are not able to process it in such a way that the result is a life-like experience.
Each of us is well aware that it is our own experience that is sometimes very difficult for us. Although they say that it would be good to learn from other people's mistakes, but in fact you have to, basically, learn from your own.
People have other abstract traits as well - creativity, inspiration, imagination. Human can
- compose a poem,
- write and play music,
- Sing a song,
- to draw a picture.
Computers can cope with some of these tasks, but they do not have the innate ability to be creative.
A.S. Pushkin figuratively wrote about this in 1829 (the classics are always relevant, including in the era of the computer and the Internet):
How many wonderful discoveries we have
Prepare the spirit of enlightenment
And Experience, son of difficult mistakes,
And Genius, friend of paradoxes,
And Chance, God the inventor.
What is intelligence?
Shlomo Maital, professor and senior research fellow at the Israel Institute of Technology, argues that intelligence has two main components.
- One of them is the ability to learn,
- the second is the ability to solve problems.
In these areas, computers can definitely be smarter than humans.
Modern machines learn much faster than humans. For example, an IBM Watson computer can study and memorize all of the available research in the field of oncology. No one person is able to keep so much information in his head. With in-depth analysis, Watson can propose a treatment regimen for a rare form of cancer - and it will work.
In the article "Will robots be smarter than humans anytime soon?" Maital gives another example that points to a high level of artificial intelligence. On February 10, 1996, Microsoft's Deep Blue computer defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in the first of six rounds, and a year later took over the champion completely. So the computer is still smarter than a person? “Yes and no,” writes Professor Maital.
No, the computer is not smarter, because speed is still not intelligence. The victory of the machine was due to its ability to calculate millions of possible moves in a second.
At the same time - yes, the computer is smarter, because it was able to correctly analyze these moves and choose the ones that ultimately led the computer to victory over Kasparov.
But the cars of people win so far only where it is necessary to process as much information as possible in a short period of time. And this is not entirely analogous to the term "think", it is rather "quickly and quickly sort out ALL possible options", do a lot of "stupid", sometimes meaningless operations, but very, very quickly in the hope that somewhere in the billionth or trillionth (and then on septillion - 10 to the 24th power!), a suitable solution will be found.
So far, only a person can truly “think”, without this “fussy” enumeration. And it's not a fact that someday computers will learn to "think" in full understanding of the meaning of this word.
Can a machine have a mind?
Currently, we can train computers to perform tasks that are difficult or almost impossible for humans: for example, visual recognition, which involves processing a huge amount of data and an endless series of repetitive operations.
However, experts agree that in the general understanding of mind, creativity and consciousness, people are above the computer.
We can create a creative program, load a database of works of art into it, and get a new unique work at the end. But this is not creativity in the sense in which we are used to understanding it, but only its imitation. More precisely, it will be a job that follows the instructions laid down. It cannot be precisely called reason.
As soon as we unravel the neurocode that controls the cells in our brain, we can create an artificial analogue of this structure, and then artificial intelligence will move to a new level.
This will allow us to get away from the already pretty "fed up" computers, on which humanity is "hopelessly stuck" so far. And then ... seemingly endless prospects are seen.
But "things are still there", we do not know the neurocode, and when we will decipher it, it is not clear. The same computers with their billions of operations per second, alas, cannot yet help us in decoding this code.
Some scientists, notably Elon Musk, have warned of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, which will lead to something like a machine uprising. Indeed, in practice, machine intelligence may be beyond our understanding, and then we will not be able to find out whether our values coincide with the computer or diverge.
Although, what kind of problems can a car have with people? Unwillingness to help us? What else can they do besides being helpful helpers? It is difficult to imagine this yet.
Perhaps, of course, laziness will become the main problem of these supercomputers, because, as you know, laziness is, among other things, the engine of progress.
However, you can philosophize on this topic as much as you like, and this will be only the most general reasoning, nothing more, at our current level of understanding of this problem.
Outcomes
Thinking about who is smarter - a man or a machine - do not forget that computers are created to improve our lives, like the same IBM Watson, which helps to fight a deadly disease.
