A computer is composed of hardware, which is a collection of switches and circuits that need operating system software to function in a meaningful way. you dont have to know everything about each part of a computer to install an operating system on your computer, but some knowledge of the major components or parts of a computer and how they are interconnected and how they work together will help you understand important issues of compatibility, performance, capacity, and reliability, such as overview will also help you to narrow down and solve some problems when you are on your computer and then all of the sudden it crashes on you.

the major parts of a computer are:

- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- Physical Memory (RAM)
- Disk Drives (HDD)
- Mainboard(motherboard) and peripheral components
- Video adaptor card
- Keyboard and mouse (KVM)

any others you can think of?