Introduction to Windows

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Introduction to Windows

• Chapter 2

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Overview

• In this chapter, you will learn to
• Identify and explain the basic functions of an
  operating system
• Identify the standard Windows feature set

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Functions of the Operating System
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Functions of an Operating System

• Communicate with hardware
• Provide a user interface
• Provide a structure for access to applications
• Enable users to manipulate programs and data

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Operating System Traits

• An OS works only with a particular type of
  processor
• An OS begins running as soon as the PC finishes
  its POST
• Application programs cannot run on a PC without
  an OS
• The OS provides a set of application programming
  interfaces (APIs)
• An OS must be able to use new software and
  hardware

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Communicating with Hardware

• The system BIOS is programming code that tells
  the computer how to talk to basic hardware
• The OS works with the BIOS to talk to these
  devices
• When the BIOS does not know how to talk to a
  piece of hardware, the OS talks directly to the
  device
• Most OSs use device drivers provided by the
  manufacturer (Bring Your Own BIOS) to interpret
  the language necessary to talk to a new device
• When theres a problem, the OS should provide
  error handling or at least error notification

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Creating a User Interface

• A user interface needs to
• Show what applications are available
• Provide an easy way to access those applications
• Provide a way to label and save the data
  generated using the application
• When a program starts, the user interface must
  disappear and allow the application to take over
  the screen
• While the application is running, the OS must
  provide access to hardware as needed
• When the application is shut down, the OS must
  return the user to the user interface

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Organizing Programs and Data

• The OS must be able to organize programs and data
• What is data and how can we distinguish between
  different types of data?
• What are programs and what type of program is it?
• How can I distinguish the various places to store
  the data or programs?
• How can I efficiently retrieve the data or
  program?

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Operating System Implementations

• Command Line
• Character-based or text-based
• Disk Operating System (DOS)
• Single-tasking
• DOS consists of
• IO.SYS
• MSDOS.SYS
• COMMAND.COM
• DOS configuration files
• CONFIG.SYS
• AUTOEXEC.BAT

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Not necessarily the OS
• Win95, Win98, Win31 ran on top of DOS
• Apples OS 9 and OS X operate only as a GUI
• WinNT, Win2K, WinXP are GUI operating systems
  with a command line built in

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The Standard Windows Feature Set
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User Interface

• Login
• Every version of Windows supports multiple users
• Requiring a user login increases security
• Desktop
• Primary interface to the computer
• Taskbar and Start Menu
• Runs along the bottom of the desktop and includes
  up to four sections
• Start menu allows access the installed programs
• System tray shows programs running in the
  background
• Quick Launch enables you to launch often-used
  programs with a single click

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User Interface

• My Computer
• Provides access to drives, folders, and files
• Customizable may display different views, show
  hidden files, hide file extensions, and more
• Windows Explorer
• Another utility for accessing drives, folders,
  and files
• My Documents
• My Pictures, My Music, My Videos

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User Interface

• Recycle Bin
• When you delete files they are sent to the
  Recycle Bin, a special folder just in case you
  change your mind
• Network Neighborhood or My Network Places
• Shows the current network connections available
  to you

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Tech Utilities Control Panel

• Maintenance, upgrade, and configuration aspects
  of Windows
• Start?Settings?Control Panel
• Contains programs, called applets
• Any icon in the Control Panel is a file with a
  CPL extension
• If Control Panel wont start, one of these is
  probably corrupt rename each one until you find
  the bad one
• Each applet displays text that helps to explain
  its functions

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Tech Utilities Control Panel
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Tech Utilities Device Manager

• Device Manager is a primary tool for dealing with
  devices and device drivers in Windows
• A red x or a yellow exclamation
  point is displayed, if Windows
  detects a problem
• Devices are organized in
  special groups called types
• Access thru the System applet in
  Control Panel

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Tech Utilities System Tools

• System Tools is a collection of tech utilities
  found on the Start menu
• Start ? Programs ? Accessories ? System Tools

