Assignment 5

Terms

Definitions

OS

The software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as

scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals.

Four Functions of the Operating

Software

Managing Memory
Handling input and output
User Interface
Managing programs

Multitasking

Multitasking, in an operating system, is allowing a user to perform

more than one computer task (such as the operation of an application
program) at a time. e.g open multiple website pages (tabs) same
time.

Multithreading

Multithreading is the ability of a program or an operating system

process to manage its use by more than one user at a time and to even
manage multiple requests by the same user without having to have
multiple copies of the programming running on the computer.

Device driver

A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of device

that is attached to your computer. There are device drivers for printers,
displays, CD-ROM readers, diskette drives, and so on.

PnP

Plug and Play, sometimes, abbreviated PnP, is a catchy phrase used to

describe devices that work with a computer system as soon as they are
connected.

CLI

Short for command line interface, a user interface common to MSDOS computers.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows (or simply Windows) is a metafamily of

graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by
Microsoft

Apple OS X

is a series of Unix-based graphical interface operating systems (OS)

developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is designed to run on
Macintosh computers.

Linux

Linux is, in simplest terms, an operating system. It is the software on a

computer that enables applications and the computer operator to

access the devices on the computer to perform desired functions.
NOS

A network operating system (NOS) is a computer operating system

system that is designed primarily to support workstation, personal
computer, and, in some instances, older terminal that are connected on
a local area network (LAN).

HCL

A hardware compatibility list (HCL) is a list of computer hardware

(typically including many types of peripheral devices) that is
compatible with a particular operating system or device management
software.

Primary partition

A primary partition contains one file system. In DOS and all early
versions of Microsoft Windows systems, Microsoft required what it
called the system partition to be the first partition

Active partition

An active partition is a partition that contains the operating system that

a computer attempts to load into memory by default when it is started
or restarted. A partition is a logically independent section of a hard
disk drive (HDD).

Extended partition

An extended partition is a primary partition that has been divided up

into logical partitions as a means of creating more partitions than the
four that would otherwise be possible.

Logical drive

A logical drive on a computer is designated by the drive letters in the

My Computer window or Windows Explorer window in the Microsoft
Windows operating system.

Formatting

Hard disks, which are the primary storage devices on your computer,
need to be formatted before you can use them. Formatting a disk
means configuring the disk with a file system so that Windows can
store information on the disk.

NTFS

NTFS (New Technology File System) is a journaling file system that

can recover from disk errors more readily than the earlier FAT32 file
system. It also supports the Unicode character set and long file names
(up to 255 characters).

FAT32

(File Allocation Table32) The 32-bit version of the FAT file system.
Employed on Windows PCs prior to the more advanced NTFS file
system, the FAT32 format is widely used for USB drives, flash
memory cards and external hard drives for compatibility on all
platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android tablets, etc.).

Disk cloning

Disk clone can help to upgrade hard disk from old small disk to a new
larger one without reinstallations of operating system and the
applications.

Image-based installation

Image-based installation is a method of copying or cloning

preconfigured operating systems (and, optionally, software
applications) onto destination computers.

Remote installation

Remote Installation Services is a Microsoft-supplied server that allows

PXE BIOS-enabled computers to remotely execute boot environment
variables. These variables are likely computers that are on a
company's (or that company's client's) network.

Restore point

A restore point is a representation of a stored state of your computer's

system files. You can use a restore point to restore your computer's
system files to an earlier point in time.

Windows Registry

The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level

settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for
applications that opt to use the Registry. The kernel, device drivers,
services, Security Accounts Manager (SAM), and user interface can
all use the Registry.

Task Manager

A task manager is a system monitor program used to provide

information about the processes and programs running on a computer,
as well as the general status of the computer.

Device driver

A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of device

that is attached to your computer.

Performance Monitor

The Microsoft Windows Performance Monitor is a tool that

administrators can use to examine how programs running on their
computers affect the computer's performance.

Chkdsk

CHKDSK (short for "check disk") is a system tool in DOS, OS/2 and
Windows. It verifies the file system integrity of a volume and fixes
logical file system errors.

System Information tool

A free tool included with Microsoft Windows that allows users to view
information about the computer, its hardware, drivers, and software.

Remote Desktop

Remote desktop is a program or an operating system feature that

allows the user to connect to a computer in another location, see that
computer's desktop and interact with it as if it were local.

Remote assistance

Windows Remote Assistance is a feature of Windows XP and later that

allows a user to temporarily view or control a remote Windows
computer over a network or the Internet to resolve issues without
directly touching the unit.

HomeGroup

A homegroup is a group of PCs on a home network that can share files

and printers. Using a homegroup makes sharing easier.

Msinfo32

MSINFO32 displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system

components, and software environment.

Regedit

Its basically the command you use to get into the registry to edit it.
Regedit is one of those Windows programs that Microsoft doesn't say
much about.

