ERIC SPELLMANN

Let’s Start at the Beginning Part 2 - Your PC unpacked

In my last column, I explained the basic function of the monitor, keyboard, mouse, floppy drive, and hard drive. This week, we will dive into CD drives, CPUs, and modems.

First, to the CD Drive. CD is short for compact disk. You probably knew that. The 'drive' is the device you put the CD into. It is always located in the 'boxy' part of your system and can be accessed by pushing a button on the front panel. The five-inch tray that pops out looks very much like a cupholder (but DON'T use it as one!) and receives the CD shiny-side-down.

You see, the information is stored only on one side of a CD, the shiny side. This process is done with a very powerful laser beam, that actually burns miniscule pits into the surface of the disk (If you ever hear of someone 'burning a CD', now you know why). A much lower power laser beam is then used to 'read' the information on the disk.

Music CDs and Computer CDs are identical in every way except for the type of information stored. That's why you can play a music CD in your Computer. But don't try to 'play' a computer CD in your stereo. It will sound like 20 cats fighting. (Makes a great prank to play on a friend, though).

CD Drives come in several flavours: CD-ROM drives, CD-RW drives and DVD drives. CD-ROM drives can only read the information on CDs. They cannot create them. Hence, ROM stands for 'Read Only Media'. CD-RW drives, on the other hand, can read and write information to CDs. CD-ROM drives are standard on most computers. Some newer computers come equipped with CD-RW drives. You don't need both, though. CD-RW drives can do everything a CD-ROM drive can; they just have the added capability of creating CDs. And, yes, they can create music CDs. And DVD drives can also play DVDs.

The CPU is the most important part of your PC. It is the 'brains' of your system. It stands for 'central processing unit,' but you only need to remember that if you want to impress people at parties. If you were to open up the boxy part of your computer, you could identify the CPU as the large, black, piece of plastic on the big circuit board. However, don't let its boring appearance fool you. It is the most expensive part of your computer. Roughly one-quarter to one-third of the total price for your computer goes for this chip!

Intel Corporation makes 80% of the world's CPUs. When they first started, the names for their CPUs were very boring. One of their first chips was called the 80286 (boy, that's marketing!) Most people just shortened the name to 286. Intel created a faster chip and called it the 80386 (or just 386). The next chip they made was named (can you guess?) 486. Well, by this time, other companies were copying Intel's designs. They even called their competing CPUs, 486s!

Intel was busy developing the 586, but did not want other companies to call their CPUs by that name, so …. they went to the US Government, and attempted to trademark the term '586'. Uncle Sam just laughed, though. "You cannot own a number!" the government said. So, Intel decided to call their 586 the 'Pentium,' which they could trademark. And for you word scholars: 'Pent' means five.

When shopping for computers, one of the key descriptors you'll see on the box will be the CPU model. For instance, you might see a computer described as a Pentium IV 2.4ghz. The 'IV' is simply a better, faster version of the Pentium. Think of it as version 4 of the Pentium. The 2.4ghz is more perplexing, though. 'Ghz' is short for gigahertz. Think of a gigahertz as the ability for a computer to process one billion instructions per second. Therefore, a 2.4ghz CPU could process 2.4 billion instructions per second. In other words, more gigahertz equals a faster computer.

Now, onto the modem. Most computers have modems built into them. The word, modem is actually an abbreviation. It stands for 'modulator-demodulator' (another one of those definitions useful only to impress friends). The modem's function is very simple. It takes computer information and changes it into sound, which can then be sent over a normal phone line. Modems can also receive these sounds and then turn them back into computer information. Modems can be used to send faxes and connect to other computers. However, the number-one use for modems today is to connect to the internet.

Wow, where does my column space go? Be sure and read the next instalment. I'll cover RAM, software, data, network cards, and operating systems. You won't want to miss it. It will include tips on how to speed up that old computer.

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On another note, every day I receive e-mail messages from readers asking for copies of previous columns. While I’m happy to oblige, I remind them of my free e-mail newsletter. Twice a month, I send out the previous weeks’ columns and some step-by-step how-to articles. Included are links to my “sites of the night,” and some computer shortcuts that will shave hours off of your next project. To see a sample and sign up (all I need is your e-mail address), go to http://www.EricSpellmann.com

I’ll see you in Cyberspace!

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