Task 1: Computer Components
Internal system unit components
Processors
Processors (CPU) are the central hub of the computer. The processors control the activity and processes of the computer. 
Motherboard
The motherboard holds most of the main components of the computer. As the name suggests, the motherboard is the “mother” of all the components as it helps to keep everything working properly and keeps all the major components in one place. The motherboard holds several components such as: the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the sound cards of the computer, video cards, network cards and a few more.
BIOS
The BIOS (basic input/output system) is a system that you can run when the computer first powers on. The BIOS is a programme that allows the user of the computer to test the capabilities of the computer's hardware and initialize the hardware.
Power Supply
The power supply is the cable that plugs into the main wall socket to provide power to the computer. A laptop can use multiple types of power supply: battery, mains power via cable or using the laptop while the battery is being charged by the mains power cable.
Fan cooling/Heat sync
The fan is a component that helps the computer to cool down because if the computer overheats it can cause problems. These problems can be both technical and physical. The technical problems could be:
The computer could freeze
You could experience a slow computer
The computer could ‘hang’
The physical damage can consist of:
Melted circuitry
Melted motherboard
Damaged joinings
Hard drive and config Controllers
A SATA (serial advanced technology attachment), is a component that allows MSD’s (mass storage device) to communicate with the motherboard of the computer. It does this by using a using a high-speed serial cable over two pairs of conductors.
USB ports
USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports are small ports in computers that are used to connect devices to the computer via USB cable. These devices can range from printers and mouses to cameras and mobile phones. There also other types of USB ports known as Serial and Parallel.
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USB 3.0
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USB 2.0
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USB 1.1
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Serial
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Parallel
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Industry Standard
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Bandwidth
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5 Gbps
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480 Mbps
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12 Mbps
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115 Kbps
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115 KBps
EPP/ECP - 3 MBps
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Number of Devices
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127 devices on a single USB bus
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127 devices on a single USB bus
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127 devices on a single USB bus
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Limited to the number of ports available on the computer.
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Limited to the number of ports available on the computer.
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Bus Power
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Yes, can provide up to 900 mA at 5V
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Yes, can provide up to 500 mA at 5V
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Yes, can provide up to 500 mA at 5V
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No
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No
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Cable Length Limit
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Cable can be of any length as long as electrical spec is met. Practical max length is 3m.
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5 m / 16 ft
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5 m / 16 ft
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3 m / 10 ft
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1.8 m / 6 ft
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Plug'n'Play
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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No
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Hot Swapable
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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No
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RAM/ROM
RAM (random access memory) is internal memory which is used to store:
ROM is (read only memory) is memory that cannot be changed by a program or user. ROM retains its memory even after the computer is turned off. For example, ROM stores the instructions for the computer to start up when it is turned on again.
Network Cards
A network card is a interface card which is a piece of computer hardware designed to allow computers to communicate over a computer network, as it provides physical access to a networking medium and provides a low-key system.
Graphics Card
A video card is a hardware component whose function is to generate and output images to display. The better the video card, the more graphically demanding games you can play on your computer.
Peripherals
Printer
A printer is a device that allows somebody to take a document or email and put it onto paper.
Scanner
A scanner is a device that takes an item and turns it into a digital document file.
Twisted Pair Cabling
Twisted pair cables are used to block out external electromagnetic waves or interference (EMI).
Backing storage
Pen Drive
A pen drive is more commonly known as a USB stick. A USB stick holds documents and flash files like videos and photos. It allows somebody to carry their documents around and access them in most computers.
Most of these components all communicate with each other because they are all part of the motherboard. On the motherboard, there are many electrical connections that allow the components to communicate with each other. One of the most important components of the motherboard is the microprocessors supporting chip set, which provides the supporting interfaces between the CPU and other various buses and external components.
Task 2: Purpose of operating systems
An operating system is the most
important program on a computer. Without an operating system, a computer wont
run. Operating systems perform tasks like recognizing input from the keyboard,
sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on
the disk.
Machine and peripheral management
Peripheral management controls peripheral devices by sending them commands in their own computer language. The software routine that knows how to deal with each device is known as a driver, and the Os needs drivers for the peripherals connected to the computer. When a new peripheral is added, that device's driver is installed into the operating system. The operating system communicates with the computer's peripherals via the software drivers for the devices. The operating systems controls the whole machine and all the components there. It also controls peripherals such as keyboards, mouses and printers.
Security
Operating system security (OS security) is the process of ensuring OS integrity, confidentiality and availability.
OS security refers to specific steps or measures used to protect the OS from threats, viruses, worms, malware or remote hacker intrusions. OS security encompasses all preventive-control techniques, which safeguard any computer assets capable of being stolen, edited or deleted if OS security is compromised.
