Installing, configuring and administering a client Operating system

Introduction
The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer.
Computers rely on an operating system to supply the interface for interaction between the user, applications and hardware.
The operating system is responsible for booting the computer and manages the file system.
It is possible for an operating system to support more than one user task or even CPU (central Processing Unit).
All computers must have an operating system it is the program that controls almost all of the functions on your computer.
Any decisions that are made during the process of installation will have significant ramifications on how people will use that computer throughout its operational lifetime.

Choosing an Operating System
There are three main operating systems in use today these are: 1. Microsoft Windows: The current version is Windows 8.1 although this is not the most popular distribution offered by Microsoft, the most widely use is Windows 7 which according to http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/operating_system 48.77% of computers are using windows 7 This statistic is verified by http://thenextweb.com/microsoft in 2014 2. Mac OS: Made by the Apple corporation and is very much a proprietary operating system that is made available when apple products are purchased, such as the MacBook Pro laptop. 3. Linux: This is an open source operating system that comes in many different distributions, this is due to the fact that its source code is available for free. This makes the operating system easily adaptable to the end users’ needs although this is not the most intuitive of the operating systems and some computer knowledge is recommended when using this operating system. The most popular of the Linux distributions is Mint this has recently taken over from the Ubuntu operating system which was previously the most popular.
When choosing an operating system there are many considerations to take into account.
The end user must first determine what is needed from the system that the operating system is going to be installed on.
Each operating system has its own unique list of features and qualities that need to be considered. * Ease of use: The end user needs to be considered when choosing the operating system. The users capabilities need to be considered * Software availability: Linux offers a wealth of freeware programs that can be downloaded although there is a lack of commercial alternatives available, whereas windows offers not only freeware programs most commercial applications such as Adobe Photoshop are made for use with the windows operating systems. The Mac OS has a good third-party software although the variety offered is limited. * File sharing/compatibility: Microsoft windows which is undoubtedly the market share leader which in turn leads most people to use applications and files that will work with a Windows computer. This doesn’t limit the file sharing capabilities of the other two operating systems although additional software needs to be downloaded in order to share files between the different operating systems. * Requirements: Possibly the most important thing to consider, as the end requirements must supersede any personal opinions that might already be established. All the operating systems will perform the basic tasks to a high standard these include surfing the internet, playing music cd’s or DVD and basic office programs like word processing or spreadsheets, although the Linux distributions do this less seamlessly than the other two.
If studio work is required many professional applications are only released for windows. Some duplicates are available for Mac OS none of them are released for Linux, the most notable of these programs is AutoCAD. If programming is the intended use of the system then Linux offers by far the most powerful and flexible platform for use with software development. * Cost: Linux has many free distributions available whereas Mac OS and Windows are only available at a cost this needs to be taken into consideration when choosing especially if more than one computer need to have an operating system installed. http://www.wikihow.com In most cases Windows 7 would be the recommended choice because of the large number of computer systems that are already using that operating system, to use one of the others would create additional problems with compatibility not only with programs that run on the system but also with issues when trying to switch from one system to another.

Windows 7
The windows 7 operating system has many different versions these are known as editions but are also sometimes referred to as stock keeping units (SKU’s)
Microsoft tailor these editions to different usage scenarios, providing cheaper editions with less features. The current available editions are as follows.

Starter
Windows 7 Starter is available from retailers and on new computers installed by
Manufacturers.
It does not support or include many features including the Windows Aero user interface or DVD Playback, you cannot join a computer with this edition of Windows to a domain.

Home Basic
Windows 7 Home Basic is available in emerging markets. It will not support or include
The Windows Aero user interface DVD playback, Windows Media Centre, or IIS Web Server.
You cannot join a computer with this edition of Windows 7 to a domain. This edition will only support a one physical processor. The x86 Version supports up to of 4GB of RAM, whereas the x64 version supports up to of 8 GB of RAM.

Home Premium
Windows 7 Home Premium is available from retailers and on new computers installed by
Manufacturers. Unlike the above editions, the Home Premium edition
Supports the Windows Aero UI, DVD playback, Windows Media Centre, Internet connection sharing, and the IIS Web Server. You cannot join this edition of Windows 7 to a domain Desktop Host. The x64 version supports a maximum of 16GB of RAM.

Professional
This version is available from retailers but is also preinstalled on new build pc’s.
It includes most of the feature available on the operating system and it is able to connect to a domain. This edition also supports remote desktop and up to two physical processors

Enterprise and Ultimate
These editions of the operating system are the same except for the fact that the enterprise version is only available to microsoft's volume licensing customers whereas the ultimate edition is available from retailers and on new built computers in which they will come pre-installed onto the system.

