I don't have a PC anymore (I've been a Mac user since 2006), but last year, a neighbor gave us a really old laptop, so I pulled the settings from it.
BIOS (version A04) settings:
HDD size: 20 GB (20005 MB)
Boot order: CD drive, then HDD, then 3.5" floppy drive.
System primary password for the HDD: Disabled
—
DMA:
DMA, or direct memory access, is a transfer mode for data that bypasses the CPU. Data is sent directly from the drive to the memory, freeing up processor power and capacity.
Low-level formatting:
Low-level formatting is a process which assigns tracks and sectors to disks. As opposed to high-level formatting, which creates partitions based on the information that's already there, low-level formatting provides that information. This is the type of formatting that takes place before drives are put onto the market.
SATA:
Serial ATA is today's standard for computer drives. SATA devices transmit data bit-by-bit across the cable in real time. Because of its speed (up to 1.5 GB/sec vs. PATA's 133 MB/sec) and method of transferring data, most drives use SATA.
ATA:
ATA, or Advanced Technology Attachment, is the foundation for today's data transfer between drives. It's a series of standards that determines how drives communicate with the rest of the system. ATA standards have changed over time; the earliest editions are now obsolete, but some early editions are still being used.
IDE:
IDE, or Integrated Drive Electronics, was the foundation of ATA. It allowed data transfer without connecting a device directly to the motherboard, but through a connector that transfers data. The first IDE devices entered the market in 1986, and Enhanced IDE (EIDE) devices became what we now know as PATA.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
History of computer memory
Memory is one of the few computer technologies with more than a century of history behind it. One of the earliest known forms of memory began with one of the earliest calculating machines. In the 19th century, Charles Babbage used punch cards to input data into his analytical machine. Because this was read-only memory, it didn't write data or read any data apart from what was punched into the cards.
Computers stored memory this way until 1932, when Gustav Tauschek's drum memory began to replace punch cards as primary memory. Drum memory operated much as today's hard drives do--rotating along an axis to write and record data. Drum memory debuted late after its invention: it didn't gain widespread use until after World War II.
As drum memory continued to replace punch cards, another form of memory arose to challenge them both. Beginning in 1947, magnetic core memory relied on magnetic polarity to store binary information. In a pattern shaped like today's computer processors, wires ran through the ring-shaped cores and polarized the rings. The first successful core was completed and put to use in 1953, thereby rendering punch cards and drum memory as secondary memory for the rest of their lives.
But it wasn't long before even this was rendered obsolete, as the 1960s saw the precursors of today's memory technologies. In 1966, Hewlett-Packard designed and sold a computer with memory printed onto integrated circuits. Two years later, IBM patented the first random access memory, the same type of memory used in today's computers. The year after that, Intel established itself in the market by introducing what was then the most current memory capacity--one kilobyte.
This remained the industry standard through early 1975, when the Intel-based Altair personal computer entered the marketplace. Later that year, the computer's memory expanded to four kilobytes. Yet, in 1984, the next industry standard set a precedent for the personal computers we know today. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduced the Apple personal computer, which used 128 KB of RAM and led the way toward the 1 MB memory chip.1
The early 1990s introduced DIMMs, or dual inline memory modules--the RAM that today's most current computers use. The predecessor was the SIMM, or single inline memory module, which was the standard through the 1980s. SIMMs relied on pins on both sides running through a single contact, but DIMMs separate those pins into their own contacts, thereby increasing system performance. This technology received an even greater boost in 1997, when SDRAM allowed the RAM to speed up and keep time with the system clock. Since the new millennium, the RAM that most computers use is DDR SDRAM, so named because it kept time with the system clock and accepted twice as much data per second as the SDRAM of 1997.2
Today, this technology continues to grow ever still. Many personal computers come with 4 to 6 GB of memory installed, and others such as Apple's 27" iMac can support as much as 16GB. As amazing as these standards are, we'll someday look on today's standards as inferior in comparison. But no matter how obsolete the technology of each year becomes, it's a reminder of science's never-ending goal of making each technology better than before. With nearly two centuries of invention and innovation standing behind it, computer memory makes this goal a case in point.
