Module 1.5

Question 1

What is an example of utility software

Answer 1

antivirus software and programs that back up your data

Question 2

What are operating systems

Answer 2

system software that controls all activities that take place in a computer

Question 3

Where does the computer look for instructions to boot the computer on

Answer 3

ROM Chips

Question 4

What are the roles of the operating system

Answer 4

Providing the user interface- To allow us to interact with the computer via a GUI

Managing Programs- Manage which programs and tasks can use the CPU and for how long

Managing Hardware- Disk management (storage)
Memory management
Input/output management

Providing Basic Security- User and access control (passwords)
Basic protection against threats

Question 5

What is Multi-tasking

Answer 5

ability of the operating system to load and process multiple tasks at the same time

Question 6

How do you access the taskbar

Answer 6

Right-click on taskbar / Ctrl+Alt+Del

Question 7

What is a file path

Answer 7

‘Succession’ of folders that leads to the location of a specific file

Question 8

what is metadata

Answer 8

Additional data stored about a file: describes contents such as author and title of the file

Question 9

what is compressing

Answer 9

Process of reducing the size of a file
Also referred to as ‘zipping’

Question 10

what is decompressing

Answer 10

Refers to the process of converting (extracting) a compressed file back to the original size

Question 11

What is a scheduler

Answer 11

A scheduler is a program that is used to run certain programs at specific times. It can be used to ensure that the computer does not update while it is being used.perform certain routine housekeeping tasks (disk defragmentation)
Schedulers can be set to run in off-peak times (do not slow down PC and internet is faster)

Question 12

What is spooling

Answer 12

the process of sending print tasks to the disk (hard drive) temporarily until the printer is ready to print them.

Question 13

Why should a user make backups of their data

Answer 13

files can be accidentally overwritten or deleted
hardware failures – disk drive crashes
devices can be stolen (with data and files stored on them)
disasters – fires, earthquakes and floods can destroy hardware
files can be corrupted by power fluctuations
files can be deleted, encrypted or corrupted by viruses, etc.

Question 14

What is access control

Answer 14

Access control means that the operating system specifically asks your permission before any software can be installed.
The purpose of access control is to try to make it impossible for malware to be secretly installed on your computer without your knowledge.

Question 15

What is firewall

Answer 15

A firewall acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. Checks which programs are trying to access your computer via the internet, or internet via your computer.

Question 16

what are the three most crucial hardware components in terms of performance

Answer 16

Memory (RAM)
Processor (CPU)
Hard drive (HDD) / Solid State Drive (SSD)

Question 17

If someone asks you what platform you are running on your computer, what are they referring to?

Answer 17

The operating system used on your computer

Question 18

One of the key functions of an operating system is to manage memory. Why is this such a crucial function?

Answer 18

Different sets of programs and their data need to be loaded in memory for them to run or be processed. The operating system controls how programs use the memory (RAM) – i.e. it makes sure that programs don’t try to use the same area of memory at the same time and so corrupt each other’s data/instructions.

Question 19

Give two examples of how an operating system provides us with a basic level of security.

Answer 19

The operating system provides basic security functions such as user and access control (through passwords, fingerprint recognition, etc.), as well as basic protection against threats to our computers.

Question 20

Utilities also form part of system software.
What is the function of utilities and what is the relationship between utilities and the operating system?

Answer 20

Utilities are programs that perform system maintenance and administrative tasks. Several types of utilities are included with the operating system. These can usually be accessed via the Start Menu.

Question 21

What can you do to prevent a specific Word file on your flash drive from being accidentally overwritten?

Answer 21

Set/select the read-only attribute of the file so that it is read-only.

Question 22

Metadata allows us to perform very powerful searches in File Explorer.
Briefly explain what metadata is and give examples of some of the types of information you could use when searching for a particular MP3 (music) file.

Answer 22

Metadata is additional data stored about a file that describes the contents of the file. For example, you can search for a music file using metadata such as information about the album, artist, genre and year the album was released.

Question 23

Briefly explain what exporting data means.

