Chapter 8
Operating Systems and Utility
Programs
Operating Systems
What is an operating system (OS)?
v Set of programs that coordinates all activities among
computer hardware resources
Operating Systems
What are the functions of an operating
system?
Operating Systems
Where is the operating system located?
Operating Systems
What is a cross-platform application?
v One that runs identically on multiple operating
systems
Operating System Functions
What is booting?
v Process of starting or restarting a computer
Operating System Functions
What
messages display on the screen when you boot the computer?
Operating System Functions
How does a personal computer boot
up?
Operating System Functions
Operating System Functions
Operating System Functions
Operating System Functions
Operating System Functions
Operating System Functions
What is an emergency recovery disk?
v Floppy disk that contains system files that will start
computer when hard disk becomes damaged and computer cannot boot
v Also called repair disk, boot disk,
or rescue disk
Operating System Functions
What is a user interface?
v Controls how you enter data and instructions and how
information displays on screen
Operating System Functions
What
is multitasking?
v Allows single user to work on two or more applications
that reside in memory at same time
Operating System Functions
What
are other program management features of operating systems?
Operating System Functions
What is memory management?
v Optimizes the use of random access memory (RAM)
Operating System Functions
What is virtual memory (VM) management?
v Operating system allocates portion of hard disk to function like RAM
Operating System Functions
How does an operating system schedule jobs?
v Adjusts schedule based on job’s priority
Operating System Functions
What is spooling?
v Print jobs sent to buffer instead of directly to
printer, where print jobs wait their turn
Operating System Functions
What is a device driver?
v Small program that tells operating system how to
communicate with a device
v Each device requires its
own specific driver
Operating System Functions
How do you install a device driver?
Operating System Functions
How does an operating system
monitor performance?
v Provides a program, called performance monitor, that
assesses and reports information about various system resources
and
devices
Operating System Functions
How does an operating system manage
files?
v Includes a program called file manager, such as
Windows Explorer
Operating System Functions
What is a file allocation table (FAT)?
v A table of information that operating system uses to
locate files on a disk
v Reformatting disk usually erases only file allocation
table and leaves actual files on disk
Operating System Functions
What are features of a network
operating system?
v Server is computer that controls access to network and
provides centralized storage area
v Other computers on network are called clients
Operating System Functions
How do operating systems administer
security?
v Most multiuser operating systems allow each user to
log on
Types of Operating Systems
What are three categories of
operating systems?
Stand-Alone Operating Systems
What is DOS (Disk Operating System)?
v Refers to several single user operating systems
developed in the early 1980s for personal computers
Stand-Alone Operating Systems
What is Mac OS?
v Multitasking operating system available only for
computers manufactured by Apple
Network Operating Systems
What is UNIX?
v Command-line multitasking operating system
Network Operating Systems
What is Linux?
v Popular, free, open-source multitasking
UNIX-type operating system
Network Operating Systems
What is Solaris?
v UNIX-type operating system designed specifically for
e-commerce applications
Embedded Operating Systems
What is an embedded operating system?
v Operating system found on most handheld computers and
small devices
v Resides on a ROM chip
Utility Programs
What is a utility program?
v System software that performs a specific task
v Examples include:
• File viewer
• File compression
• Diagnostic utility
• Uninstaller
• Disk scanner
• Disk defragmenter
• Backup utility
• Screen saver
Utility Programs
What is a screen saver?
v Causes monitor's screen to display a moving image or
blank screen if there is no activity for a specified time period
v Prevents ghosting
v Popular for security, business, or entertainment
purposes