Or, say, military robotic machines, they save the lives of those who still have to risk themselves while performing important missions. Better "into the heat" than risking people. There are no limits to the development of artificial intelligence in this field; by the way, it is developing very well there, by leaps and bounds.
The range of tasks that computers perform better than humans are gradually expanding. Our job is to help them learn, because life is not competition, but cooperation.
And computers will respond to us in the same way, becoming more and more indispensable helpers of people and, I hope, without machines beginning to dictate their terms to us, "homo sapiens", "reasonable people"!
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What if at one point the discrete card is out of order and you need a PC to work? After all, the device is broken, and the motherboard does not allow you to turn on the computer without a video card. In this case, there are several ways to help you get around this ban.
Integrated graphics
Today, almost every PC is equipped with not only a discrete video card, but also an integrated one. To check if your PC has support for integrated graphics, look at the back of the system unit, where all the wires are connected. The motherboard must have a special blue or white connector.
The cache requirements for uncompressed formats are significantly less since only the waveform representation is stored here. For slow hard drives, you need to wait a lot longer until a waveform is displayed or compressed audio is played. Cache settings can be done in presets under the media.
Despite the lack of slots, you can manage multiple monitors on one laptop. But even for high resolutions this rate is not enough. Therefore, the processor must work correctly during data processing, which significantly slows down the computer.
Laptop users do not have to disassemble and pull it out; if the external card fails, switching to the integrated one occurs automatically.
BIOS settings
If you do not have an integrated card and in order to start the computer without a video card, you need to change several settings in the BIOS.
How does a graphics card work?
A computer without a video card is unthinkable. This is because this additional component creates images and the processing power of the processor becomes visible to the user.
What video card is on your computer
When you buy a new computer, it is not always necessary to install the most powerful and expensive graphics card. First of all, if you only use word processing and others, or look at it occasionally, the entry-level model is sufficient.Get the best performance with your graphics card
However, if you want to get the best performance out of your graphics card, you need a so-called dedicated graphics card. It has its own local memory and has a special task of processing purely graphic data. Above all, when you are using, but also when editing images or videos, powerful graphics cards have significant advantages.
Let's analyze the process in more detail:
But if you do not have a video card, the image will not be displayed on the monitor.
PCI video card
In order for a computer to work without a video card, as an option, you can purchase the simplest and cheapest video card. It will be quite enough for simple tasks (surfing the Internet, listening to music and working with text editors).
For a modern person, a personal computer is as common a thing as a refrigerator or TV. Laptops, tablets, stationary PCs are so firmly entrenched in our homes that their absence begins to cause in the majority of ordinary citizens a feeling of inferiority and even some feeling of their own inferiority. But quite recently, only 20-25 years ago, everything was quite the opposite. A silicon friend was considered a luxury, and not everyone could afford to make such an acquisition.
PC repair technicians who knew how a computer works, understood its structure, and were versed in software were then worth their weight in gold. It is not surprising that the happy owner of the "miracle of the 20th century" strove to the best of his ability and ability to raise his own computer literacy. It’s not like that today. Service maintenance, repair and adjustment of personal computers have become fairly inexpensive and generally available services. This is both good and bad. It's good that a lot of problems have been removed from the shoulders of an ordinary PC owner. It's bad that most of today's users are quite similar to the blondes from various humorous programs. They, as a rule, have a rather vague idea of what is in a closed and slightly humming case. And often this state of affairs leads to various funny and sometimes unpleasant situations.
Why do I need it?
A typical example from life. The computer stopped loading. After the splash screen from the motherboard manufacturer, an inscription appears similar to the following: "Hard disk drive failure". A dozen of turning the PC on and off had no effect. Removing the side cover and inspecting the insides did not lead to anything either - everything seemed to be intact, glistening and spinning, but did not want to boot! There is only one way out - to go on a trip to a specialist, because the computer has become a family member, an indispensable assistant, a window to the big world and without it life is gray and dull.
