Module 4.3- Drivers, Applications, Tasks & System Services Flashcards

(17 cards)

1
Q

What are Drivers?

A
  • 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
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2
Q

Device Manager in Windows

A
  • 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
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3
Q

Updating Drivers

A
  • 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
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4
Q

Plug-and-Play

A
  • 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
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5
Q

Application Management

A
  • 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
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6
Q

Installing and Uninstalling Applications

A
  • 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
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7
Q

Managing System Resources

A
  • 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
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8
Q

Application Prioritisation

A
  • 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

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9
Q

Task Management

A
  • 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
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10
Q

What is a Task?

A
  • 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
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11
Q

Task Manager in Windows

A
  • 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
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12
Q

Multitasking

A
  • 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
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13
Q

Preemptive Multitasking

A
  • when the OS assigns a small amount of CPU time to each task, switching between them to maintain performance
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14
Q

System Services

A
  • 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
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15
Q

What are System Services?

A
  • 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
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16
Q

Managing System Services in Windows

A
  • 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
17
Q

Service Prioritisation

A
  • 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