-----
Works cited:
1. History of Computer Memory.
2. Andrews, Jean. CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC. 7th ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2010.
Computers stored memory this way until 1932, when Gustav Tauschek's drum memory began to replace punch cards as primary memory. Drum memory operated much as today's hard drives do--rotating along an axis to write and record data. Drum memory debuted late after its invention: it didn't gain widespread use until after World War II.
As drum memory continued to replace punch cards, another form of memory arose to challenge them both. Beginning in 1947, magnetic core memory relied on magnetic polarity to store binary information. In a pattern shaped like today's computer processors, wires ran through the ring-shaped cores and polarized the rings. The first successful core was completed and put to use in 1953, thereby rendering punch cards and drum memory as secondary memory for the rest of their lives.
But it wasn't long before even this was rendered obsolete, as the 1960s saw the precursors of today's memory technologies. In 1966, Hewlett-Packard designed and sold a computer with memory printed onto integrated circuits. Two years later, IBM patented the first random access memory, the same type of memory used in today's computers. The year after that, Intel established itself in the market by introducing what was then the most current memory capacity--one kilobyte.
This remained the industry standard through early 1975, when the Intel-based Altair personal computer entered the marketplace. Later that year, the computer's memory expanded to four kilobytes. Yet, in 1984, the next industry standard set a precedent for the personal computers we know today. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduced the Apple personal computer, which used 128 KB of RAM and led the way toward the 1 MB memory chip.1
The early 1990s introduced DIMMs, or dual inline memory modules--the RAM that today's most current computers use. The predecessor was the SIMM, or single inline memory module, which was the standard through the 1980s. SIMMs relied on pins on both sides running through a single contact, but DIMMs separate those pins into their own contacts, thereby increasing system performance. This technology received an even greater boost in 1997, when SDRAM allowed the RAM to speed up and keep time with the system clock. Since the new millennium, the RAM that most computers use is DDR SDRAM, so named because it kept time with the system clock and accepted twice as much data per second as the SDRAM of 1997.2
Today, this technology continues to grow ever still. Many personal computers come with 4 to 6 GB of memory installed, and others such as Apple's 27" iMac can support as much as 16GB. As amazing as these standards are, we'll someday look on today's standards as inferior in comparison. But no matter how obsolete the technology of each year becomes, it's a reminder of science's never-ending goal of making each technology better than before. With nearly two centuries of invention and innovation standing behind it, computer memory makes this goal a case in point.
-----
Works cited:
1. History of Computer Memory.
2. Andrews, Jean. CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC. 7th ed. Boston: Course Technology, 2010.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Assistive technologies
In today's world, computers have also worked wonders for people with disabilities. Assistive Technologies, a company that develops and distributes technology in this field, is led by Don Dalton. Dalton, who is a quadriplegic, runs his company by talking into a headset. Many of the products he sells have one goal--to make computer use easy by using modern technology as an advantage.
One of the products his website distributes is Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a speech-interpreting program that types documents and performs computer commands just by talking into a headset. The software can replace a keyboard and mouse altogether, so it works as a timesaver for anyone and a lifesaver to those with disabilities. The preferred edition of the software costs $199 through Assistive Technologies, and it runs only on Windows.
Another product is JAWS, a screen-reading software for the visually impaired. The program displays the computer's screen using a speech synthesizer and Braille output. The website sells the product for just under $1,100.
One of the products his website distributes is Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a speech-interpreting program that types documents and performs computer commands just by talking into a headset. The software can replace a keyboard and mouse altogether, so it works as a timesaver for anyone and a lifesaver to those with disabilities. The preferred edition of the software costs $199 through Assistive Technologies, and it runs only on Windows.
Another product is JAWS, a screen-reading software for the visually impaired. The program displays the computer's screen using a speech synthesizer and Braille output. The website sells the product for just under $1,100.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
