chapter 5

chapter 5

1. The operating system (OS) controls almost all functions on a computer. In this chapter, you learn about the components, functions, and terminology related to the Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP operating systems.

2. Multi-user - Two or more users have individual accounts that allow them to work with programs and peripheral devices at the same time.

   • Multitasking - The computer is capable of operating multiple applications at the same time.
     • Multiprocessing - The operating system can support two or more CPUs.
       • Multithreading - A program can be broken into smaller parts that are loaded as needed by the operating system. Multithreading allows different parts of a program to be run at the same time.

3. The OS manages the interaction between applications and the hardware. To access and communicate with each hardware component, the OS uses a program called a device driver

4. The OS creates a file structure on the hard disk drive to store data. A file is a block of related data that is given a single name and treated as a single unit.

5. The OS creates a file structure on the hard disk drive to store data. A file is a block of related data that is given a single name and treated as a single unit.

6. x86 - A 32-bit architecture that processes multiple instructions using a 32-bit address space.