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Tech Utilities Command Line

• Command Line
• Start ? Run ? command
• Windows 2000/XP offer you a more powerful command
  line Start ? Run ? cmd

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Tech Utilities MMC

• Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
• A shell program that holds individual utilities
  called snap-ins
• Start ? Run ? mmc
• You start with a blank console and then add
  snap-ins then save the new customized console
  you created
• File ? Add/Remove Snap-ins ? Add

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Tech Utilities Adminstrative Tools

• Administrative Tools
• A folder that holds many pre-defined MMC consoles
  built by Microsoft
• Go to Control Panel and click on Administrative
  Tools
• The three most used Administrative Tools are
• Computer Management
• Event Viewer
• Performance

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Tech Utilities Computer Management

• Computer Management
• A pre-defined MMC that pulls together snap-ins
  related to many computer management options

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Tech Utilities Event Viewer

• Event Viewer
• Keeps track of events that happen with your
  computer

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Tech Utilities Performance

• Performance
• System Monitor may show real time data
• Performance Logs and Alerts

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Services

• Services
• Separate programs that handle a lot of functions
  for Windows
• Found in Administrative Tools
• Double-click on any service to examine its
  properties and settings
• Services start automatically, manually, or may be
  disabled

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System Folder

• System Folder
• Folder where the OS files were installed
• systemroot
• windir for Win9x

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What is the Registry?

• Registry
• A unified database where Windows stores all
  hardware and software configuration information
  for the local computer
• Hardware, central processor, keyboard, mouse,
  etc.
• Device drivers
• Applications
• Network protocols
• NIC settings
• User account information like group membership,
  rights and permissions

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Registry Editors

• Regedit
• Clearly better in key searching down to the value
  of the keys
• Used by Windows 9x/Me
• Also installed in Windows NT/2000/XP
• Regedt32
• Used by Windows NT/2000/XP Better for adding keys
  and modifying their values
• Searches only down to keys and subkeys not
  values
• When using the Registry Editors, be very careful!
• Does not recognize syntax or semantic errors
• May prevent your operating system from loading

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REGEDIT
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REGEDT32
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Registry

• The Registry has six main groups , or root keys
  shown below

HKEY_DYN_DATA is used in Windows 9x not 2000 or
XP
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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

• Configuration data about local computer
• Used by applications, device drivers and Windows
• Determines which device drivers and services load
  during startup
• Same regardless of user

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HKEY_USERS

• Stores all the personalization information for
  all users on the PC
• Subkeys are
• DEFAULT subkey
• System default profile used when CtrlAltDel
  logon screen is displayed
• Security identifier (SID) of user currently
  logged on the computer

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER

• Data about user currently logged on interactively
• Copy stored for each user account that has ever
  logged on to the computer in systemroot\Profiles\u
  ser_name in Ntuser.dat
• Points to same data as under HKEY_USERS\SID_of_the
  _currently_logged_on_ user
• Takes precedence over duplicate settings in
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

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HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

• Information about file associations and data
  associated with COM objects (Component Object
  Model OLE)
• Points to CLASSES subkey under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
  SOFTWARE

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HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

• Data about active hardware profile
• Extracted from SOFTWARE and SYSTEM keys of
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

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Virtual Memory

• All versions of Windows use virtual memory
• Windows swap files are used to implement virtual
  memory
• Windows sets the initial size of the swap file
  automatically according to the free space
  available on the C drive
• The swap file in Windows 9x is called WIN386.SWP
  it is known as PAGEFILE.SYS in Windows 2000

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Virtual Memory

• When you need to run another program but your RAM
  is filled up, Windows will offload something that
  hasnt been used recently from RAM to the hard
  drive into a swap file to make room
• If you need to access the data that was offloaded
  into RAM, Windows will retrieve it from the hard
  drive

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Essential Windows

• You should already have basic user skills in
  Windows. As a review check out Essential Windows
  on line at www.totalsem.com

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