A computer can still operate without which of the following

" " An operating system is basically the general contractor of the computer. Aa Amie/Shutterstock Basically every computer, smartphone and game console you can buy on the market has one thing in common: they all require an Before we get into that, let's clarify exactly what the OS does. An operating system is basically the There are a few other things your operating system does that you probably don't think about. For instance, it's the operating system (not just the hard drive) that's going to decide how to manage But here's the kicker: It can't actually do that. When you're downloading files, working on a spreadsheet and listening to music, your computer just appears to be doing these things simultaneously. In reality, the computer is switching between processes at extremely high speeds — so high, you don't notice it. While you're under the illusion that your central processing unit (CPU and operating system have a hand in every pot, your programs are under the impression that they have complete control of the operating system at any given moment. So really, your operating system is designed to let the CPU deal with one thing at a time. But because it's a computer and not a harried secretary, it can multitask so fast that the user wouldn't even know. With the adoption of multi-core CPUs, processors can now handle four, six or more tasks at the same time. However, the OS is still in charge of deciding which of these tasks get the highest priority. Now that we know a few o...

A computer can run without an operating system but each piece of software would have to be written to "talk" directly to the computer's hardware - displaying something on the screen, saving to discs etc. An operating system provides a standard layer that connects to the hardware so that applications can ask the OS to do something and not worry about the details.

This does not explain why your computer would not boot, however. You would expect the computer to boot fine but have an incorrect time and date. The reason your computer would not boot is because the RTC chip also contains 64 (or more) Many more modern computers are not quite so dependent on the CMOS RAM. They store the settings in non-volatile RAM that works without any power at all. If the battery goes dead, the clock fails but the computer can still boot using the information in the non-volatile RAM area.

Lesson 5: Inside a Computer /en/computerbasics/buttons-and-ports-on-a-computer/content/ Inside a computer Have you ever looked inside a computer case, or seen pictures of the inside of one? The small parts may look complicated, but the inside of a computer case isn't really all that mysterious. This lesson will help you master some of the basic terminology and understand a bit more about what goes on inside a computer. Watch the video below to learn about what's inside a desktop computer. The motherboard is the computer's main circuit board. It's a thin plate that holds the CPU, memory, connectors for the hard drive and optical drives, expansion cards to control the video and audio, and connections to your computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer. CPU/processor The central processing unit (CPU), also called a processor, is located inside the computer case on the motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you're sending instructions to the CPU. The CPU is usually a two-inch ceramic square with a silicon chip located inside. The chip is usually about the size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the motherboard's CPU socket, which is covered by the heat sink, an object that absorbs heat from the CPU. A processor's speed is measured in megahertz (MHz), or millions of instructions p...

In this article User Account Control settings list The following table lists the available settings to configure the UAC behavior, and their default values. Setting name Description Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode Controls the behavior of all UAC policy settings. Enabled (default): Admin Approval Mode is enabled. This policy must be enabled and related UAC settings configured. The policy allows the built-in Administrator account and members of the Administrators group to run in Admin Approval Mode. Disabled: Admin Approval Mode and all related UAC policy settings are disabled. Note: If this policy setting is disabled, the Windows Security app notifies you that the overall security of the operating system has been reduced. Admin Approval Mode for the Built-in Administrator account Controls the behavior of Admin Approval Mode for the built-in Administrator account. Enabled: The built-in Administrator account uses Admin Approval Mode. By default, any operation that requires elevation of privilege prompts the user to approve the operation. Disabled (default) : The built-in Administrator account runs all applications with full administrative privilege. Switch to the secure desktop when prompting for elevation This policy setting controls whether the elevation request prompt is displayed on the interactive user's desktop or the secure desktop. Enabled (default): All elevation requests go to the secure desktop regardless of prompt behavior policy settings for admini...

A computer needs instructions to perform a task. There are many aspects of a computer, such as all the internal parts, the peripherals, and the software components. A computer needs hardware to store and process information, and needs software instructions to do anything for us. If there was no software at all on a computer it would merely be a box of parts. There would be no software telling the computer to show information on the output, and no software to accept instructions from the input.