The Computers Back Connector Panel
If you have a device, computer, or operating system made before the introduction
of plug-and-play, you may have a configuration hassle on your hands. Basically you'll
have to manually configure system resources for the device. But since plug-and-play
came out over 15 years ago, you'll need a really old device, computer, or operating
system to have that problem.
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
USB along with plug-and-play virtually eliminated painful manual configurations.
With USB you can "hot-swap"; plug-in and remove devices without powering down the
computer. USB is the best invention since apple pie. If your device has a USB plug
on it you can usually just plug it into any USB port on the computer and it will
begin to work almost immediately. In certain circumstances you may be required to
install a driver the first time before plugging in the device.
Legacy Ports
On older systems and some newer desktop system you may find connectors for interfaces
that are now obsolete. The PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports are now obsolete. The serial
and parallel ports are now obsolete. If you need to use a device with obsolete interface
on a newer desktop you can install an expansion board to provide that interface.
If you need to use a device with obsolete interface on a newer laptop you can purchase
a converter cable.
The modem port dates back to when people used to connect to the internet via
their land telephone line. This port is now obsolete, as only someone with lots
of time on their hands would connect to today's internet through a telephone line.
Today's internet users connect via a network connection (RJ45 connector) or through
a wireless connection.
Video Ports
The latest video interface is DVI (Digital Video Interface). The problem with
DVI is that there are so many versions of it, like DVI-A, DVI-D, and DVI-I, all
with the same connector shape, but different pins. Maybe that explains why the
VGA (Video Graphics Array) port has been around so long. I don't think you'll
find a computer without a VGA port, even laptops have a VGA port in case you want
to run dual displays.
Sound Ports
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is a digital audio interface developed
for consumer audio products, sometimes found on a computer, although it's not
a popular standard. USB is a better interface for digital audio. For analog audio,
the blue (line input), green (speaker), and pink (microphone) jacks interface
developed by Sound Blaster in 1989 are still found on every PC. Some computers
also have black (rear speaker), silver(side speakers) and orange (center speaker)
jacks for surround sound.
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Windows Troubleshooting
