A computer system consists of hardware and software. Hardware is the slang word for physical components: keyboards, mice, circuit boards, monitors, and cables. Hardware requires maintenance, such as proper and safe cleaning, and must be protected from dust and heat. Dust buildup can even cause overheating. It is best to perform some maintenance, especially moving computers, while the equipment is turned off. Keep track of your hardware's instruction manuals. Use a notebook to keep track of your equipment's serial numbers, purchase dates, and problem logs. Do not mix your personal and social information with this technical tool. Pay attention to routing and securing cables. Bringing food, drinks and magnets around computers creates problems. Software is the instructions that tell the computer what to do. The operating system is required to start and run the computer. Windows is the operating system (software) that most PCs run. The operating system (OS) is sometimes called system software for short. The operating system provides the necessary interface layer between the computer hardware and the application software. A part of the operating system is called utilities because it handles useful, specialized tasks such as formatting and copying disks. You should periodically run virus checks on your software. Backups are a good way to avoid data loss when bad things happen. Application software refers to the specific programs used to perform tasks, such as Microsoft Office or games such as Freecell or Snood. Educational applications include accelerated math, accelerated reading, and online encyclopedias. Word processing is an application for typing documents, such as letters or school reports. It offers many advantages... middle of paper... em, you send the data into memory and then use the stored data as input. Hard disk, floppy, CD, and DVD drives are the most common storage devices. Do they allow it? Random? (direct) access to the desired data. They are far superior to sequential storage on tape drives. The storage method of both floppy disks (diskettes) and hard drives is magnetic. Magnets place and retrieve data on disks. Magnets can also erase data. Hard drives provide faster access to data than floppies, CDs and, of course, tapes. Laser beams record and read both Compact Disks (CDs) and DVDs. The first computer CDs were CD-ROMs. They were read-only (could not be edited), having been imprinted by the manufacturer. Now you can buy CDs to burn at home, and CD-RWs can be reused. The RW stands for rewritable. Flash memory is the new standard for fast portable storage and requires no moving parts.