4/30/2025

The Institute of Finance

Management
Faculty of Computing and
Mathematics
PROGRAMMS
BBF BAC BSP BAS BTX BIRM BEF

Module Name:
Business Computer Applications
1

COMPUTER SYSTEM
SOFTWARE

Lecture 4
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Today’s Topics

Lecture Objectives
Types of Software
 List the two major components of system software.
 Explain why a computer needs an operating system.
 List the five basic functions of an operating system.
 Explain what happens when you turn on a computer.
 List the three major types of user interfaces.
 Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the most
popular operating systems.
 List system utilities that are considered to be essential.
 Explain data backup procedures.

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Software
Computer software, or just software, is a
collection of computer programs and
related data that provides the instructions
for telling a computer what to do and how
to do it.
Software are programs, with instructions
which guide the computer to performing
tasks that are associated with using and
controlling hardware.
Generally, software exists on storage
media.

Software
 Any set of instructions that guides the
hardware and tells it how to accomplish each
task.
 Overall, a software is one of the major
intangible components of any information
technology systems;
they are so created to aid us in performing
tasks using the computer as well as using
hardware features and functions to assist us.

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Software
Based on our needs, software is categorized as
follows;
System software
Interfaces (acts as a means of
communication) between the user, the
applications, and the hardware of a computer
system

• Application software
• consist of functions that
perform specific or
human related tasks for us users

Software

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System Software
 System software consists of all the
programs that enable the computer and
its peripheral devices to function
smoothly.
 Enables application software to interact
with the computer
 Helps the computer to manage its own
internal and external resources

System software
 System software is divided into two
main categories:
–The Operating System (OS)
–System Utility Programs

Operating Utility
systems Programs

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System software
Operating System (OS)
 The principal component of system software
 Must be installed before application
software
 Some hardware requires specific OS
Macintosh computers run Macintosh OS
PCs run Microsoft Windows, Linux and
Unix
Utility Programs
Used to support, enhance, or expand
existing programs in the computer

Operating System Primary Functions

Management of the resources of a computer
are performed by the computer’s operating
system (OS).

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Operating System Primary Functions

cont….
 The coordination of the functions of a
computer’s hardware is the prime
responsibility of the operating system.

Operating System Primary

Functions Cont.….
OS Function –Manages applications.
•Single-task operating systems from the past
were only able to run one application at a
time.
•Multitasking operating systems permit more
than one application to be used at a time.
• The foreground application is the active one.
• Background applications appear inactive.

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Operating System Primary Functions

Cont….
 OS Function –Manages memory.
 The operating system attempts to
allocate memory, RAM, to each
program being run without
interference.
 Through the use of virtual memory,
where a portion of the hard disk is used
as an extension of RAM, additional
memory is available.

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Operating System Primary Functions

Cont….
OS Function –Manages input and output.
The operating system uses drivers,
programs containing information
regarding specific computer input and
output devices, to communicate with
those devices.
Interrupts, signals created by input and
output devices, notify the operating
system when an action has been taken.

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Operating System Primary Functions

Cont….
OS Function –Provides a user interface.
The user interface allows the user to:
◦ Start application programs
◦ Manage storage devices
◦ Safely shut down the computer properly
• There are three types
of user interfaces:
– Graphical user
interface (GUI)
– Menu-driven user
interface
– Command-line user
interface 17

The OS
User Interface ..
The graphical user interface (GUI) uses
graphics called icons, small images that
represent various computer resources, to
initiate actions.
These icons appear on the desktop, the
work area that is created once the
operating system has been loaded into
memory.

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The OS
User Interface ..
 The menu-driven user interface provides
text-based menus, which display
appropriate user options that are
available.
 The command-line user interface forces
the user to type commands line by line to
instruct the operating system about the
desired action(s) to be taken.

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Operating System Primary Functions

in Summary
Five Primary functions of OS
1. Starts the computer
2. Manages applications
3. Manages memory
4. Handles input and output device messages
5. Provides a user interface for
communication

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The Operating System

OS Function –Starts the computer -Involves
six steps.

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The Operating System

Starting the computer …
◦ Booting—loading the OS into RAM
Cold boot: Starting computer when it has
not yet been turned on
Warm boot: Restarting a computer that
is already on

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The Operating System

Step 1: Activate the BIOS and Setup Program
• BIOS (Basic Input/output System)
• Bios is encoded on ROM (read-only memory)
• Does not control external devices
• The BIOS‘s function is to handle the system setup
process including driver loading and operating
system booting
• It manages data flow between the computer's
operating system and attached devices such as the
hard disk, video adapter, keyboard, mouse and
printer.

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The Operating System

Step 2: Initiate the Power-On Self-Test
Power-on self-test (POST)—to confirm that
both the computer and its peripheral devices
are working properly
If the POST fails:
 A beep will sound.
 An error message will appear on the
monitor.
 The computer will stop.

