Technology In Action

1
 Technology In Action

Chapter 5
Using System Software:
The Operating System, Utility Programs,
and File Management

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 Topics
 System software
 Operating systems (OS):
• Kinds of systems
• Common desktop systems
• User interaction
• How the OS manages the processor
• How the OS manages memory

3
 Topics
 Operating systems:
• How the OS manages hardware
• How the OS manages interacts with
application software
• How the OS helps to start the computer
• How the OS helps you keep the
computer organized
 Desktop and windows features
 Utility programs
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 System Software
Operating systems System utilities
 Control computer  Programs that perform
functions: computer
• Hardware housekeeping tasks:
• Memory • Manage system
• Application programs resources
• System maintenance • Improve efficiency
 Provide user interface • Virus prevention

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 Operating System Categories
 Four categories:
• Real-Time (RTOS)
 No user interaction required
• Single-User, Single-Task
• Single-User, Multitask
• Multiuser

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 Real-Time Operating Systems
 Built into devices,
not usually sold
separately
 Uses include:
• Industrial machines
• Robotic equipment
• Automobiles
• Video game
consoles
• Home appliances

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Single-User Operating Systems
Single-task systems Multitask systems
 Perform one task at a time  Perform simultaneous
 PDAs (Personal Digital tasks
Assistants):  Windows
• Pocket PC  MAC OS
• Palm OS  Linux
• Windows Mobile
 MS-DOS

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 Multiuser Operating Systems
 Known as network operating systems
 Allow access to the computer system by
more than one user
 Manage user requests
 Systems include:
• UNIX
• Linux
• Novell Netware
• Windows Server 2003

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 Desktop Operating Systems
 Operating system combined with the
processor is known as a platform
• Microsoft Windows / Intel
• Apple Macintosh / Motorola in older versions
• Now Apple also uses the Intel processor
 Desktop operating systems include:
• Microsoft Windows
• MAC OS
• UNIX
• Linux
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 Microsoft Windows
 Market leader – 90% market share
Click to view the various Windows systems
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 Windows Vista
 Introduced in 2007
Windows XP
Comparable
Versions Description Version
Windows Vista Home Basic Low-level, budget home users. Windows XP Home Edition
Windows XP Home Edition
with features from
Combines media features of to support advanced home Windows XP Media
Windows Vista Home Premium media uses such as HDTV and DVD authoring. Center Edition
As its name implies, this version is aimed at the
business market. Similar to Windows XP
Professional, this version has added support for
networking capabilities. This product comes
bundled with a new version of Internet
Information Services (IIS), the most widely used
Windows Vista Business Web server for corporate Web sites. Windows XP Professional
This edition is aimed at the enterprise segment of the
business market and is not be available through
retail stores or OEMs (Original Equipment
Manufacturers). It comes with Microsoft Virtual PC,
which enables it to run on any platform, and has a
Windows Vista Enterprise multilingual user interface.
This is the “ultimate” operating system for high-end PC
users, gamers, multimedia professionals, and PC
enthusiasts. Vista Ultimate comes with RSS (Real-
time Simple Syndication) support for easy access
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to podcasts and weblogs, a game performance
tweaker, DVD ripping capabilities, and other online
Windows Vista Ultimate capabilities for downloading media.
 MAC OS
 First operating system with point-and-click
technology (Graphical User Interface)
 Excellent in: MAC OS X
• Graphics display
• Processing capabilities
• System reliability
• Document recovery
 Fewer software applications

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 UNIX
 Multiuser, multitask operating
system
 Used primarily with mainframes

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 Linux
 Open-source
operating system
 Based on UNIX
 Stable system
 Free
 May be downloaded
through the
Internet

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 What the Operating System Does
 Provides user
interface
 Manages the CPU
 Manages memory
 Manages hardware
 Coordinates
application
software with the
CPU
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 The User Interface
 Enables you to
interact with the Command-
driven
computer
 Types of
interfaces:
• Command-driven
Menu-driven
interface
• Menu-driven
interface
• Graphical user Graphical
interface
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 Processor Management
 Controls the timing of events the
processor works on
• Interrupts
• Interrupt handler
• Interrupt table
• Stack
Operatin
Process
Process
g3rd
1st
2nd
4th
REQUEST System

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 Memory Management
 The operating system allocates space
in RAM for instructions and data

RAM

Operating

System
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 Virtual Memory
 Instructions and data are stored on
the hard drive when RAM is full
• Swap file