File Management
A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to manage files and folders. The most common operations performed on files or groups of files include creating, opening (e.g. viewing, playing, editing or printing), renaming, moving or copying, deleting and searching for files, as well as modifying file attributes, properties and file permissions. Folders and files may be displayed in a hierarchical tree based on their directory structure. Some file managers contain features inspired by web browsers, including forward and back navigational buttons.
Device Drivers
A device driver is a programme that allows the user of a computer to operate or control a particular device that is connected to the computer. The device driver communicates with the device through the computer bus. 
Task 3: purpose of different software utilities
Security/Anti-virus software
Software utilities are important because they help to keep your computer safe and free of junk and anything that could do damage to your files or compromise your security.
Anti-virus software is one of the most vital softwares in a computer. Certain websites contain malicious software that can put a virus on your computer. Anti-virus software are programmes that alert the user of the computer whenever the computer has picked up a virus. Most of these anti-virus softwares also have the ability to remove the viruses without a problem. However, some viruses are particularly hard to get rid of. My prefered anti-virus programme is Windows Security Essentials. This can help the performance of your computer because it stops programmes that could potentially slow down the speed of the computer and could generally make the computer’s performance much worse.
Clean up tools/removal of history/cookies and defragmentation
Clean up tools are programmes that are designed to free up disk space on a computer's hard drive. “Disk Cleanup” is an example of one of these programme’s. This is on windows. History is the list of things you have done on the internet. Some people may want to delete their history. It is possible to do this. On google chrome, the shortcut to your history is CTRL+H.Clean up tools, removal of cookies and defrag all make the computer perform faster and run smoother.
Drive formatting
Hard disks, which are the primary storage devices on your computer, need to be formatted before you can use them. Formatting a disk means configuring the disk with a file system so that Windows can store information on the disk. Hard disks in new computers running Windows are already formatted. If you purchase an additional hard disk to expand the storage of your computer, you might need to format it.This helps the performance of your computer system because it means that it improves performance because it wipes the data from and old OS install so the old files don’t corrupt the new OS install. Having a "clean" drive also improves loading speeds because it doesn’t have to figure out which files to boot with.
Task 4 Functions:
Windows XP
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Mac OS
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The operating systems controls the whole machine and all the components in there. It also controls peripherals like keyboards, mouse, printers etc. For example Windows control monitor by changing the resolution, mouse by setting the click speed etc.
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MacOS control of computer components are very similar, but almost all of devices need to be bought especially for Macs. For example MacOS can control keyboard by changing the input language. For other devices like iPhone MacOS controls screen by changing it to landscape mode.
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Operating system needs to make sure that everything works properly and there is no unauthorised access that can harm your data. Windows has security functions like user accounts with password protection, crap firewall which is completely useless and other functions that can be easily bypassed by going to safe mode.
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MacOS got security features like blocking the ports that are potential security issues. It also got security features that checks if the downloaded content is safe or not. In email programs attachments are not opened automatically so they can’t harm user computer without his knowledge.
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Operating system needs to have file management to show files, create new files, deleting, editing and other functions linked to the files. Windows has his process called explorer.exe to handle the file management.
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The program for file management that MacOS use is called Finder. It is pretty the same as Windows’ explorer, it got appropriate icon for every file type, the tree navigation system and trash on desktop.
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Drivers are programs that tell the operating system what and how to do with this particular device. For example when you buy new graphic card, to make it work properly with all of its power and efficiency you need to install drivers provided with the card.
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Same as Windows’, the drivers are programs that controls the devices. In MacOS case, when the system is closed and you can’t really upgrade anything, every needed driver to run the computer is included in system. But when you want to install new printer, you got to install version of driver for MacOS.
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Information from: http://pastebin.com/Jzziuxsf
Windows XP
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Mac OS
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Some of the accessibility features in Windows can be added to earlier versions of those products, and to MS-DOS, through Access Packs. You can download these files from Microsoft.
You also can use Control Panel and other built-in features to adjust the appearance and behavior of Windows to suit varying vision and motor abilities. These include adjusting colors and sizes, sound volume, and the behavior of the mouse and keyboard.
The Accessibility Wizard helps you configure Windows for your vision, hearing, and mobility needs.
Dvorak keyboard layouts make the most frequently typed characters more accessible if you have difficulty using the standard keyboard layout. There are three Dvorak layouts: one if you are a two-handed user, one if you type with your left hand only, and one if you type with your right hand only. You do not need to purchase any special equipment to use these features.
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There are many features of OS that are very helpful, such as:
Adjustable key repeat and delay
Assignable Modifier keys
Mouse and Trackpad sensitivity
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Slow Keys
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Sticky Keys
Mouse Keys
High Contrast and Reverse Video
Safari Reader
Screen Flash- for alerts
Size of icons
Size of the mouse pointer
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red writing = task 5 expansion in task 3
