Lu-Anne would like to know the various components inside a computer so she can make an educated decision regarding her computer repair. She asks, “Can you tell me what a ‘motherboard’ is and what it does?” Based on your e-mail it sounds like one of your friends is telling you a whole lot of information about your computer and you would like to have an educated discussion with him. In short, the motherboard is the backbone of the computer system.
By itself, the motherboard is a pretty dumb piece of computer equipment. It connects the processor, memory and hard drive through circuits so each can function together. Each motherboard has sockets which accept the processor (either AMD or Intel) and memory, as well as various connectors for hard drives, CD drives, and power. Motherboards are very specific to the processor and memory combination used in the computer.
You sound confused regarding the other components in the machine. I’m not going to give you a technical answer for each; rather, I’ll give you a brief explanation – enough to make an educated decision. The processor (or CPU) is the brain inside your computer that actually does the thinking. Memory (or RAM) holds data as it’s being used and is only temporary. Finally, the hard drive ( or HDD) is a somewhat permanent storage location that holds data and the operating system (Windows).
Are you sitting down? I’m going to try and explain the whole shebang in a few sentences. When you push the power button the motherboard maps out the CPU, RAM, CD, and HDD. A signal is sent to the HDD through the CPU which starts Windows. As the CPU is working, the RAM fills and empties very fast and for each process you run. When you save a document or picture it pulls it from the RAM and dumps it to the HDD for permanent storage. Confused? Sorry.
As with the other components, the motherboard is necessary to make the system operate. Most motherboard failures are caused from power fluctuations. With the recent lightning storms, I would gamble your machine was zapped. Good luck and don’t get too confused by the previous paragraph.
Bob wonders what a virtual PC is. He writes, “I’ve heard of virtual PC’s but don’t exactly know what they are.” Bob, virtual PC’s are simulated computers running inside a real computer. In other words, it is like having two or more computers in one box. Let me explain.
Windows 7 is the most current operating system, and in this market is the only operating system you will find in retail stores. Although Windows 7 does a great job with many older applications it doesn’t always handle the really old stuff very well. For that reason virtual PC’s solve a major problem. They let the user create a ‘new’ computer inside the Windows 7 environment. So, if you have an application that will only run on a Windows 3.1 (c. 1992) computer, using a virtual PC is the only way to go.
Users can create a faux computer based around technology of the time. You could simulate a 33 MHz computer with 16MB of memory and a 2GB hard drive. Then it’s a simple matter of installing Windows 3.1 and the software you would like to run. Through the virtual PC application you can now simulate the very old computer on a new computer.
Most people aren’t going to have a legitimate user for this application; however, some people may need it. I’ve worked with engineers, hair salons and other professionals who have old one-of-a-kind software who use virtual PC’s. Another great use for a virtual PC are applications that may wreak havoc on your native operating system. If the virtual computer screws up you can simply delete it and start over.
Tip of the week: Unplug your backup hard drive when not in use. As long as it’s plugged in it will continue to spin; causing it to wear out sooner.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at Jeromy@LocalComputerWiz.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)