FULL
• Paging
• Thrashing

Operating

System
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 Hardware Management
 Device drivers:
• Programs that enable
the operating system to
communicate with
peripheral devices
• Provided by the
manufacturer of the
device
 Plug and Play:
• Hardware and software
standard
• Facilitates the
installation of new
hardware
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 Software Application Coordination
 Application programming interfaces
(APIs):
• Blocks of code contained in the
operating system
• Coordinates the operating system with
software applications
 Similar toolbars and menus
• Microsoft Direct X

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 Starting the Computer
The Boot Process
 Step 1: The basic 2
input/output system (BIOS)
is activated
1
 Step 2: A Power-on self-test
(POST) checks attached
hardware 3
 Step 3: The operating
system loads into memory 4
 Step 4: Configuration and
customization settings are
checked 23
 Handling Errors in the
Boot Process
 Non-system disk or disk
error
• Remove the floppy from
the drive and press any
key
 POST errors
• Single beep: Everything is
loading properly
• Series of beeps: Hardware
problem
 Safe mode
• Windows does not boot
properly
• Uninstall any new devices
or software
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Click to view
Desktop features The Desktop
B MY DOCUMENTS
____________ I
Desktop

TOOLBAR
_________
C MY COMPUTER
____________
features:
• Shortcut icons
A _______________
SHORTCUT ICONS
• My Documents
• Start button
• Quick launch
• Open
OPEN programs
__________
PROGRAMS
________
• Taskbar ___________
D ____________
START BUTTON
F tray
TASKBAR
_________ SYSTEM TRAY

• System G H
E ____________
QUICK LAUNCH
• toolbar
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 Click to view Start
Start Menu
menu features
____________
USER NAME A
B
_______________
PINNED ITEMS LIST

C _______________
SPECIAL FOLDERS
SYSTEM AREA
_______________
MOST FREQUENTLY G HELP
_______________ _______________
USED LIST

ALL PROGRAMS
___________
BUTTON D F
SHUT DOWN/RESTART
_______________
USER LOG OFF
_____________
E 26
 Click to view
Window features Window
__________
TITLE BAR A
__________
MENU BAR B
G SIZING BUTTONS
_______________
TOOLBARS
__________ C

F SCROLLBARS
____________

______________
VIEW OPTIONS D

STATUS BAR
____________ E
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 File Management
 The operating system provides an
organizational structure to the
computer’s contents
 Hierarchical structure of directories:
• Drives
 Folders
Subfolders
 Files

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 Viewing and Sorting
Files and Folders
 Windows Explorer
 Views

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 Viewing and Sorting
Files and Folders
 Windows
Explorer
• Detail
View
• Sorted
and
grouped

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 Naming Files

 Filename:
• Name assigned plus
filename extension Bioreport.doc

 only characters not or

legal in filenames Bio report.doc

are: \ ⁄ : * ?
" < > ¦
 all others are
allowed 31
 Filename Extensions
 Filename Extension Type of Document Application
.doc Word processing Microsoft Word;
extensions: document Corel WordPerfect
• Used by .xls Workbook Microsoft Excel
programs .ppt PowerPoint Microsoft
presentation PowerPoint
.mdb Database Microsoft Access
.bmp Bitmap image Windows
.zip Compressed file WinZip
.pdf Portable Document Adobe Acrobat
Format
.htm Web page Hypertext Markup
or .html Language

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 File path

 File path
• Location of the file

Subfolders Filename

C:\My Documents\Tech in Action\TIA Pics\dotmatrix.gif

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 Working with Files
 File management
actions:
• Open
• Copy
• Move
• Rename
• Delete
 Recycle bin
Saving files

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 Utility Programs
 Small application programs that
perform special functions:
• Manage system
resources
• Create a pleasant
environment
• Improve efficiency

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 Display Utilities
 Change the appearance of:
• Desktop
• Windows colors
• Font sizes
• Screen savers
• Screen resolution

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 Add or Remove Programs
 Installation wizard
 Uninstall wizard:
• Do not just delete program files to
remove programs

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 System Maintenance Utilities
 Disk cleanup
• Deletes
unnecessary files

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 System Maintenance Utilities

 Disk defragmenter
• Tidies up a disk to
make it run faster
 ScanDisk:
• Error-checker

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 System Maintenance Utilities
 Task manager
• Allows you to see
and control the
processes on your
machine
• Can be used to find
spyware

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 System Restore
 System
Restore:
• Restores the
system settings
back to a
specific date

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 System Backup
 Backup:
• Creates a copy of
the hard drive to
another storage
device

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 Accessibility Utilities

 Utility manager:
• Magnify screen
image
• Screen contents
narration
• On-screen keyboard

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