In this instance the most ideal edition is professional as it has the features required to run computers over a small network http://www.techradar.com/ Windows 7 hardware requirements
An operating system will only work correctly if installed on to a computer that meets the minimum hardware requirements. The requirements of the operating system will be found within the product documentation, it is also available online at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/products/system-requirements

Installation
Preparing the Windows 7 Installation Source
There are several ways in which windows 7 can be installed. The most appropriate method depends on the requirements of the user. You can use a DVD ROM if only a few computers need to be installed. You can also use a USB stick to install which is useful for computers without a CD drive. You can also install the operating system over a network which is particularly useful when a lot of computers need an operating system at one time.

Using a DVD as an Installation Source
When a copy of the operating system is purchased from a retailer it comes in the form of a CD ROM some customers will also have access to enterprise sections of Microsoft’s web site where they can down load a DVD ROM image of windows 7 in ISO format. This image would need to be burned onto a DVD before it can be used as an installation source.
To install from a DVD the disk should be inserted into the computers DVD drive and the onscreen will guide the user through the process, very little knowledge is needed by the end user to perform this process.

Using a USB stick as an installation source
This has a few advantages over a DVD you can change the image using tools such as Dism.exe, you can also add extra drivers to the image. A USB stick also have faster read speeds than a DVD this reduces the time it takes to transfer the files onto the computer.
The USB stick needs to be 4GB or larger to use it as an installation source it should also use the FAT 32 file system.

Using a Network Share as an Installation Source
It is also possible to install windows 7 over a network. To do this a copy of the Windows 7 installation media needs to be put onto a network that is accessible to the computers in which the operating system is required on. To access a network as an installation source from the client machine, the computer needs to boot into what is known as the windows pre-installation Environment or windows PE. This is a minimally featured operating system that gives access to diagnostic and maintenance tools it will also let the user access the network drives. From this environment it is possible to connect to the network in order to install the operating system.
This process is slower than using DVD-ROM or USB as the file have to be transferred across a network. An advantage of using this type of installation is that if changes need to be made they can be made centrally rather than having to change each source.

.

Using Windows Deployment Services as an Installation Source
If a greater number of installations are required over a network, Windows deployment services should be used. This is available to a computer that is running windows server 2008 and allows the automatic deployment of the operating system disk image using what is known as multicast technology. This in contrast to the above method of separately transferring the operating system to each required computer will transmit the operating system once to all computers on the network that have been configured to receive it.
To access a server the computer will need either a PXE-compliant network card or be booted from what is known as a WDS discover image.
When the computer boots from one of these source it contacts the server in order to start the installation process. To prepare the WDS server a copy of the installation image from the windows 7 installation media needs to be put onto to the required sever. The installation files do not need to be transferred across the network as with the network share method. It is also possible to modify the operating system images centrally on the WDS server.

(wordpress, 2014)

As in this case where 160 machine require a new operating system the best choice is would be to install the operating system over a network using windows deployment services this will save time over the other methods as the each computer does not need to be configured and installed separately. Any changes can also be made centrally through the server and rolled out to the rest of the required computers

Configure and manage hardware devices
The user experience is heavily dependent on the correct working order of the peripherals and devices. It is important to make sure that the correct and most up to date drivers are installed across all the computers on the network.

Using Device Manager to View Device Information
A device driver is a software package that enables the operating system to communicate with a specific hardware device. To do this the required driver must first be installed onto the computer. Most modern devices will have what is known as plug and play, which upon plugging in the hardware device to the computer it will automatically install the required drivers onto the machine. If this is not the case then the correct drivers will need to be installed manually either through installation media provided by the manufacturer of the hardware device or the manufacturers website. It is also important to check for updated for your hardware devices to make sure your computers devices keep working properly.
You can use device manager in windows 7 to: * Identify/view information for each device driver * Check hardware/hardware drivers are working properly * View devices based on type * Enable, disable and uninstall devices * Change hardware configuration settings * Install updated device drivers * Roll back to earlier versions of drivers * Change settings and the properties of devices * Show hidden devices

Configure the desktop environment
After installation it is advisable to customise each user’s desktop environment.
The desktop is the interface that that appears when the user logs on, the desktop will include will start menu, wallpaper, icons and gadgets and these can be tailored to suite each individual account.
The windows 7 desktop default setting include the all programs section at the bottom of the start menu, this is a good example of something that would not need to be on all accounts. By giving only the people that need to access all programs such as the IT administrator it would eliminate the risk of important files or applications being removed causing harm to the computer system.

User Account Control (UAC)
This is a tool that alerts the user that the action that they are currently performing requires administrative privileges to continue.
UAC can protect your computer from malware because it helps you to realise when a program that should not need administrative privileges such as opening an email asks you for permissions that this program should not be opened.
It is advisable to only give administrative permissions to those that need them. UAC should not effect a normal user because a normal user should not be doing things that require such permissions`
The user accounts can be set up on the administrator account through the control panel in the user accounts and family settings section.
From here you can set up a new account for each user. You can give ach separate account privileges like allowing the user to back up by adding them to the appropriate group or by configuring the appropriate group policy.