Operating system
basics
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Understand the types of operating systems available
• Differentiate among the major desktop operating
systems
• Explain how device drivers work
• Explain computer file storage concepts
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System Software
• System BIOS
• Stored on a ROM BIOS chip on the motherboard
• “Firmware” – both hardware and software
• Starts up the computer at a low level
• Operating System
• Utilities
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Operating System
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Operating System
• Platform: the hardware required to run a particular
operating system
§ Intel platform (IBM-compatible)
o Windows
o DOS
o UNIX
o Linux
§ Macintosh platform
o Mac OS X
§ iPad and iPhone platform
o iOS
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Interface Types
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Command-line interface
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Utility Software
• Protection from malware
• Disk error correction
• Disk optimization
• File cleanup
• Uninstallers
• Registry cleanup
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Desktop and Notebook
Operating Systems
• Windows: Best known, greatest selection of
applications available
• Mac OS: User-friendly, runs on Mac hardware.
Many applications available
• Linux: Free, but can be more challenging to
configure; few applications available
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Mac OS X Mavericks
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Microsoft Windows 7
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Ubuntu Linux
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Google Chrome OS
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Server Operating Systems
• Windows Server
§ Familiar GUI interface for those experienced with
Windows
• UNIX
§ Very mature server capabilities, time-tested, large user
community, stable
• Linux
§ Free, customizable, many free services and utilities
available
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Windows Server
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UNIX
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Tablet and Phone
Operating Systems
• System-on-chip (SoC)
• Downloadable applications (apps) from a Store
app
• Popular SoC operating systems:
§ iOS: for iPad, iPhone
§ Windows Phone: for Windows phones
§ Android: for a variety of tablets and phones
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iOS on the iPad
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Windows Phone OS
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Device Drivers
• Translate the OS requests into the language of the
device
• Translates messages from the device back to the OS
• Published by the device manufacturer for a specific
operating system and device model
• Updates are periodically released that fix bugs and
improve performance
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Device Manager
• Access from the Control
Panel (System section)
• Shows the installed devices
• Shows driver details and
versions
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Digital Storage Vocabulary
• Drive: Physical storage device
• Volume: A lettered section of a storage device (a
logical drive)
• Partition: To create logical volumes out of a
single physical drive
• Format: To create the file system on a volume
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File Systems
• File system: The storage system used to store and
organize the files on a particular volume
• Common file systems:
§ NTFS: Most Windows hard drives (Windows 2000 and
higher)
§ HFS+: Hard drives for Mac OS X
§ ISO 9660 or UDF: CDs and DVDs
§ FAT32: Hard drives for Windows 95/98/Millennium Edition
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Disk Management
• Access from Administrative Tools in Control Panel
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File Paths
• Root directory = top-level folder
• Path: the complete descriptor of a file’s location,
including the volume and folders
• Path is written like this:
• E:\Budget\January.txt
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Disk Management
• Folder tree in navigation pane in Windows Explorer
shows graphical representation of folder system
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File Extensions and Types
• Extension: characters after the period in a file
name that indicate the file’s type
• Extensions tell the OS which application to use to
open a data file
• Extensions tell the OS which files are executable
(.exe or .com)
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File Extensions and Types
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File Compression
• ZIP files
• Individual files or groups of files
• Individual folders or groups of folders
• Creates a single compressed archive file
• Right-click a group of selected files, point to Send To, and
choose Compressed (zipped) folder
• NTFS compression
• Can be applied to individual files or folders
• Invisible to the user
• In the Properties box for the folder, click Advanced and mark the
Compress Contents to Save Disk Space check box
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File Encryption
• Protects files from being accessed by
unauthorized users
• NTFS encryption
• Only the user who encrypted the files can view them
on the local volume
• BitLocker encryption
• Encrypts the entire drive so that it can’t be read if it is
removed from the current computer
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Backup Vocabulary
• Archive attribute: File attribute that indicates whether
or not a file has changed since its last backup
• Full backup: Backs up all files and sets their archive
attribute to Off
• Differential backup: Backs up all files that have the
archive attribute On but does not change that attribute
• Incremental backup: Backs up all files that have the
archive attribute On and then sets it to Off
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summary
1. List three types of system software.
2. What is the difference between an OS and a platform?
3. List five types of utility programs.
4. List three operating systems that would run on an IBM-
compatible desktop PC.
5. Name three operating systems used on smartphones.
6. Explain the purpose of Plug and Play technology.
7. Explain the purpose of partitioning a drive.
8. Give an example of a complete path to a file, and explain
the parts of the path.
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REFERENCES
Wempen, F. (2015). Computing Fundamentals
Introduction to Computers. Hoboken, N.J. John
Wiley & Sons
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