COMPUTER HARDWARE

Computer hardware and the technical terminologies



Assignment

Part A)

Windows XP

A family of related operated systems, all of which share a unified,NT-derived 32-bit code base that is designed to replace all of Microsoft's operating systems (Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, and Windows 2000). Three versions of the product are available: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (aimed at home users and consumers), Microsoft Windows XP Professional (aimed at corporate desktop users), and Microsoft Windows XP Server (aimed at the server market).

Family of software products developed by Microsoft Corp., mainly for personal computers and workstations, that began as a graphical user interface and developed into an operating system. Version 1.0 (1985) provided a graphical user interface, multitasking, and virtual memory management; it ran on top of MS-DOS and was supported on Intel-based personal computers. Version 3.1 (1992) sold over 3 million copies in its first two months and helped establish Microsoft's dominance of the operating-system market for microcomputers. Windows 95 and Windows 98 (named for the years of their release) continued its success. Windows NT (1993), which can run on RISC-based computers as well as traditional Intel-based systems, is a high-end version of Windows intended for more powerful personal computers, workstations, and servers. Windows CE (1996) is an embedded operating system for palm PCs and other handheld devices. Microsoft continues to release new versions of its operating system: Windows 2000 for corporate-oriented computers, Windows Me (2000) for consumer-oriented computers, and in 2001 a version for both environments, Windows XP. Today Windows runs on more than 90% of all personal computers (Berlinski, 2000, 77).

Intel Processor

A device that embodies the functionality of a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The familiar Intel PC processor continuum broadly equates to: 4004, 8088, 80286, 80386DX, 80836SX, 80486DX, 80486SX, 80486DX2, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium Pro. The generic PC processor continuum is a little more complex with companies such as AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) and Cyrix producing reverse-engineered, and often enhanced, Intel compatible processors.

US manufacturer of the microprocessors that form the basis of the IBM PC range and its clones. Intel developed the first microprocessor, the 4004, in 1971. They continued to develop the x86 range, culminating in the 586, or Pentium, released in 1993. In November 2000, Intel released the Pentium 4 processor, running at 1.5 GHz. By 2004, P4 chips were available at 3.0 to 3.4 GHz speeds.

In March 2003, Intel launched its Centrino mobile technology (including the Pentium M processor) for Wi-Fi enabled laptop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs). At the same time, the company introduced a 'wireless verification programme' to ensure that public hotspot services were compatible with the new technology.

A boycott of the Pentium III processor was called for on 25 January 1999 by several groups worried about Internet privacy. The chip was to carry a built-in identification number (Processor Serial Number; or PSN) that would allow Web site operators to identify the computer and record the user's surfing habits. Intel believed the identification number would cut down on computer ...