PC Hardware and Inside the Box

In the previous two chapters we have looked first at how information can be represented and then at how the principles of a von Neumann machine may be used to construct an information processing system. In this chapter we will take the black box model of chapter 3 and develop from that the actual hardware of a modern PC. As we do that, we will look inside the box so that we can identify all the pieces.This is an important part of an analyst’s task. A detailed internal examination of a PC is invariably going to be required since we will wish to know firstly that it is safe to operate, and then to see whether it is being used as a storage box for other items of possible evidential value, and finally whether all its components are connected up correctly. An ability to recognize what should be there and how the bits should be connected together is therefore of some considerable importance.