The Purpose of an Operating System

The operating system (OS) controls almost all functions

on a computer.
▪ Learn about the components, functions, and
terminology related to
the Windows 2000 and
Windows XP operating
systems.

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 Roles of an Operating System
▪ All computers rely on an operating system (OS) to
provide the interface for interaction between users,
applications, and hardware.
▪ The operating system boots the computer and
manages the file system.
▪ Almost all modern operating systems can support more
than one user, task, or CPU.
▪ The operating system has four main roles:
Control hardware access
Manage files and folders
Provide user interface
Manage applications
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 Characteristics of Operating Systems
▪ Control hardware access
OS automatically discovers and configures PnP hardware
▪ File and folder management
▪ User interface
Command line interface (CLI)
Graphical user interface (GUI)
▪ Application management
Open Graphics Library (OpenGL)
DirectX

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 The Types of User Interface
▪ Command Line Interface ▪ Graphical User Interface
(CLI): The user types (GUI): The user interacts
commands at a prompt. with menus and icons.

Most operating systems include both a GUI and a CLI.

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 Compare Operating Systems
Terms often used when comparing operating systems:
▪ Multi-user – Two or more users can work with programs
and share peripheral devices, such as printers, at the same
time.
▪ Multi-tasking – The computer is capable of operating
multiple applications at the same time.
▪ Multi-processing – The computer can have two or more
central processing units (CPUs) that programs share.
▪ Multi-threading – A program can be broken into smaller
parts that can be loaded as needed by the operating system.
Multi-threading allows individual programs to be multi-
tasked.
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 Real Mode
▪ Executes only one program at a time
▪ Addresses only 1 MB of system memory at a time
▪ Directly accesses memory and hardware
▪ Subject to crashes
▪ Available to all modern processors
▪ Only used by DOS and DOS applications

Program Code PC hardware can be

directly controls PC interrupted by bad
hardware. code.

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 Protected Mode
▪ Has access to all memory
▪ Can manage multiple programs simultaneously
▪ Allows the system to use virtual memory
▪ Provides 32-bit access to memory, drivers, and I/O transfers
▪ Each program is assigned a space in memory
▪ Computer is protected from program errors

Program HAL controls

talks to hardware
HAL and stops PC
Hardware errors.
Program Code hardware
Abstraction
directly controls cannot be
Layer
PC hardware. interrupted
(HAL)
by bad code.
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 Virtual Real Mode
▪ Allows a real-mode application to run within a protected-mode
operating system
▪ Creates virtual machines for each program that runs in real mode
▪ Each virtual machine receives 1 MB of memory and access to
hardware
▪ In the event of a program error, only the virtual machine is
affected

OS provides virtual machine to host the code and protect the PC

Program operates in PC hardware
virtual machine controlled by
virtual machine;
Program Code errors are
stopped
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 Compare Operating Systems
Desktop Operating Network Operating
System System
• Supports a single user • Supports multiple users

• Runs single-user • Runs multi-user

applications applications

• Shares files and folders • Is robust and redundant

• Shares peripherals • Provides increased security

• Used on a small network • Used on a network

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 Compare Operating Systems
▪ Desktop operating systems:
Microsoft Windows: Windows XP
Macintosh: Mac OS X
Linux: Fedora, Ubuntu, and others
UNIX

▪ A desktop OS has the following

characteristics:
Supports a single user
Runs single-user applications
Shares files and folders on a small
network with limited security
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 Network Operating Systems (NOS)
▪ Common NOS include:
Novell Netware
Microsoft Windows Server
Linux
UNIX

▪ A network OS has the following

characteristics:
Supports multiple users
Runs multi-user applications
Is robust and redundant
Provides increased security compared to
desktop operating systems
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 Determine Proper Operating System
To select the proper operating system:
▪ Create an accurate profile of your customer by
analyzing the daily, weekly, and monthly computer
activities
▪ Select appropriate software and hardware to satisfy
existing and future requirements

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 Installing the Operating System
Reasons to perform a clean installation of an OS:
▪ When a computer is passed from one employee to another
▪ When the operating system is corrupted
▪ When a new replacement hard drive is installed in a
computer
Before performing a clean installation:
▪ Back up all data first
▪ Explain to the customer that existing data will be erased
▪ Confirm that all needed data has been successfully
transferred

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 Main differences between 32-bit and 64-bit
operating systems
▪ 32-bit operating system
• capable of addressing only 4 GB of RAM

▪ 64-bit operating
• can address more than 128 GB of RAM
• enhanced performance in memory management
• has additional security features
✓ Kernel Patch Protection (KPP), with KPP, third-party
drivers cannot modify the kernel.
✓ mandatory driver signing, with mandatory driver signing,
unsigned drivers cannot be used.

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 Common architectures used by CPUs to
process data
▪ x86 (32-bit architecture)
• uses a complex instruction set computing (CISC)
architecture to process multiple instructions with a single
request.
• use fewer registers than x64 processors

▪ x64 (64-bit architecture)

• backward compatible with x86
• additional registers specifically for instructions that use a 64-
bit address space.

