Most computer problems are easily traced to either hardware or software errors ... If you have some handy, you can also test the system by swapping suspect components with known-good hardware.

But with the improvements in owner-operator software, computer prices and Internet access ... numbers and making sense of them. The type of hardware to buy depends on what you want to accomplish.

Everything you do on your computer is the direct result of hardware and software working together. The hardware provides the raw power and functionality that enables the computer to work ...

Save guides, add subjects and pick up where you left off with your BBC account. Hardware is the physical components of a computer. Software is the programs that run on a computer.