Computers Are Your Future

Twelfth Edition

Chapter 4: System Software

 System Software
• System software
o Consists of all the programs that enable the computer and
its peripheral devices to function smoothly
o Divided into two main categories:
• The operating system
• System utilities (utility programs)
 The Operating System

• Five basic functions

o Starts the computer
o Manages applications
o Manages memory
o Handles input and output device
messages
o Provides a user interface for
communication
 The Operating System
• Operation system (OS)
o Set of programs that coordinates:
• Interactions of hardware components to each other
• Interaction between application software and
computer hardware
 The Operating System

• Starting the computer

o Booting—loading the OS into RAM
• Cold boot: Starting computer when it has not yet been turned on
• Warm boot: Restarting a computer that is already on
The Operating System
The Six Steps of Booting a System
 The Operating System
• Managing applications
o Single-tasking operating systems—run only one
application at a time
o Multitasking operating systems—permit more than one
application to run at the same time
• The foreground application is the active one.
• Background applications appear inactive.
o Preemptive multitasking—ensures all applications have fair
access to the CPU
The Operating System
 The Operating System
• Managing memory
o Buffer
• Area that holds data and instructions temporarily
• Makes programs run faster
o RAM memory functions as the buffer.
o OS gives each program a portion of RAM memory and
keeps them from interfering with each other.
The Operating System
 The Operating System
• Coordinating tasks
o Device drivers—enable communication between computer and devices
o Interrupts—signals created by input and output devices
• Notify the OS when actions are taken
o Interrupt handlers (also called interrupt service routines)—
miniprograms that immediately respond when an interrupt occurs
o Interrupt vector table—holds responses from multiple interrupts in
RAM, where the OS processes them in highest to lowest priority order
o Interrupt request (IRQ)—actual interrupting of an event by an
interrupt signal
 The Operating System
• Providing the user interface
o Allows the user to:
• Start application programs
• Manage storage devices
• Safely shut down the computer
 The Operating System
• Types of user interfaces
o Graphical user interface (GUI)
o Menu-driven user interface
o Command-line user interface
 The Operating System
• Windows 7 is the most recent Microsoft OS
 Exploring Popular
Operating Systems
• Three categories of operating systems
o Stand-alone operating systems—used by single users
o Server operating systems—used in client/server network environments
o Embedded operating systems—found on ROM chips in portable or
dedicated devices
Exploring Popular
Operating Systems
 Stand-Alone
Operating Systems
• UNIX
o Features preemptive multitasking
o Has many versions that are not compatible
o Hard to use—defaults to a command-line user interface
o Mac OS X is based on UNIX
 Stand-Alone
Operating Systems
• Linux
o Developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991
o Open source software—source code is available to users
o Powerful, free
o Features such as
• Multitasking
• Virtual memory
• Internet support
• GUI
o Gaining acceptance for Web servers
o Disadvantages
• Lack of technical support prevents adoption in corporate
environments
• Difficult to run Microsoft Office applications
 Stand-Alone
Operating Systems
 Stand-Alone
Operating Systems
• Server operating systems
o Microsoft Windows Server 2008
• Used in corporate environments to support client/server systems
• Benefits include:
o Security
o Web server
o Administration
o Virtualization
o Other server operating systems
• Unix
• Linux
• Netware by Novell
• Solaris
• Mac OS X Server
 Stand-Alone
Operating Systems
• Embedded operating systems
o Designed for specific applications
o Compact and efficient
o Eliminate many unneeded features of OSs
o Used in PDAs, cell phones, point-of-sale devices,
industrial robots, etc.
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• System utilities (utility programs)
o Software programs—essential to effective
management of the computer system
o Perform tasks such as:
• Backing up files
• Providing antivirus protection
• Searching for and managing files
• Compressing files
• Providing accessibility utilities to individuals
with special needs
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Backup software—copies
data found on the hard disk to
a backup device
o Full backups—include all files and
data
o Incremental backups—include only
those files changed or added since the
previous backup
o Drive imaging software—creates a
mirror image of the entire hard drive
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Antivirus software—protects the computer from
viruses
o Popular antivirus programs:
• BitDefender Antivirus
• Kaspersky Anti-virus
• Webroot AntiVirus wit SpySweeper
• Norton AntiVirus
• ESET Nod32 Antivirus
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Scanning and defragmenting disks
o Disk scanning programs—find and resolve disk file storage problems
• Bad sector—irregularity on the disk’s surface that renders a portion of the
disk unable to store data reliably
o Disk cleanup utilities—remove unnecessary files to save space
o Fragmented disk—results from computer creating and erasing files on hard
disk
• Causes disk access to slow while system looks in several locations to find all
file segments
o Disk defragmentation programs—reorganize stored data in a more efficient
manner
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• File compression utilities
o Decrease the size of files, resulting in faster downloads
o Create archives by storing files in a special format
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Accessibility utilities
o Designed to make computing
easier for individuals with
special needs
• On-screen keyboard
• Speech recognition
• Narrator
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Systems update
o Windows Update for Windows
7 and Vista automatically
downloads and installs updates.
o Includes service packs, version
upgrades, and security updates
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Troubleshooting
o Keep a boot disk (emergency disk)—to load the
operating system for emergencies
o Use the Windows Help and Support utility
o Shut down the system properly.
• Use correct procedure; don’t just turn the power off.
• Put in sleep mode, a low-power state, as an
alternative.
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Safe mode
o Windows loads a
minimal set of drivers
known to function
correctly
o Use Control Panel to
discover devices that
are causing the
problem
 System Utilities:
Housekeeping Tools
• Reliability and Performance Monitor
o Helps determine when system’s performance began to degrade
o Gives details about events that may have caused the problem
• Help and Support
o Available from Start menu
o Includes several ways to manage and maintain the computer