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The Operating System

Step 3: Load the Operating System
BIOS
•Looks for the operating system
•Loads the kernel into memory—the
central part of the operating system
•The operating system loads the system
configuration information.

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The Operating System

Step 4: Configure the System
•Operating system
• Checks the registry that checks the Database
that stores information about software and
peripherals devices, for configuration
information.
• Checks the configuration for drivers
• Utility programs containing instructions for the
proper functioning of peripheral devices.
• Automatically detects plug-and-play (PnP)
devices
• Checks for conflicts between devices
• Installs and loads needed drivers 26

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The Operating System

Step 5: Load System Utilities Examples
Antivirus software,
Backup software,
Disk Cleanup,
File Compression
Disk Space analyzer,
Disk defragmenters
File manager,
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The Operating System

Step 6: Authenticate a User
• Verifies authorized users
•Enter an authentication/login user name
and password
• Profile—a record of a specific user’s preferences
for the desktop theme, icons, and menu styles
• Account—for multiuser computer systems each
user has an account
•Consists of user name, password, and
storage space
•Created by server/computer
administrator
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Types of Operating Systems

Classification according to type of computers
and applications they support
i. Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)
ii. Single-User, Single Task
iii. Single-User, Multi-Tasking
iv. Multi-User

RTOS
 Used to run computers embedded in
machinery, robots, scientific instruments and
industrial systems
 An important part of an RTOS is managing
the resources of the computer so that a
particular operation executes in precisely the
same amount of time every time it occurs
Examples: QNX, Real-time Linux

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Single-User, Single Task

 OS designed to manage the computer so that
one user can effectively do one thing at a time
Example: MS-DOS is an example single-tasking
single-user OS with a command line interface.

Single-User, Multi-Tasking
Most Modern (Popular) Operating Systems.
Used by most of PCs and Laptops
Lets a single user interact with several
programs, simultaneously
Example: Windows, Mac OS, Linux

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Multi-User, Multi-Tasking
A multi-user OS allows many users to take
advantage of the computer's resources,
simultaneously

Example: MVS, OPENVMS, UNIX

Personal Computer (PC)

Operating Systems

Window OS

Linux/Unix OS

Mac OS

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Exploring Popular OS

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Popular Operating Systems

Windows Operating Systems
 Windows is an operating
system designed by Microsoft Inc.
intl.
 Provides benefits in the areas of
security, enhanced Web server
capabilities, administration, and
virtualization

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Popular Operating Systems

 The Mac OS used on Macintosh personal
computers is favored by its users for the
operating system’s security, stability, and
simplicity.
 UNIX was developed to work in a secure
computer network, but unfortunately, its
many versions are not compatible and can
be hard to use.

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Exploring Popular Operating Systems

 Linux is a powerful open source
operating system that is freely available
to any user.
 MS-DOS (DOS), a disk operating system,
is a command-line user interface
operating system that is not user friendly.

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Mobile Operating Systems

System Utilities:
 System utilities (utility programs) are system
software programs that are essential to
effective management of the computer system.
 Service programs that perform tasks related to
the control and allocation of computer
resources
 Practical Utility programs perform the following
tasks
 Virus protection
 Data compression
 Disk scanner & disk cleanup
 Backup
 Data recovery
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System Utilities:
•Backup software duplicates data found on
the hard disk to a backup device.
•Full backups include all files and data.
•Incremental backups include only those
files changed or added since the previous
backup.

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System Utilities:
 Antivirus software provides protection from
computer viruses. Examples;

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System Utilities:
•File manager –The
utility software used to
organize and manage
data on your disk.
•The file manager
enables you to:
•Copy files
•Determine how and
where files are stored
•Delete files
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System Utilities:
 Disk scanning programs find and resolve
problems that result from disk file
storage.
 Disk cleanup utilities remove
unnecessary files, which results in saving
space.
 Disk defragmentation programs
reorganize stored data in a more
efficient manner.

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System Utilities:
File compression utilities:

 Decrease the size of files, resulting in faster

downloads.
 Create archives by storing files in a special
format.
 Windows Update, an operating system
update service provided by Microsoft,
enables users to keep their operating
system current with external modifications.

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Lecture Summary
 System software is made up of two main parts: the
operating system and system utilities.
 Computers need software to work. The operating
system coordinates the functions of hardware and
supports the application software.
 The operating system has five functions: starting
the computer, managing applications, managing
memory, handling messages from input and output
devices, and providing an interface for
communication.
 A six-step process occurs each time you start or
restart a computer.
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Lecture Summary cont’d

 There are three types of user interfaces:
graphical user interfaces (GUIs), menu-driven
user interfaces, and command-line user
interfaces
 For personal computers, Microsoft Windows and
Mac OS X are the two major operating systems.
 System utilities include such programs as backup
software, file managers, and file compression
utilities.
 Backup procedures should include a full backup,
followed by periodic incremental backups.
 Troubleshooting skills are required when you use
a computer.
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Any Question

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