Operating Systems and File Management

Chapter 4

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System and Application Software– System software

• Coordinates hardware activities

• Operating Systems and Utilities

– Application software

• Consists of programs written to

– Solve problems

– Help people and organizations achieve their goals

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System Software

Operating system (OS) (sometimes called the platform)

coordinates all activities among computer

hardware resources

Programs that maintain operation

of computer

Two types are operating systems

and utility programs

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Operating Systems

Runs or controls the computer hardware Acts as an interface with application

programs and users

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Operating Systems

administer security

start the computer

manage memory

monitor performance

control a network

provide a user interface manage programs

provide file management and other utilities

establish an Internet connection

schedule jobs and configure devices

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Operating System Activities Multitasking provides process and memory

management services that allow two or more tasks, jobs, or programs to run simultaneously

An operating system’s multiprocessing capability supports a division of labor among all the processing units

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Operating System Activities Operating System Categories

– Single-user operating system– Multiuser operating system– Server operating system– Desktop operating system

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User Interfaces The combination of hardware and software

that helps people and computers communicate with each other

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The Boot Process

During the boot process, the operating system kernel is loaded into RAM– The kernel provides essential

operating system services

Your computer’s start-up process is built into special ROM circuitry housed in the computer’s system unit (ROM-BIOS)

4SECTION B

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Today’s Operating Systems Microsoft Windows Mac OS UNIX and Linux DOS Handheld Operating Systems

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Windows Versions

Windows Version Year Released

Windows 3.x 1990

Windows NT 3.1 1993

Windows 95 1995

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 1996

Windows 98 1998

Windows Millennium Edition 2000

Windows 2000 Professional 2000

Windows XP 2001

Windows XP SP2 2004

Windows Vista 2007

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Editions– Starter– Home Basic– Home Premium– Business– Enterprise– Ultimate

Need 1 GB to 2 GB of memory Improved Security Aero Graphics

– Change saturation, color, and level of transparency

Vista

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Mac OS X

Available only for computers manufactured by Apple

Macintosh operating system has been model for most GUIs

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Mac OS

On a Macintosh computer with Boot Camp, you can boot into Mac OS X or into Windows.

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Linux

Red Hat provides a version of Linux called Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Popular, free, multitasking UNIX-type operating system

Open-source softwaree:code is available to public. FREE

Both a stand-alone and a network operating system

Created by Linus Torvalds

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UNIX

Used by power users because of its flexibility and power

Most versions offer GUI

Available forcomputers of allsizes

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Disk Operating System (DOS)

D

Developed in early 1980s for personal computers

O

Used command-line interface when first

developed, later included menusSHardly used today

because it does not offer GUI

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Handheld Operating Systems

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File Basics File Names and Extensions File Directories and Folders File Formats

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File Formats Windows uses a file association list to link a

file extension to its corresponding application software

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Physical File Storage The file system

keeps track of the names and locations of files– NTFS

• Master File Table (MFT)

– FAT32• File Allocation Table

(FAT)

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Physical File Storage Deleting a file changes the status of that file’s

clusters to empty and removes the file name from the index file– The file’s data is still there– File shredder software overwrites “empty” sectors

with random 1s and 0s Files in the Windows Recycle Bin and similar

utilities can be undeleted

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Physical File Storage Fragmented files are stored in noncontiguous

clusters and decrease performance Defragmentation utilities rearrange files so

that they are stored in contiguous clusters

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Device Drivers

Device Driver

Program that tells operating system how to communicate

with device

With Plug and Play, operating system

automatically configures new devices as you

install them Also called driver

4 Fun Quote

People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.

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Quotable…

Neither a wise nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him

• Dwight Eisenhower