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 Hard Drive Setup Procedures
Operating system setup methods:
▪ Install an OS over a network from a server
▪ Install from a copy of the OS files stored on the hard
drive
▪ Install from OS files stored on CDs or DVDs
Partitioning and Formatting
▪ Hard drive must be logically divided (partitioned)
▪ File system must be created on the hard drive
▪ During the installation phase, most operating systems
will automatically partition and format the hard drive

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 Hard Drive Setup Procedures
A technician should understand the process related to
hard drive setup.

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 Prepare the Hard Drive
▪ The first portion of the installation process deals with
formatting and partitioning the hard drive.
▪ The second portion prepares the disk to accept the file
system.
▪ The file system provides the directory structure that
organizes the user's operating system, application,
configuration, and data files.
▪ Examples of file systems:
The FAT32 file system
The New Technology File System (NTFS)

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 Operating system can use one of two file
systems:
▪ File Allocation Table, 32-bit (FAT32): A file system
that can support partition sizes up to 2 TB or 2048 GB.
The FAT32 file system is supported by Windows 9.x,
Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
▪ New Technology File System (NTFS): A file system
that can support partition sizes up to 16 exabytes, in
theory. NTFS incorporates more file system security
features and extended attributes than the FAT file
system.

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 Create Administrator Account
▪ Setup creates the administrator account with the user
name “administrator”
Change this name to keep the administrator account secure
Only use the administrator account occasionally for critical
system changes

▪ Create a fictitious user account to use as a template

▪ Use secure passwords
These should be a minimum of 7 characters, containing at least
one of each (letter, number, and symbol)

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 Check Device Manager for Conflicts

▪ Look for warning icons (yellow exclamation points)

▪ Double-click to learn about the problem
▪ Click the plus (+) sign to expand the category
▪ May be able to ignore an error
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 The Boot Sequence for Windows XP
▪ Power On Self Test (POST)
▪ POST for each adapter card that has a BIOS
▪ BIOS reads the Master Boot Record (MBR)
▪ MBR takes over control of the boot process and starts NT Loader
(NTLDR)
▪ NTLDR reads the BOOT.INI file to know which OS to load and where
to find the OS on the boot partition
▪ NTLDR uses NTDETECT.COM to detect any installed hardware
▪ NTLDR loads the NTOSKRNL.EXE file and HAL.DLL
▪ NTLDR reads the registry files and loads device drivers
▪ NTOSKRNL.EXE starts the WINLOGON.EXE program and displays
the Windows login screen
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 NTLDR and the Windows Boot Menu
▪ If more than one OS is present on the
disk, BOOT.INI gives the user a
chance to select which to use.
▪ Otherwise:
NTLDR runs NTDETECT.COM to get
information about installed hardware
NTLDR then uses the path specified in the
BOOT.INI to find the boot partition
NTLDR loads two files that make up the
core of XP: NTOSKRNL.EXE and HAL.DLL
NTLDR reads the Registry files, chooses a
hardware profile, and loads device drivers.

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 Disk Management Utility
▪ Used to display information and perform services such
as partitioning and formatting disks in Windows

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 Disk Defragmenter
▪ Disk Defragmenter makes files on the hard drive
contiguous and speeds up the reading of files.
▪ To defragment a drive
Double-click My Computer on the desktop
Right-click the drive that you want to optimize
Choose Properties. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now
▪ Temporary Files are used by many programs
Are designed to be automatically deleted later
Some must be deleted manually. Check these locations:
C:\temp, C:\tmp, C:\windows\temp, C:\windows\tmp,
C:\documents and settings\%USERPROFILE%\local
settings\temp
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 Services
▪ Services are a type of application that runs in the
background and waits for requests
Only necessary services should be started
Services may be enabled if clients need them
Services may be stopped for troubleshooting purposes
▪ Four settings, or states, used to control services:
Automatic - Starts when the PC starts
Manual - Administrator must enable or disable the service
Disabled - Administrator may disable or stop a service
Stopped - The state of a service that has been disabled

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 Dual-Boot Process
▪ There is a dual-boot process for multiple operating
systems on a computer.
▪ During the dual-boot process:
The boot.ini file indicates that more than one OS is present
You are prompted to choose the OS that you want to load
▪ To create a dual-boot system in Microsoft Windows:
More than one hard drive or a hard drive with more than one
partition
Install the oldest OS on the primary partition or the hard drive
marked with an active partition
Install the second OS on the second partition or hard drive
The boot files are automatically installed in the active partition

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 The Windows Registry
▪ Recognized by distinctive names, beginning with
HKEY_
▪ Every setting in Windows is stored in the registry
▪ Changes to the Control Panel settings, File
Associations, System Policies, or installed software are
stored in the registry
▪ Each user has their own section of the registry
▪ The Windows logon process uses the registry to set the
system to the state that it was in the last time the user
logged in

