Summary
- An operating system (OS) is the software that controls the allocation and use of a computer’s hardware.
- The operating system is made up of three components: the user interface, the file management system, and the kernel.
- Designed by Gary Kildall in 1973, Control Program for Microcomputer (CP/M) was the first PC operating system.
- MS-DOS was the basis of operating systems for years as new capabilities were added to Microsoft operating systems. As hardware and software continued to improve, DOS became obsolete.
- DOS gave way to the Windows New Technology (NT) core, which was designed with increased security for users that ran large files and sophisticated programs. Although they are not named “NT”, the modern Windows operating systems (i.e. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) are based on the NT core.
- Other important operating systems include Mac OS X, OS/2, UNIX, and Linux.
- The BIOS setup allows users to customize their computer to function optimally based on its hardware and software profile.
- The Event Viewer utility logs errors, warnings and information pertaining to the computer’s applications, security, and system. These logs should be viewed when troubleshooting and diagnosing problems.
- The Defragmenter is used to optimize access to files on the hard drive. This tool rearranges files on the hard drive until they are contiguous.
- Although DOS is an obsolete operating system, many of the commands first found in MS-DOS are still used through the Windows Command Line Interface. Knowing these commands can put a technician at an advantage. If something goes wrong with the Windows graphical user interface, a technician may need to repair the system via the Command Line.
- Common file extensions that technicians should be familiar with include: .BAK, .BAT, .CFG, .DAT, .DLL, .DRV, .EXE, .INF, .INI, .SYS, .TMP
- Keeping Windows updated is a key factor in computer security. Important updates typically fix bugs and security liabilities.
- A driver is a program written to access the features of a device and help the operating system interact and control a device.
- Task Manager shows the current programs, processes, and services that are currently running on a computer along with CPU, memory, and network utilization. All of these items display information that can be crucial in diagnosing a computer problem.