Having come to the master and explaining the situation, in most cases you will hear: "Leave it, you will come in tomorrow or the day after tomorrow." Appearing at the appointed time and paying a certain amount for repairs (sometimes very big), you fly home happy and joyful in order to quickly plunge into the world of Minecraft or immediately get involved in heated debates on your favorite forum. At the same time, you are completely unaware that the whole problem was treated within two seconds after opening the case. It was enough just to press on the HDD-cable so that it fits more tightly into the slot on the hard disk. From constant vibration, he spontaneously came out of the connector a little. This turned out to be enough to lose contact. That's all.
Why did such a situation arise in which you act as a deceived party? The answer is unequivocal. Your complete ignorance of the principles of work and the device of the PC led to such a sad ending. When your iron turns off, the first thing you do is check the power cord to see if it has jumped out of the socket. Why didn't you do the same in the described case? We gave the answer in two sentences above. Therefore, in this article we will conduct a small educational program on the principles of the computer and its device, so that in the future you will never find yourself in a similar position.
Audio controller
Chip, codec: there are many names, the essence is the same - sound and hearing aid. Of course, in order to feel (hear) its work, you will need additional speakers or headphones, but these are details.
Keyboard and Mouse
Components that allow us to communicate our desires to the computer. Figuratively speaking, this is an extension of our hands, with the help of which we communicate with our iron friend.
Motherboard (MB)
The basis of everything, the planet on which all of the above inhabitants of the computer are located or connected to it through cables, loops. It is like a fertile field for an orchard. She feeds and supports them, unites them into one community. If MB gets sick, then the whole PC will get sick, and, unfortunately, very often her illness threatens the death of the entire computer team located in the system unit (a power surge that burns a motherboard often leads to the death of all nodes connected to it).
Power supply unit (PSU)
Energy source. Perhaps the most essential element. Without it, nothing will simply start.
System unit (case)
The shell in which all of the above components are packed. By and large, the PC will work without it, but it's like running barefoot in the snow - it's cold, wet and unpleasant, in a word - uncomfortable.
Monitor (can be replaced by TV)
Everything is clear here. Without it, we simply will not see what the PC wanted to tell us, and we ourselves will not be able to start a dialogue.
Now that we have gotten a basic understanding of the structure of a computer, we can begin to study its work. Let's try to trace how it all interacts.
Turning on
PC life begins after you press the power button on the case. The power supply unit starts up, connected to the mains, it converts the incoming 220 V into the ones needed for the computer: 3.3 V; 5V; 12 V. After that, the current runs through the wires from the power supply unit to the motherboard, and it already begins to distribute: to whom what to give in the first place. In parallel, regardless of the MB, only the HDD receives power in our circuit. Then the next stage begins.
Initial loading
Of course, the processor is the first to turn on. Unlike in real life, you can't do without a boss in a computer. The CPU calls up the BIOS (basic input / output system) microcircuit located on the MB and receives instructions from it for further actions.
A self-test (POST) begins, and it consists of the following:
- checking the presence of all devices recorded in the BIOS;
- testing these devices for correct operation;
- execution of individual commands located in the flash memory of this most important microcircuit.
Please note that here is a very brief description of the initial steps of a PC. In fact, there are much more of them and they are much more complicated. But for an ordinary user, it is enough to understand the meaning of what is happening. During the tests, the video adapter is one of the first to start. Through the cable, it begins to display an image on the monitor screen, and we can personally observe further testing, with the appropriate setting in the BIOS (by default, the splash screen from the MB manufacturer is usually displayed).
After completing the initial testing and initialization of all devices connected to the motherboard, the processor starts loading the operating system. You should also know that almost from the first steps, all interaction of the CPU with other elements of the PC is built through RAM, therefore, a lot depends on its serviceability, quality and speed of work.
Note. If the self-test fails and malfunctions, the computer will notify you with a certain beep. The meanings of such signals can be easily found on the Internet or in special literature.
Loading the operating system
So, the initial survey and verification was successful. You can come to grips with what it was all about - launching the OS. The CPU reads from the BIOS which device is the first in the boot list (in our diagram, it is one - this is the HDD), and starts looking for the MBR (master boot record) boot code, which is usually located in the first physical sector of the HDD. That is, the computer's hard drive is actively connected to work. This is where the BIOS's sphere of influence ends, and the MBR comes into play.
