Computers can seem like magical boxes sometimes. If you’re not computer savvy, the inner workings of a computer may seem to have a life of their own that only the magical people called computer geeks know how to tame. But computers only seem that way because most people don’t know how a computer really works. However, once you have an understanding of computers, from hardware to software, you’ll have more confidence using your computer and troubleshooting problems.
First of all, the magic of your computer starts at the CPU or circuitry. The hard drive and motherboard of your computer are just there to store and process little bits of information, called computer code, that is made up of tons of little sequences of 0s and 1s — binary code.
These little sequences of binary code are not something any human wants to sit down and read, that’s why the operating system translates the code into usable symbols that we can understand like letters, numbers, and pictures. The four leading operating systems today are Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Unix — although most consumer computers run on Windows or Mac. Your operating system is what translates the computer’s actions to you and vice versa — it lets you talk to your computer.
On top of the operating system is software. Software, sometimes called programs or applications, are useful little bits of computer language that are built to do a specific job like word processing or video chatting.
If you’re having a problem with your computer, like a particular program won’t open, that’s probably a software problem. If multiple applications aren’t running well, it could be an operating system problem. And if your computer won’t turn on, it’s probably a hardware problem (or your computer is not plugged in). All in all, once you know how the different layers of a computer work, you can more easily diagnose the source of problems when they arise. There are online classes available which provides tips on hardware and software courses.