Module 4.3- Drivers, Applications, Tasks & System Services

Question 1

What are Drivers?

Answer 1

• small software programs that allow the OS to interact with hardware
• act as a translator between the operating system and hardware devices, enabling the two to understand each other
• e.g. when you connect a printer to your computer, the printer driver ensures your computer’s operating system knows how to send print jobs to the printer

Question 2

Device Manager in Windows

Answer 2

• in Windows, you can view and manage all the hardware devices connected to your computer using Device Manager
• accessing device manager is simple: right-click the start button and select ‘device manager’- here, you’ll see a list of all the hardware components and their current driver status

Question 3

Updating Drivers

Answer 3

• if a device isn’t working properly, you may need to update its driver, and to do this: right-click the device in Device Manager and select ‘update driver’ to get the latest software from the manufacturer
• e.g. if your computer’s graphics performance is slow, updating the graphics card driver may improve performance and fix issues

Question 4

Plug-and-Play

Answer 4

• modern OSs often use Plug-and-Play (PnP) functionality, which automatically recognises and installs drivers for new devices as soon as they are connected
• this simplifies hardware installation for users, requiring minimal manual configuration

Question 5

Application Management

Answer 5

• another crucial role of the OS is to manage the applications and software programs that you run on your device
• OS ensures that each application gets the necessary resources to function smoothly, while also managing conflicts between different programs

Question 6

Installing and Uninstalling Applications

Answer 6

• OS provides tools to install, manage, and remove applications
• Windows- in Settings > Apps, you can view all installed programs, uninstall them, or modify installation settings
• macOS- use the Launchpad or Finder to manage applications, with the App Store offering software updates and installs

Question 7

Managing System Resources

Answer 7

• each application requires specific resources like CPU time, memory (RAM), and disk space
• OS allocates these resources efficiently, ensuring that applications don’t interfere with one another
• e.g. when you’re running a video editing program alongside a web browser, the OS decides how much memory and CPU power each application gets- ensures that both programs run smoothly without overloading the system

Question 8

Application Prioritisation

Answer 8

• OSs often use task prioritisation, which ensures that more critical or active applications get more system resources than less important tasks running in the background

e.g. if you’re rendering a video, the OS might prioritise that process over your background email client, ensuring the video render gets the necessary computing power

Question 9

Task Management

Answer 9

• one of the most important responsibilities of an OS
• oversees the running processes, allocates system resources, and ensures the smooth execution of multiple applications and services simultaneously

Question 10

What is a Task?

Answer 10

• any running program or process on your system, such as applications or system services
• OS is responsible for starting, pausing, resuming, and stopping these tasks as needed

Question 11

Task Manager in Windows

Answer 11

• in Windows, the Task Manager is the central hub for monitoring and controlling running processes
• to access the Task Manager: right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc
• Task Manager shows CPU, memory, disk, and network usage for each running application
• you can use it to force-close a program that isn’t responding or is consuming too many resources
• e.g. if a program freezes and stops responding, you can use Task Manager to end the task and free up system resources

Question 12

Multitasking

Answer 12

• OS allow for multitasking, meaning they can run several programs at once
• behind the scenes, the OS switches between tasks very quickly to give the illusion that all programs are running simultaneously

Question 13

Preemptive Multitasking

Answer 13

• when the OS assigns a small amount of CPU time to each task, switching between them to maintain performance

Question 14

System Services

Answer 14

• background processes that handle essential functions within the OS e.g. managing networking, printing, and security tasks
• these services run without direct user interaction but are critical for the OS’s functionality

Question 15

What are System Services?

Answer 15

• services are programs that run in the background to perform system-level tasks
• often started when the OS boots up and continue running until the system is shut down
• e.g. a networking service ensures that your device can connect to Wi-Fi, while a print service handles communication between your computer and any printers connected to the network

Question 16

Managing System Services in Windows

Answer 16

• in Windows, you can view and manage services using the Services utility
• to access Services: type “services” in the Windows search bar and open the Services application
• here, you can see which services are running, stop or restart services, and set services to automatically start when the system boots

Question 17

Service Prioritisation

Answer 17

• much like task management, system services are also prioritised by the OS to ensure that critical services e.g. networking or security, are always running smoothly
• e.g. if your antivirus service isn’t running properly, it might leave your system vulnerable to malware- OS ensures essential services like this are constantly monitored and running efficiently