Lesson 1: Configuring Windows Flashcards
What do User Accounts control?
User Accounts manage access to the computer and control settings for individual users, such as permissions, passwords, and personal preferences.
What can be assigned to User Accounts to make OS configurations changes?
Rights or privileges - as well as permissions on files, folders, and printers
How is a User Account verifyed?
Through Authentication
What does Authentication mean in regards to a User Account?
The person must provide some data that is known or held only by the account owner to gain access to the account.
Each User Account is associated with a Profile. What are the main default folders that a Profile contains? (4)
- Documents
- Pictures
- Videos
- Music
The first user of the computer is configured as the default administrator account. Additional accounts are usually configured as standard users. What is the difference in privileges between Admin account and a Standard User account?
An Administrator account has privileges to change any aspect of the computer’s system configuration while Standard users have privileges on their Profile ONLY (rather than the whole computer)
What are the two types of accounts a Windows account can be configured as? (2)
- Local-only account
- Linked to a Microsoft Account
What is the difference between a Local account and a Microsoft account?
A Local account can be used to sign-in on a single computer ONLY. A Microsoft account gives access to Microsoft’s cloud services and allows sign-in and syncs desktop settings and user profile data across multiple devices.
The Account Setting app is used for what configuration tasks? (6)
- Your Information
- Email & Account
- Configure Sign-In Options
- Access Work or School
- Family and other Users
- Sync Settings
Where is the User Accounts applet found?
Control Panel
The User Accounts applet is found in the Control Panel (the legacy interface) along with other applets
What options are there in the User Accounts applet? (3)
- Changing the account name
- Changing the account privilege level (avs)
- UAC
What does UAC stand for and what does it do?
User Account Control
A system to prevent unauthorized use of administrator privileges.
What is the process to create a User Account? (For both Microsoft and Local accounts)
Adding a User with a Microsoft Account:
Click Start Menu -> Open Settings -> Accounts -> **Family & other users* -> **Add someone else to this PC **-> enter email then click finish.
Adding a User as a Local Account:
Click Start Menu -> Open Settings -> Accounts -> Family & other users -> Add someone else to this PC -> click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information -> click Add a user without a Microsoft account -> then create username, password, and security questions
What are two Privacy Settings? (2)
- Data Collection (allows Microsoft to process usage telemetry. It affects use of speech and input personalization, language settings, general diagnostics, and activity history)
- App permissions (allow or deny access to devices such as the location service, camera, and microphone and to user data such as contacts, calendar items, email, and files)
The desktop can be configured to use local settings and personalized to adjust its appearance. What are the two main purposes Time & Language settings are used for? (2)
- Set the correct date/time and time zone.
- Set region options
What do the Personalization settings do?
Allow you to select and customize themes, which set the appearance of the desktop environment.
What are category’s included in the Personalization and theme settings? (3)
1. Desktop wallpaper & Screen saver
2. Font & Color scheme
3. Properties for the Start Menu and Taskbar
What do Ease of Access settings for?
Accessibility configurations
What are the three main settings groups in the Ease of Access settings? (3)
- Vision configures options
(For cursor indicators, high-contrast and color-filter modes, and the Magnifier zoom tool. Additionally, the Narrator tool can be used to enable audio descriptions of the current selection)
- Hearing configures options
(For volume, mono sound mixing, visual notifications, and closed-captioning)
- Interaction configures options
(For keyboard and mouse usability. The user can also enable speech- and eye-controlled input methods)
Where can Ease of Access settings be configured?
Through Settings or via Control Panel
(Note: in Windows 11, these settings are found under the Accessibility heading)
File Explorer file options (6)
- Open / Create
- Copy
- Move
- Rename
- View
- Delete
File Explorer’s process is run from what file?
explorer.exe
How are data files categorized, accessed, and mediated in logical storage areas on Windows?
System Objects
(Displayed in the left-hand navigation pane in File Explorer)
What are the five main System Objects? (5)
User Account
OneDrive
This PC
Network
Recycle Bin
While the System Objects represent logical storage areas, where are the actual data files written to?
Disk Drives
What is a drive?
A drive can be a single physical disk or a partition on a disk, a shared network folder mapped to a drive letter, or a removable disk. Often drives are referred to by letters.
What is the A: drive and C: drive stored as?
The A: drive is the Floppy Disk
(very rarely seen these days)
The C: drive is the Partition on the Primary fixed disk holding the Windows installation
What does every drive contain?
A directory called the root directory
What character represents the Root directory?
\ Backslash
ex. C:\
What are System Files?
Files that are required for the operating system to function.
