What are the 5 functions of the operating system ?
Peripheral management and drivers
User interface
Memory management and multitasking
File management
User management
What is a user interface ?
Allows a user to interact with a computer
What are the 2 types of user interface ?
GUIs
Command line interface
What are 2 differences between GUIs and command line interfaces ?
GUIs - have windows / icons / menus
Designed for everyday users
Command line - text based and use fewer system resources
Used by advanced users
What are the 3 features of peripheral management ?
Communicates with internal hardware
Chooses correct drivers for certain connected hardware
Installs and updates drivers for new hardware
What are 2 features of memory management ?
Moves data to main memory when in use and removes when its no longer needed
Allocates memory addresses so apps don’t overwrite or interfere with each other
How does memory management allow for multitasking ?
Divides CPU processing time between tasks to complete them efficiently and at the same time
What are 3 features of file management ?
Organises files into hierarchal structure
Deals naming / saving / deleting / editing files
Allocates certain files to certain folders
What are 3 features of user management ?
Controls which users have access to the computer system
Grants users access to their own specific data (not others)
Uses anti theft measures to prevent access from other users
What is utility software ?
Software designed to help maintain a computer system
What are the 3 types of utility software ?
Defragmentation
Compression
Encryption
What is defragmentation software ?
Software that reorganises a HDD by putting related data / files back together which speeds up read / write speeds as related information is all in one place
Explain the process of defragmentation ? (4 steps)
Files are stored in available spaces on hard disk
As they’re moved / deleted or change size small gaps appear
When new data is stored on the disk it is split to cover the spaces left by the deleted older files
Defragmentation software puts the split files back together and groups free space together to organise hard disk
What is compression software ?
Reduces size of files by permanently / temporarily removing data from them
What is an advantage compression software ?
They take up less space and therefore quicker to download
What is encryption software ?
When data is scrambled (encrypted) to cypher text to stop third parties accessing it
To decrypt it back to plain text you need a special key of which only specific users have access to