This friend refers to the operating system loader, which is also located in the first sector of the active partition of the hard disk. Let's clarify. The first sector of the active partition will not necessarily be the first sector of the HDD physically. After processing the data from the OS loader, the processor gives the go-ahead to start the system files, which are already directly within the competence of the operating system.
You might say that the processor is not such a big boss - it only does what the instructions tell it to do. Right. Where have you seen a boss who doesn't need instructions?
Working with applications
Having loaded the system files into RAM (did not forget? Everything goes through the OP), the processor reads the paths and actions written there, and, of course, performs them thoroughly. As a result, we are presented with a familiar and well-lived interface of our OS.
Work in the OS itself, in general, is built on the same principle as boot actions. The CPU receives instruction codes from applications, processes them and displays the results on the monitor screen. Of course, we tell all this in an extremely simplified and primitive way. In fact, huge amounts of information are being processed, in which all PC components are involved. The RAM continuously receives data, some of which is instantly unloaded (by use), and some may remain in the cache until the computer is turned off.
The information recorded on the magnetic platters of the hard disk, which rotate at breakneck speeds (5200 and 7200 rpm - today's standard), are constantly requested by various programs. The information received through the RAM goes to the CPU, where, in turn, it passes through the most complex architecture of modern multi-core processors, folding at the output into a clear solution or command. The video card, which has its own CPUs, no less complex than the central processor, and its own very fast memory, does not lag behind all this pandemonium. After all, the end result of the work of the entire PC appears on the monitor, which is simply impossible without a video adapter.
In order to at least roughly estimate the volume of work of only one central processor, we present the following indicators for a far from new representative of Intel - Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2400 MHz), which has 4 cores: in peak activity this old man manages to perform 38.4 billion operations per second. Probably, it is as hard for the human brain to realize such a figure as it is to imagine the infinity of the Universe.
Preparing to shutdown
Well, slowly, slowly, we got to the final stage of the computer - shutdown. Shutting down your computer properly should be a alphabet for any user. It is not difficult. Close all programs and click the soft button "Start", in the menu that appears, click on the line "Shutdown".
This will end your participation in the end of the working PC session. He will do the rest himself:
- will close applications running in the background;
- will give a command to the RAM that "the party is over and it's time to remove the bottles", this will clear the RAM of resident programs (carefully saving the data) and various garbage (also software);
- will stop the HDD platters correctly;
- will carry out a whole complex on the careful shutdown of various devices, not even suspecting that the light is about to go out;
- Well, the last one to leave the hall is the video adapter, flipping the switch behind it.
Why should you shut down your computer this way? Why, for example, without straining too much, take and unplug the cord from the outlet, like with the same iron? It is forbidden. The computer is not an iron and such a "barbaric" shutdown responds very painfully to his health. And if initially this will not be noticeable, then, be sure, someday it - a deterioration in well-being - will certainly manifest itself. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't put your computer in the same row as your iron. A sudden power outage leads to the following problems:
- programs are deleted from the RAM instantly, without any saving;
- The HDD will freeze in the position in which the apocalypse will catch it, and this is not good - it is designed in such a way that all the parts moving in it must stop in strictly designated places;
- the unexpected disappearance of electricity has a detrimental effect on various microcircuits, capacitors, etc.
There are cases when a sudden shutdown of the PC led to the physical failure of individual components. Conclusion one: NEVER turn off the computer by "pulling out the power cord".
Now that you know how a computer works, communication with it will become much more productive. When it freezes for a few seconds, rustling with a hard drive, you will not need to fidget in your chair restlessly. You will know that the computer has not frozen or died. It's just that there is an exchange of data between the processor and the hard disk, or, speaking in a more understandable language, the computer intensely thinks how to most correctly and accurately solve the task set before it. We will not resist and finish the article with the slogan: "Mutual understanding between a man and an intelligent machine is a guarantee of long and productive cooperation." Good luck!