The Root directory typically contains three folders to separate system files from user data files, what are they? (3)
Windows. Program Files\Program Files (x86), and Users
- Windows
(The system root, containing drivers, logs, add-in applications, system and configuration files (notably the System32 subdirectory), fonts, and so on) - Program Files\Program Files (x86)
(Subdirectories for installed applications software. In 64-bit versions of Windows, a Program Files (x86) folder is created to store 32-bit applications) - Users
(Storage for users’ profile settings and data. Each user has a folder named after their user account. This subfolder contains NTUSER.DAT (registry data) plus subfolders for personal data files. The profile folder also contains hidden subfolders used to store application settings and customizations, favorite links, shortcuts, and temporary files)
What applet in Control Panel governs how Explorer shows folders and files?
The File Explorer Options applet
In the File Explorer Options applet, the General tab allows you to set what options? (2)
- the layout of Explorer
- Switch between the single-click and double-click styles of opening shortcuts
In the File Explorer Options applet, the View tab allows you to what? (3)
1. Hide extensions
2. Hide protected operating system files
3. Hidden files and folders
Where can you configure file search behavior? (2)
- On the Search tab in File Explorer
- Indexing Options applet
What does the Indexing Options applet allow you to do? (2)
- Define indexed locations
- Rebuild the index
What do Indexed locations include? (2)
1. Folders
2. Email data stores
What is a common cause for search problems?
A corrupted Index
Review #1 True or False? Under default settings, the user account added during setup is NOT affected by UAC (User Account Control)
False.
THIS SYSTEM CAN DISABLED VIA UAC SETTINGS, BUT IT IS ENABLED BY DEFAULT
Review #2 Assuming default Explorer view settings are configured, what steps should the user take to get better context of files?
Show hidden file extensions
Steps:
User must open File Explorer Options applet -> click View tab -> check the box show hidden file extensions
(Additional note: this can also be done via a check box on the View menu ribbon in File Explorer)
Review #3 A user calls to say that he clicked ‘Yes’ to a prompt to allow the browser to access the computer’s location services while using a particular site and is now worried about personal information being tracked by other sites. How can the user adjust the app permission in Windows?
Via the App permissions section under Privacy settings
(Additional note: most browser software can be configured to only allow location information on a per-site basis)
Review #4 You are assisting a home user who wants her spouse to be able to sign in to a new Windows laptop using a Microsoft account, Is this possible, and if so, which management interface is used?
Yes, it is possible. This can be done via the Accounts settings app.
(Additional note: you can also use the legacy control panel on both Win 10 & 11)
What does the System Settings page in the Settings app provide options for? (6)
- Configuring input and output devices
- Power
- Remote desktop
- Notifications
- Clipboard (data copying)
- About page
Advanced settings? (5)
- Performance options & Startup and recovery options
- Operation mode
- Environment variables
- User profiles.
- Paging
The computer can be set to favor performance of either foreground or background processes. which process is more recommended?
A desktop PC should always be left optimized for foreground processes.
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What does Windows Update do?
Hosts critical updates and security patches plus optional software and hardware device driver updates.
Where can update detection and scheduling be configured?
Via Settings > Update & Security or Windows Update
(Win 10 or Win 11)
What is a Feature Update?
Update that is released periodically and introduces changes to OS features and tools.
Where can you find Update activity/history?
Windows Event Viewer (in the Applications and Service Logs > Microsoft\Windows > WindowsUpdateClient > Operational log file)
What should you do if an update fails to install?
Go into Windows Event Viewer
Check the log to find the cause; the update will fail with an error code that you can look up on the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
What does the Windows Security page contain?
Windows Defender virus/threat protection and firewall
What is Microsoft Product Activation?
A valid product key or digital license.
What is Plug-and-Play?
Windows automatically detects when a new device is connected, locates drivers for it, and installs and configures it with minimal user input.
(*Note: When using a 64-bit edition of Windows, you must obtain 64-bit device drivers. 32-bit drivers will not work)
Hardware device configuration and management? (3)
- The System & Device settings pages
- Devices and Printers applet
- Device Manager
What are principal Display configuration settings? (3)
1. Color & Scale
2. Multiple displays
3. Resolution and refresh rate
What do you use the Sound applet in Settings or in Control Panel for?
To choose input (microphone) and output (headphones/speakers) devices and to set and test audio levels.
What does Power management allow Windows to do?
To selectively reduce or turn off the power supplied to hardware components.
What do Privacy Settings do?
Govern the usage data that Windows is permitted to collect and what device functions are enabled for which apps.
Is it possible for a computer to be configured to enter a power-saving mode automatically?
Yes,
This is important to avoid wasting energy when the computer is on but not being used and to maximize run-time when on battery power. The user can also put the computer into a power-saving state rather than shutting down
What does ACPI stand for?
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
What is ACPI designed to do?
Ensure software and hardware compatibility for different power-saving modes.
There are several levels of ACPI power mode
S0 level
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