PC virtualization

In computing, virtualization means to create a virtual version of a

device or resource, such as a server, storage device, network or even
an operating system where the framework divides the resource into
one or more execution environments.

Windows Virtual PC

Windows Virtual PC is a virtualization program for Microsoft

windows. In July 2006 Microsoft released the Windows version as a
free product.

Windows XP Mode

XP Mode is a complete, licensed copy of Windows XP with Service

Pack 3 contained in a virtual hard disk (VHD) that runs under
Windows Virtual PC. XP-mode enables you to run Windows XP from
within Windows 7.

Preventive maintenance

The act of a regularly scheduled check of the computer hardware or

software to help ensure it continues to operate properly.

Windows Automatic Updates

Windows automatically checks for the latest updates for your

computer.

Backup utility

A backup utility is a program that is designed to create a copy of data

in a secondary location for safekeeping.

Normal backup

A Normal back-up is a copy of all the files on your computer.

Copy backup

Copy backup is a backup that copies all selected files but does not
mark each file as having been backed up. In other words, the archive
attribute is not cleared.

Incremental backup

An incremental backup is one that provides a backup of files that have

changed or are new since the last incremental backup; it is one that
backs up only the data that have changed since the last backup be it
a full or incremental backup.
Differential backup

A differential backup is a type of data backup that preserves data,

saving only the difference in the data since the last full backup.

Daily backup

A daily backup copies all selected files that have been modified the
day the daily backup is performed.

Windows 7 Hardware
Requirements

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor.

1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.

QUESTIONS
1. How is a memory - resident part of an operating system different from a nonresident part of
an operating system?
A memory resident, which means it remains in memory while the computer is running, other
parts of the operating system are non resident, meaning these instructions remain on a
storage medium until they are needed.

2. What is the difference between a cold and warm boot?

You perform a cold boot every time you turn on the power switch on your computer. To
"boot" the computer means to start it up and reset the memory and BIOS. Pressing the Ctrl-ALTDelete keys simultaneously while the computer is running performs a warm boot. You may need
to do this if the computer stops responding because of memory problems or the "Blue Screen of
Death" appears. The computer needs to be reset before you can continue. If the warm boot fails
to restart the computer, you will need to resort to a cold boot by shutting off the power switch,
waiting ten seconds and then turning it back on.

3. What is Safe Mode? List and describe the different options available when booting in Safe
mode.
Safe mode is a troubleshooting option for Windows that starts your computer in a limited
state. Only the basic files and drivers necessary to run Windows are started. The words "Safe
Mode" appear in the corners of the display to identify which Windows mode you are using.

4. List and briefly describe 3 network operating systems

Abbreviated as NOS, a network operating system includes special functions for connecting
computers and devices into a local-area network (LAN). Some operating systems, such as
UNIX and the Mac OS, have networking functions built in.
The term network operating system is generally reserved for software that enhances a basic
operating system by adding networking features. Novell Netware, Artisoft's LANtastic,
Microsoft Windows Server, and Windows NT are examples of a NOS.

5. What is a Utility Program?

A program that performs a specific task related to the management of computer functions,
resources, or files, as password protection, memory management, virus protection, and file
compression.

List and describe the following utility programs:

Uninstaller An uninstaller, also called a deinstaller, is a variety of utility software

designed to remove other software or parts of it from a computer.

Disk defragmenter Disk Defragmenter is a utility in Microsoft Windows designed to

increase access speed by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage
locations, a technique called defragmentation.

Backup utility- A backup utility is a program that is designed to create a copy of data in a
secondary location for safekeeping.

Restore utilitySystem Restore can be used to remove any system changes that were
made since the last time you remember your computer working correctly. System Restore does
not affect your personal data files so you wont lose changes made to these files

Screen saverA screen saver is an animated image that is activated on a personal

computer display when no user activity has been sensed for a certain time.

Personal firewall- A personal firewall is an application which controls network traffic to and
from a computer, permitting or denying communications based on a security policy. Typically it
works as an application layer firewall.


Antivirus program- Antivirus (or anti-virus) program is used to safeguard a computer from
malware, including viruses, computer worms, and Trojan horses. Antivirus program may also
remove or prevent spyware and adware, along with other forms of malicious programs.

Spyware removersThe Spyware Removers category contains software designed to

detect and remove spyware, adware, and other malware such as keyloggers, rootkits, Trojan
horses, and browser hijackers.

Anti-spam softwareThe phrase anti spam (or anti-spam)Refers to any software, hardware
or process that is used to combat the proliferation of spam or to keep spam from entering a
system.

Compression / decompression programMost people have downloaded large files, such as

music or video, from the Internet. Because of the large size of these files, downloading them can
take hours. To solve this problem, and make better use of disk space, large files are compressed,
using various software. Once downloaded, they can then be decompressed, and viewed, using a
decompression program.

References:
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Four-Major-Functions-Operating-System-65054617.html
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/6824/device-driver
earchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/definitions