Lesson 6

The Computer Operation

•Computer Operating Systems•GUI vs. Command line•The Microsoft Windows Family•File Systems – How Computers Manage Data

The Operating System

•Job Management•Set up the order in which jobs should be executed

•Resource Management•Major resources that are controlled are•Core Memory•Processor ( I-O channels, CPU)•Devices •Information routines ( Files, Library etc )

•Control of I-O Operations•O/s has standard set of instructions known as Input –output control System

•Error Recovery

•Memory Management

The Operating System

•Error Recovery•The capacity to respond to errors for programs being executed

•Memory Management•Matching the space required for each program executed .

GUI Vs. Command Line•Windows XP, Windows 98 is a Graphical User Interface, or GUI. •It uses graphical representations of the operating system to eliminate the need to learn complex commands. •This makes using the software easier and more efficient.

•Most modern operating systems have GUIs, such as the Unix and Linux. Windows was originally developed as an interface for MS-DOS.

The Command Line

Two commands, “time” and “date”, were entered with primitive results…

Notice the difference…

…when one click on the taskbar gives you this.

File Systems – How Computers Manage Data

•Use of files and folders used to stores information. Computers store data which are pieces of information.

•A computer’s file system is its method of organizing the data stored on its Secondary or Mass Storage devices, such as hard disks and cd-roms.

•Generally the file system is dictated by the Operating System each having its own type

The three basic elements of the Windows XP file system are:◦ File◦ Folder or Directory◦ Drive or Partition

Disadvantage of File Processing System

•Data Redundancy and inconsistency

•Difficulty in accessing data

•Data isolation

•Atomicity

•Data Integrity

•Data Security