Comp TIA A Certification Essentials Mercy Vocational High School

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Comp TIA A Certification EssentialsMercy
Vocational High School

• Instructor Mr. Maphorisa
• 2007/2008

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Operating Systems Fundamentals

• Identify the fundamentals of using operating
  systems
• Describe features of operating systems, fro
  example
• Windows Explorer
• My Computer
• Control Panel
• Command Prompt
• My network Places
• Task bar/systray
• Start menu
• Identify tools, diagnostic procedures and
  troubleshooting techniques for OS
• System management tools (e.g. device and task
  manager, MSCONFIG.EXE)
• File management tools (e.g. Windows Explorer,
  ATTRIB.EXE)

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What is Operating Systems?

• Operating systems are software that control the
  computer and run other programs on the computer
  functionaccepting input from items such as the
  keyboard, mouse, scanner and smart card readers
  and creating out put on devices such as monitor ,
  printer or speakers.
• Applications are installed on to of operating
  systems, and work with operating system and
  computers hardware.
• Microsoft is currently the most popular client
  operating system in the world followed by Linux
  and the Macintosh Operating Systems.

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Windows

• Windows is installed in over 90 of the worlds
  personal computers. Windows can run on just any
  PC manufacturer, now including Apple Intel based
  computer if you have the appropriate utilities.
• Windows was Microsofts first graphical operating
  system when it released Windows 3.1.
• A Graphical User Interface (GUI) has icons or
  menus that can select to perform a function or
  run a program. A mouse is used more often than a
  keyboard when working in a GUI.
• In 1995 Microsoft released Windows 95 which
  introduced the windows interface youre familiar
  with today.
• As of today windows XP and Vista are the latest
  version popular .
• Most applications are written to run under
  Windows operating system.

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Exhibit 1.0 from Windows XP
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Macintosh (Mac)

• Macintosh is an Apple s client operating system.
  It runs only on Apple computers you cant
  currently install Mac OS on a PC. Like windows ,
  Mac Os has user interface and many users would
  have no problem switching between the two
  operating system. The current popular version of
  Mac OS X(10.4.2) also known as Tiger.
• Generally the Mac OS is revised more frequently
  than Windows , which allows Apple constantly
  provide improvements and upgrades to its users.
  Many of the most popular applications are
  available for Macs, so most users wouldnt have
  any trouble finding their favourite word
  processing, spreadsheet, graphics and
  communications applications available for the Mac.

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Linux

• Linux is a free client operating system based on
  UNIX operating systems. You can download Linux
  for free , or you can buy a distribution version
  from vendor such as RedHat.
• Linux also provides a graphical Windows like
  interface, which most experienced Windows users
  wouldnt have trouble using. Linux runs on most
  PCs from popular manufacturers.
• While Linux does have a graphical interface, many
  system administration tasks are still performed
  at the command line, which requires experienced
  using command line tools.

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Windows Client Operating systems

• Microsoft have several versions of its Windows
  client operating systems currently in use on
  computers around the worls, including Windows NT
  Workstation, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me,
  Windows 2000 Professional , Windows XP and Vista
  which just got released in 2007.
• The latter three operating systems are the newest
  and currently the most used Windows client OS.
• Windows XP has three editions Windows XP
  Professional, which is geared towards business
  user and windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP
  Media Center Edition which are marketed towards
  home users.
• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
  includes digital entertainment features the other
  Windows XP versions dont have.
• Because of Windows 2000 Professional and the
  Windows XP versions are the mostly widely
  deployed today, theyll be the focus of this
  course.

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Operating Systems

• MS-DOS
• Original PC operating system
• Character-based command-line interface
• Windows 3.x
• 16-bit, popularized GUI on PCs
• Technically not an OS, ran as a DOS application
• Windows 9x (95, 95 OS/R2, 98, 98SE)
• Designed primarily for home user market

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Common Operating Systems

• Windows Millennium (ME)
• Update to Windows 98 with many similar and many
  different settings from Windows 9x
• Windows NT
• First true 32-bit operating system
• Designed for business computer market
• Workstation, Server, Enterprise editions

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Common Operating Systems

• Windows 2000
• 32-bit Windows version
• Professional, Server, Advanced Server Datacenter
  Server editions
• Windows XP
• Home upgrade from Windows 9x/ME
• Pro upgrade from Windows 2000 Pro