Learning Objectives After completing this chapter, you will be able to: 1. Define operating system. 2. Define enhancements. 3. Explain the function and purpose of OS 3. Use the DIR command to display the files on version numbers. the screen. 4. List some of the types of system configura- 4. Use the VER command to determine which tions. version of Windows is being used. 5. Explain the need and procedure for booting 5. Use the CLS command to clear the screen. the system. 6. Use the DATE and TIME commands to set or 6. Explain the function of disk files. change the date and time on the computer. 7. Explain the function of and rules for file 7. Make a copy of a disk. specifications. 8. End a computer work session. 8. List and explain the importance of the two Chapter Overview types of computer files. Most people who use computers are really 9. Describe the function and purpose of com- interested in application software. They want mands. programs that are easy to use and that help them 10. Compare and contrast internal and external solve specific problems. However, before you can commands. use application software, you must know at least 11. Explain the function and purpose of the DIR, the basics of using the operating system. No VER, and CLS commands. computer can work without an operating system 12. Explain the purpose of and the procedure for in RAM. The Windows operating system takes using the DATE and TIME commands. care of mandatory functions for computer 13. Explain the legal and ethical ramifications of operations such as handling the input and output copying disks that were not purchased. of the computer, managing computer resources, 14. Explain the purpose and function of the and running application software. It enables the DISKCOPY command. user to communicate with the computer. 15. Explain the necessary steps to end a work In this chapter you will learn about loading the session. operating system into the computer, use some Student Outcomes basic commands, make a copy of the ACTIVITIES 1. Identify your system configuration. disk to use in future activities, learn your system 2. Boot the system. configuration, and identify the version of Win- dows you are using. 1 2 CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED WITH THE OPERATING SYSTEM 1.1 What Is an Operating System? An operating system is a software program. If you have a microcomputer, com- monly referred to as a PC, that conforms to the standards developed by IBM and uses a microprocessor in the Intel family, you are probably using a version of the Windows operating system. In fact, these computers are sometimes called Wintel machines because they use the Intel processor and run the Windows operating system. You need to load the Windows operating system (the OS) into memory (RAM) before you can use other software programs. The OS is in charge of the hardware components of the computer—the monitor, the keyboard, the printer, etc. You, the user, communicate what you want the computer to do through the OS. These commands are issued by pointing and clicking when in the GUI (Graphical User Interface) or by keying in commands such as TYPE or CLS at the command line prompt. 1.2 Versions of the Operating System (OS) Microsoft periodically releases new versions of the OS to take advantage of new technology. These new upgrades contain enhancements. The term enhancements simply means that more functions and/or commands are available. In addition, new versions of software and operating systems fix problems, called bugs, that appeared in earlier versions. To keep track of these versions, each new version is assigned a number. The first version of Windows 95 was Windows 95 4.00.950, released in 1995. The last Windows 95 version was 95 4.00.1111, known as Windows 95B or OSR2. Also available is a major update of Windows 95 called Windows 98, SE version 4.10.1998. The next version of Windows was Windows Millennium Edition, referred to as Windows Me. These versions of Windows are and were primarily used on personal desktop computers. Windows NT Workstation was a desktop operating system designed primarily for software developers and “power users,” such as engineers who worked on large, powerful applications such as CAD (Computer-Aided Design). Microsoft’s network operating system, Windows NT Server, was primarily used in large corporate environments where it provided network administrators with the ability to manage many networked computers with various security needs. Windows 2000 Professional was the replacement for Windows NT Workstation 4. It was used as a desktop operating system in a networked environment or as a stand-alone operating system. The current version of the Windows operating system is Windows XP. It comes in two distinct versions—Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. The two versions are very similar with the primary difference being that in Win- dows XP Home Edition, certain features are disabled. There are also some cosmetic changes that make it easier for the home user. The major differences in the Windows XP Home Edition are: n Backup—Must be installed separately. n Multiprocessor support—Not supported. n Domain-based network support—Not supported. 1.3 OVERVIEW O ILES AND DISKS 3 n User Administration—Less control over user accounts. Windows XP Home Edition does provide the ability to set up user accounts for multiple users on the same computer as well as providing levels of security. However, Windows XP Professional has a much more robust set of user account administration. n File Encryption—Not supported on NTFS formatted disks. n Remote Desktop—Not supported. This feature allows a user to see the desktop of another computer. n Offline Files and Folders—Not supported. This feature allows you to copy files from a server to a notebook computer or to work offline from a server. n Upgrades—Cannot upgrade to Windows XP Home Edition from Windows NT or 2000. You can upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me to either version of Windows XP. There are also other versions of XP designed either for very fast processing of large amounts of data or for server-based computing. These include Windows XP 64-bit Edition which runs on the (now) new version of Intel’s 64-bit Itanium proces- sor. The 64 Bit Edition supports not only 32-bit applications but provides a much more efficient environment for the processing of very large amounts of data, such as those used on high-end engineering, scientific, and graphics workstations. In this light are the releases of the Windows .NET Server and Advanced Server. These are designed to run on servers rather than on workstations. Servers are those computers that provide services to other computers on network. There will be releases of 32-bit server versions as well but they will be labeled Windows .NET Servers. This text will focus on Windows XP Professional, though much of the information is applicable to most versions of the Windows operating system. It is assumed in this textbook that Windows XP Professional is installed on your computer. If you are working on your own computer and have not installed or upgraded to Windows XP Professional, refer to the documentation that came with the Windows software so you can initiate the installation or upgrade. If you are in a laboratory environment, a version of Windows will be available for you. 1.3 Overview of iles and Disks You need a way to store information permanently. In the computer world, the primary way to save data and programs permanently is to store them on a disk. After you have booted your computer, the OS reads the programs or data it needs from the disk into its memory. However, in order for Windows to find this informa- tion, it has to have a way of organizing it, which it does by keeping programs and data in files on the disk. Just as you organize your written work in files, Windows organizes computer information in disk files. A disk file is much like a file folder stored in a file cabinet. The file cabinet is the floppy disk or the hard disk. A file consists of related information stored on the disk in a “folder” or directory with a unique name. Information with which a computer works is contained and stored in files on the disk. (See Figure 1.1.) 4 CHAPTER 1 GETTING STARTED WITH THE OPERATING SYSTEM Trees Yew Oak Fir Trees Fir k Oa Rocks Yew igure 1.1Disks and iles 1.4 ile Names, ile Types, and olders Because computers must follow very specific rules, there is a specific format for file names. Technically, a file name is called the file specification. The first rule is that the file specification must be unique. Second, the file specification is broken into two parts, a file name and a file extension. The file name typically describes or identifies the file, and the file extension typically identifies the kind of data in the file. Since the term “file specification” is rather awkward, most people simply refer to the file name, meaning both the file name and its extension. In versions of the OS before Windows, referred to simply as DOS, the file name size was limited by what was called the 8.3 (eight-dot-three) rule, which was a limit of eight characters for the file name and three characters for the file extension). In Windows, the 8.3 rule is gone. Now file names can have a maximum of 255 characters, referred to as LFNs (long file names).