CHAPTER

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In this chapter, you will learn: • About the various operating systems and the differences between them • About the components of Windows operating systems • How operating systems interface with users, files and folders, applications, and hardware

Introducing Operating Systems

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n Chapter 1, you were introduced to the different hardware devices. In this chapter, you’ll learn about the different operating systems, how they are designed and work, and what they do. You’ll learn about the different components of an OS and see how an OS provides the interface that users and applications need to command and use hardware devices. You’ll learn to use several Windows tools and utilities that are useful to examine a system, change desktop settings, and view and manage some hardware devices. As you work through this chapter, you’ll learn that computer systems contain both hardware and software and that it’s important for you as a computer technician to understand how they work together. Although the physical hardware is the visible part of a computer system, the software is the intelligence of the system that makes it possible for hardware components to work.

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9781133726890, A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC, Jean Andrews - © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. No distribution allowed without express authorization

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CHAPTER 2

Introducing Operating Systems

OPERATING SYSTEMS PAST AND PRESENT
An operating system (OS) is software that controls a computer. It manages hardware, runs applications, provides an interface for users, and stores, retrieves, and manipulates files. In general, you can think of an operating system as the middleman between applications and hardware, between the user and hardware, and between the user and applications (see Figure 2-1).
Application (Microsoft Word) Operating system (Windows Vista)