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 The Windows Registry Files

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 The NT Kernel and Security Authority
▪ Next, the NT kernel, NTOSKRNL.EXE, takes over
It starts the login file, WINLOGON.EXE
That program starts the Local Security Administration file,
LSASS.EXE (Local Security Administration)
LSASS.EXE is the program that displays the XP welcome
screen
▪ Heart of the operating system
▪ There are few differences between the Windows XP
and the Windows 2000 boot process

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 Manipulating Operating System Files
▪ After you have installed Windows, you can use
MSCONFIG for post-installation modifications:
This boot configuration utility allows you to set programs that
will run at startup, and to edit configuration files

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 Manipulating Operating System Files
▪ The registry is a database that contains information and
settings for all of the hardware, software, users and
preferences. REGEDIT allows users to edit the registry.

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 Manipulating Operating System Files
Pressing the F8 key during the boot process opens the
Windows Advanced Startup Options menu, which allows
you to select how to boot Windows.
▪ Safe Mode – Starts Windows but only loads drivers for basic
components, such as the keyboard and display.
▪ Safe Mode with Networking Support – Starts Windows
identically to Safe Mode and also loads the drivers for network
components.
▪ Safe Mode with Command Prompt – Starts Windows and loads
the command prompt instead of the GUI interface.
▪ Last Known Good Configuration – Enables a user to load the
configurations settings of Windows that was used the last time that
Windows successfully started. It does this by accessing a copy of
the registry that is created for this purpose.
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 Describing Directory Structures
▪ Windows file system naming conventions:
Maximum of 255 characters may be used
Characters such as a period (.) or a slash (\ /) are not allowed
An extension of three or four letters is added to the filename to
identify the file type
Filenames are not case sensitive
▪ Windows filename extension examples:
.doc - Microsoft Word
.txt - ASCII text only
.jpg - graphics format
.ppt - Microsoft PowerPoint
.zip - compression format
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 Describing Directory Structures
▪ Each file has a set of attributes that control how the file
may be viewed or altered.
▪ The following are the most common file attributes:
R - The file is read-only
A - The file will be archived the next backup
S - The file is marked as a system file and a warning is given if
an attempt is made to delete or modify the file
H - The file is hidden in the directory display

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 NTFS and FAT32
▪ FAT32 is used where files need to be accessed by
multiple versions of Windows. FAT32 is not as secure
as NTFS
▪ NTFS can support more and larger files than FAT32,
and provides more flexible security features for folders,
files, and sizes
▪ Partitions can be converted from FAT32 to NTFS using
the CONVERT.EXE utility, but not in the reverse
direction

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 Device Manager
▪ Used to view settings for
devices in the computer
▪ An exclamation mark
indicates a problem with a
device

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 Task Manager
▪ View all applications that
are currently running
▪ Close any applications that
have stopped responding
▪ Monitor the performance of
the CPU and virtual
memory
▪ View all processes that are
currently running
▪ View information about the
network connections
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 Event Viewer and Remote Desktop
Event Viewer
▪ Logs a history of events regarding applications,
security, and the system.
▪ These log files are a valuable troubleshooting tool.
Remote Desktop
▪ Allows one computer to remotely take control of
another computer.
▪ This troubleshooting feature is only available with
Windows XP Professional.

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 Performance Settings
Settings for advanced visuals and for virtual memory

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 Add or Remove an Application
▪ Utility to install or uninstall applications
▪ Tracks installation files for future thorough uninstall, if
desired

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 Backup the Hard Drive
▪ Backup tools allow for recovery of data.
▪ Use the Microsoft Backup Tool to perform backups.
▪ Establish a backup strategy that will allow for the
recovery of data.
▪ Decide how often the data must be backed up and the
type of backup to perform.
▪ Windows XP uses Volume Shadow Copying, which
allows users to continue to work even as a backup is
taking place.
▪ It is only necessary to make copies of the files that
have changed since the last backup.
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 Types of Backups
Clear
Description
marker
Normal Selected files and folders Yes

Copy Selected files and folders No

Selected files and folders that

Differential changed since the last backup
No

Selected files and folders that

Incremental changed since the last backup
Yes

Selected files and folders that

Daily changed during the day
No
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 Types of Backups
• Normal backup is also called a full backup. During a normal backup, all
selected files on the disk are archived to the backup medium. These files
are marked as having been archived.
• Copy backup will copy all selected files. It does not mark the files as
having been archived.
• Differential backup backs up all the files and folders that have been
created or modified since the last normal backup or the last incremental
backup. The differential backup does not mark the files as having been
archived. Making differential backups is important because only the last
full and differential backups are needed to restore all the data.
• Incremental backup procedure backs up all the files and folders that
have been created or modified since the last normal or incremental
backup.
• Daily backups only back up the files that are modified on the day of the
backup. Daily backups do not mark the files as being archived. To access
the daily backup utility on a Windows XP Pro system, use the following
path: Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Backup.

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