Chapter Eight

Operating System
 Chapter 8 Objectives
1. Describe the two types of software
2. Understand the startup process for a personal computer
3. Describe the term user interface
4. Explain features common to most operating systems
5. Know the difference between stand-alone operating
systems and network operating systems
6. Identify various stand-alone operating systems
7. Identify various network operating systems
8. Recognize devices that use embedded operating systems
9. Discuss the purpose of the following utilities: file viewer,
file compression, diagnostic, uninstaller, disk scanner,
disk defragmenter, backup, and screen saver
 Introduction
System software is an essential part of a computer
system. This chapter defines system software and
discusses two types of system software: operating
systems and utility programs. You learn what an
operating system is and explore user interfaces,
operating systems features, and operating system
functions. A variety of popular operating systems are
described including DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows
95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP,
Windows CE, the Mac OS, OS/2, UNIX, Linux, and
NetWare. You discover what happens when they
start a computer and why a boot disk is important.
    Describe the two types of software
Two types of software are application software and
system software.
Application software consists of programs that perform
specific tasks for users, such as a word processing
program, e-mail program, or Web browser.
System software consists of the programs that control the
operations of a computer and its devices. The two types of
system software are operating systems and utility
programs.
An operating system (OS) is a set of programs containing
instructions that coordinate all the activities among computer
hardware devices.
A utility program performs a specific task, usually related to
 Identify various types of storage media and
storage devices
A storage medium (media is the plural) is the physical material
on which items are kept. A storage device is the computer
hardware that records and retrieves items to and from a
storage medium. Storage devices can function as sources of
input and output.
When storage devices transfer items from a storage
medium into memory – a process called reading – they
function as sources of input.
When storage devices transfer items from memory to a
storage medium – a process called writing – they function
as sources of output.
Types of storage media include floppy disks, hard disks,
compact discs, tape, PC Cards, microfilm, and microfiche.
 Explain how a floppy disk stores data
A floppy disk is a portable, inexpensive storage medium that
consists of a thin, circular, flexible plastic disk with a magnetic
coating enclosed in a square-shaped plastic shell. A floppy disk
drive (FDD) is a device that can read from and write on a floppy
disk. When you insert a floppy disk into a floppy disk drive, a
shutter on the disk’s plastic shell slides to the side to expose the
disk’s recording surface. A floppy disk is a type of magnetic
media because it uses magnetic patterns to store items.
Data is stored in tracks and sectors. A track is a narrow recording
band that forms a full circle on the surface of the disk. The disk’s
storage locations consist of pie-shaped sections, which break the
track into small arcs called sectors. For reading and writing
purposes, sectors are grouped into clusters. A cluster consists of
two to eight sectors and is the smallest unit of space used to store
data. Formatting is the process of preparing a disk for reading
Identify the advantages of using high-capacity disks
A high-capacity disk drive is a disk drive that uses disks with
capacities of 100 MB and greater (remember, a typical floppy disk
can store only up to 1.44 MB). High-capacity disks are used to store
large graphics, audio, or video files and for backup. A backup is a
duplicate of a file, program, or disk that can be used if the original
is lost, damaged, or destroyed.
Three high-capacity disk drives are the SuperDisk™ drive, the
HiFD™ drive, and the Zip® drive.
The SuperDisk™ drive reads from and writes on a 120 MB or
250 MB SuperDisk™.
The HiFD™ (High-Capacity FD) drive reads from and writes
on a 200 MB HiFD™ disk.
The Zip® drive is a high-capacity disk drive that uses a Zip® disk.
The Zip® disk is larger and thicker than a 3.5-inch floppy disk
 Describe how a hard disk organizes data
A hard disk, or hard disk drive, consists of several
inflexible, circular platters that store items electronically. A
platter in a hard disk is made of aluminum, glass, or
ceramic and is coated with a material that allows items to be
recorded magnetically on its surface. Each platter has two
read/write heads, one for each side. Because of the stacked
arrangement of the platters, the location of the read/write
heads often is referred to by its cylinder, which is the
location of a single track through all platters. Some
computers improve hard disk access time by using a disk
cache, which is a portion of memory that the processor uses
to store frequently accessed items. A hard disk can be
divided into separate areas, called partitions, each of which
Identify the advantages of using an Internet hard
drive
An Internet hard drive is a service on the Web that
