Operating

System

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 1
1. Operating System
An operating system is a set of programs that
manages all computer components and operations.
A computer cannot do anything without operating
system. Operating system must be installed on every
computer. Users interact with the computer through
operating system. Disk Operating System - DOS and
Windows are examples of operating system
software.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 2
Kinds of Operating System
Windows Operating System (Microsoft)
Macintosh Operating System (Apple)
Linux (Unix)

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 3
The Booting Process
Booting is the process that occurs when you press the power
button to turn your computer on. During this process (which
may take a minute or two), the computer does several things:
It runs tests to make sure everything is working correctly.
It checks for new hardware.
It then starts up the operating system.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 4
 The booting process

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 5
 The Types of Operating Systems
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.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 6
 Command Line

Early computers used only this

Have to memorize codes
Not very user friendly
Not colorful usually written in black and white
No pictures

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 7
 Graphical User interfaces

Came about with menus

Graphical user interface (GUI)
Pictures (icons) represent software
Colorful
Contributed to the explosion of computer use.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 8
 There are two distinct types of operating
systems:

A desktop operating system is intended for use in a

small office/home office (SOHO) with a limited number
of users.
A network operating system (NOS) is designed for a
corporate environment serving multiple users with a
wide range of needs.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 9
 Identify Minimum Hardware Requirements
Customer may need to upgrade or purchase additional
hardware to support the required applications and OS.
Common hardware upgrades:
RAM capacity
Hard drive size
Processor speed
Video card memory and speed

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 10
 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
Most operating systems have an HCL.
HCLs can be found on the manufacturer's website.
HCL includes list of hardware that is known to work with
the operating system.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 11
 Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300
MHz is recommended)
At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is
recommended)
At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the
hard disk
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
Keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse or some other
compatible pointing device
Video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (800 x 600)or
higher resolution
Sound card
Speakers or headphones

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 12
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

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 13
 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

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 14
 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.
Examples of file systems:
The FAT32 file system
The New Technology File System (NTFS)

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 15
 Install the Operating System
During the Windows XP installation the user must provide:
Name of user
Name of company
Product key
Computer name
Administrator password
Date and time settings
Network settings
Domain or workgroup information

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 16
 Create Administrator Account
Setup creates the administrator account with the user
name administrator
Change this name to keep the administrator account secure

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)

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 17
 Complete the Installation
When Windows XP installation
completes:
Computer will reboot
Log in for the first time

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 18
 Additional Software to be Installed after OS

Motherboard drivers (Sound, Video, LAN, etc)

MS Office
Anti-virus
Other Application Software
Adobe Reader
Nero
Games

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 19
 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

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 20
Types of Software
1. Application software -utilizes the capacities of a computer
directly for a dedicated task.

2. System Software - is set of programs to control and manage

the actual operations of a computer hardware.

3. Programming Software-

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 21
 Different Types of Application Software
1. Word Processing Software
This software enables users to create and edit
documents.

Microsoft word Notepad

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 22
2. Database Software
Database is a structured collection of data. A computer
database relies on database software to organize data and
enable database users to perform database operations.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 23
3. Spreadsheet software
allows users to perform calculations

Lotus Borland Microsoft

Smart Suite Quattro Pro Excel

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 24
 4. Multimedia Software
They allow users to create and play audio and video
files. They are capable of playing media files.

VLC
Player
Media
Player
Win Amp Classic
Windows
Media
Player
ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 25
5. Presentation Software: The software that is used to display
information in the form of a slide show

Microsoft Corel
Power Point Presentation X3

Impress Document
ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 26
6. Educational Software
It is often used in teaching and self-learning

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 27
 7. Simulation Software: Used to simulate physical or
abstract systems, simulation software finds applications in
both, research and entertainment

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 28
8. Web Browsers
This allows anyone to browse the Web by simple point and
click navigation

Google Mozilla Internet Opera

Chrome Firefox Explorer

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 29
9. Application Suites
An application suite is an important type of application
software. It consists of a group of applications combined to
perform related functions.

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 30
 Different Types of System Software
1. Utility Programs
It is normally used to solve the common problems of
software and hardware

CCleaner Disk
Defrag

Norton Anti-Virus
ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 31
2. Device Drivers
A device driver is a program that is used to operate and
control a device attached to computer.

Sound Card Video Card

ITE PC v4.0
Chapter 5 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 32