Chapter 5 type of utility programs nad operating systems

Chapter 5 : Type of utility Programs and operating systems 

System Software

System Software consists of 2 programs that control or maintain the operations of the computer and its devices.

1. Operating Systems - is a set of programs containing instructions that work together to coordinates all the activities among computer hardware resources.

Utility program - type of system software that allows a user to perform maintenance-type tasks

Operating System Functions

• The process of starting or restarting a computer is called booting.Cold boot is turning on a computer that has been powered off completely.
• Warm boot is using the operating system to restart a computer.

A boot drive is the drive from which your computer starts.You can boot from a boot disk.A recovery disk contains a few system files that will start the computer.

• Sleep mode saves any open documents and programs to RAM, turns off all unneeded functions, 

and then places the computer in a low-power state

• Hibernate saves any open documents and programs to a hard disk before removing power from 

the computer 

User interface controls how you enter data and instructions and how information is 

displayed on the screen .A command-line interface, a user uses the keyboard to enter data 

and instructions. 

How an operating system handles programs directly affects your productivity .

-single user and multiuser 

- single tasking and multi tasking 

- fore background and background 

-Preemptive multitasking 

-Multi processing 

Memory management optimises the use of RAM.Virtual memory is a portion of a storage 

medium functioning as a additional RAM.

A driver is a small program that tells the operating system how to communicate with a 

specific device. Plug and Play automatically configures new devices as you install them.

Operating systems typically provide a means to establish Internet connections

A performance monitor is a program that assesses and reports information about various 

computer resources and devices.

Operating systems often provide users with the capability of : 

-managing files 

-uninstalling programs

-searching for files 

-cleaning up disks 

-backing up files and disks

-viewing images

-defragmenting disks

-setting up screen savers 

-securing a computer 

-diagnosing problems

Automatic update - automatically provides updates to the program

Server operating system - organises and coordinates how multiple users access and share 

resources on a network.

Type of Operating system 

-Stand-alone 

-Server

-embedded 

Stand-alone Operating system 

A stand-alone operating system is a complete operating system that works on a desktop 

computer, notebook computer, or mobile computing device . 

Windows 7 is a Microsoft's fastest, most efficient operating system to date and is available 

in multiple editions: 

-Windows 7 Starter 

-Windows 7 Home Premium

-Windows 7 Ultimate 

-Windows 7 Professional

Macintosh operating system has set the standard for operating system ease of use. 

Latest version is Mac OS X.

UNIX is a multitasking operating system developed in the early 1970s.

Linux is an open-source popular, multitasking UNIX-type operating system.

Server Operating systems

-Windows server 2008 

-UNIX

-Linux

-Solaris 

-Netware

Windows Server 2008 is an upgraded Windows Server of 2003

Embedded Operating system

Embedded operating system -resides on a ROM chip on a mobile device or consumer 

electronic device.

Utility Programs 

-is a type of system software that allows a user to perform maintenance-type tasks

File manager - is a utility that performs functions related to file management 

For example:

-Displaying a list of files

-Organising files in folder

-Copying, renaming, deleting, moving, and sorting files and folders 

-Creating shortcuts 

A search utility is a program that attempts to locate a file on your computer based on 

criteria you specify.

An image viewer allows users to display, copy, and print the contents of a graphic file.

An uninstaller removes a program, as well as any associated entries in the system files.

A disk cleanup utility searches for and removes unnecessary files.

A disk defragmenter reorganizes the files and unused space on a computer's hard disk so 

that the operating system accesses data more quickly and programs run faster.

A backup utility allows users to copy files to another storage.

A restore utility reverses the process and returns backed up files to their original form.

Screen saver causes a display of a moving image if no activity occurs for a specified time.

Personal firewall detects and protects a personal computer from unauthorized intruders.

A virus damage the computer program and affects the computer potentially. 

A worm copies itself repeatedly in memory or over a network. 

A Trojan horse hides within or looks like legitimate program. 

An antivirus program protects a computer against viruses.

Spyware is a program placed on a computer without the user's knowledge that secretly 

collects information about the user.

Spyware remover detects and delete spyware and other similar programs.

Adware displays an online advertisement in a banner or pop-up window. 

An adware remover is a program that detects and deletes adware.