provides storage to computer users. People use Internet
hard drives to:
Eliminate the need to transport files when away
from a desktop computer
Instantaneously save large audio, video, and
graphics files when surfing the Web
Make audio files, video clips, or pictures available to
family, friends, co-workers, and customers
Immediately view time-critical data and images
while away from a main office or location
Store offsite backups of data
 Explain how a compact disc stores data
A compact disc (CD) is a flat, round, portable metal
storage medium that usually is 4.75 inches in
diameter and less than one-twentieth of an inch
thick. Compact discs store items using microscopic
pits (indentations) and land (flat areas) that are in the
middle layer of the disc. A high-powered laser light
creates the pits in a single track, divided into evenly
spaced sectors, that spirals from the center to the
edge of the disc. A low-powered laser reads items by
reflecting light off the disc surface. The reflected
light is converted into a series of bits that the
 Understand how to care for a compact disc
With proper care, a compact disc is guaranteed to last
five years, but could last up to 50 years. Compact
discs should not be stacked or exposed to excessive
heat, cold, sunlight, or contaminants. A compact disc
should be held by its edges (do not touch the
underside of the disc) and placed in its protective
case, called a jewel box, when it is not being used.
You can clean the bottom surface with a soft cloth
and warm water or a specialized CD cleaning kit,
and you can repair scratches on the bottom surface
with a specialized compact disc repair kit.
 Differentiate between CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, and DVD-
ROMs
A CD-ROM, or compact disc read-only memory, is a
compact disc that uses the same laser technology as audio
CDs. For a computer to read items stored on a CD-ROM,
you insert the disc into a CD-ROMdrive or CD-ROM
player. When viewing animation or video, the speed of a
CD-ROM drive, or data transfer rate, is important. A
higher the data transfer rate, results in smoother playback of
images and sounds.
Most standard CDs are single-session because manufacturers
record (write) all items to the disc at one time. Variations of
standard CD-ROMs, such asPhotoCD, CD-R (compact disc-
recordable), and CD-RW (compact disc-rewritable), are
multisession, which means additional data, instructions, and
Cont…
A PhotoCD is a compact disc that contains digital photographic
images.
A CD-R (compact disc-recordable) is a multisession compact disc
onto which you can record your own items.
A CD-RW (compact disc-rewritable) is an erasable disc you can
write on multiple times.
A DVD-ROM (digital video disc-ROM) is an extremely
high-capacity compact disc capable of storing from 4.7 GB
to 17 GB. In order to read a DVD-ROM, you must have a
DVD-ROM drive. You also can obtain recordable and
rewritable versions of DVD.
A DVD-R (DVD-recordable) allows you to write on it once and
read (play) it many times.
With the new rewritable DVD, called a DVD+RW, you can erase
  Identify the uses of tape
Tape, one of the first storage media used with
mainframe computers, is a magnetically-coated
ribbon of plastic capable of storing large amounts
of data and information at low cost. Because it
requires sequential access, or consecutive
reading and writing of data, tape is used for long-
term storage and backup. (Floppy disks, hard
disks, and compact discs all use direct access,
which means you can locate a data item
immediately, without having to move through all
the items stored in front of it.)
 Understand how an enterprise storage system
works
An enterprise storage system is a strategy that focuses on the
availability, protection, organization, and backup of storage in a
company. To implement an enterprise storage system, a company uses
a combination of techniques.
A server stores items needed by users on a network. A RAID system
ensures that data is not lost.
A tape library is a high-capacity tape system that works with
multiple tape cartridges for storing backups of data, information, and
instructions.
A CD-ROM jukebox holds hundreds of CD-ROMs that can contain
application programs and data.
An Internet backup can store data, information, and instructions on
the Web.
A network attached storage (NAC) is an easy way to add hard disk
space to a network.
 Explain how to use PC Cards and other
miniature storage media
A PC Card is a thin, credit card-sized device that
fits into a PC Card slot on a notebook or personal
computer. PC Cards are used to add storage,
memory, communications, and sound
capabilities.
A smart card stores data on a thin microprocessor
embedded in a card similar in size to an ATM
card. Two types of smart cards exist: intelligent
and memory.
An intelligent smart card contains a processor
and has input, process, output, and storage
Identify uses of microfilm and microfiche

Microfilm and microfiche store

microscopic images of documents on roll
or sheet film. Microfilm uses a 100- to
215-foot roll of film. Microfiche uses a
small sheet of film, usually about four
inches by six inches. Libraries and large
organizations use microfilm and
microfiche to archive relatively inactive
documents and files.
End of Chapter Seven

Thanks