Answer 23

Exporting data means saving it in a format that can be read by a different version of the same
application, or even a totally different application.

Question 24

Give two typical tasks that schedulers perform for us.

Answer 24

Schedulers automatically check for updates, and automatically perform routine housekeeping tasks such as disk defragmentation.

Question 25

Give two reasons why schedulers are often set to run late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

Answer 25

So that they do not slow down our computers while we are working. Internet access is also usually faster at off-peak times, so downloads take place more quickly.

Question 26

Explain what a default printer is, and why the network administrator may have asked this question.

Answer 26

The default printer is the printer that one normally wants to use unless another one is specified. This is important to check in network environments where users have the option of printing to several possible printers.

Question 27

Explain the concept of spooling and a printer queue in this context.

Answer 27

When we print a document or any other type of file, it becomes a ‘print job’. These print jobs or tasks are temporarily sent to disk until the printer is available to print them. This process of sending the print tasks to disk is known as spooling. Each printer has its own area on disk known as a printer queue where the files containing the printer tasks wait in the queue to be printed.

Question 28

How can you try to prevent the entire 600-page document from printing?

Answer 28

Access the printer queue by double-clicking on the relevant printer icon and delete the relevant print task or job.

Question 29

Hardware theft, hardware failure and natural disasters such as fires can all lead to the loss of files. Give two other ways files can be lost, other than those mentioned.

Answer 29

Other ways: • Files can be accidentally overwritten or deleted. • Files can be corrupted by power fluctuations. • Files can be deleted, encrypted or corrupted by viruses, etc.

Question 30

Give two reasons why it is better to schedule a backup to run at night when no one is working on their computers.

Answer 30

So that there are no files open which may not then be backed up, and so the backup process will not slow down disk access for the user(s).

Question 31

The large size of modern hard drives and the huge volume of data and files we store can make backing up an entire hard drive a long and difficult process. Give four ways to reduce the number of files you need to backup.

Answer 31

Four ways of reducing the number of files to backup: • Backup just the files that have been changed since your last backup. • First compress/zip the files into a zipped file. • Only back up your data, as the programs themselves can be reinstalled if necessary. • Perform ‘housekeeping’ so that you do not have multiple copies or different versions of the same files. • Consider archiving large files that you don’t often use by moving them from your computer to another storage medium.

Question 32

Your mother says a message popped up on her screen asking for her permission to install a program. Explain why this message popped up and what she should do.

Answer 32

The operating system is preventing the software from automatically being installed (in case it is malware). If she started the installation herself and is confident that the program is not a form of malware, she can grant permission. Otherwise, if she did not start the installation herself, she should refuse permission.

Question 33

Many end users feel that a firewall will protect their computer from viruses. Explain why this is not the case by explaining what the general function of a firewall is.

Answer 33

A firewall is software or hardware that acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. It checks which programs are trying to access your computer via the internet or are trying to access the internet from your computer. It is not designed to detect viruses, which can be downloaded via the internet or be spread by portable media.

Question 34

Why will having more RAM on your computer improve the computer’s overall performance?

Answer 34

Programs and data that need to be run or processed first need to be loaded from disk into RAM (memory). If the memory is full, parts of the data or programs are temporarily stored on the hard disk, and loaded back into memory again when they are needed. This slows down the computer as accessing the disk is very slow compared to accessing the memory. The more memory you have available, the better, as more data and programs can be loaded into memory for processing.

Question 35

Give two reasons why all the memory that is installed on a computer is not available to us.

Answer 35

It is being used by parts of the operating system and other programs such as anti-virus software, which stay in memory all the time.

Question 36

Give three ways in which malware, such as spyware and viruses, can slow down your computer.

Answer 36

Malware can slow down your computer by using resources such as free memory and hard drive space. Spyware can slow down your internet connection if it frequently connects to the internet (without your knowledge, of course). Your computer can also be turned into what is known as a ‘zombie’ and be used to attack other machines. This can also slow down your computer.

Question 37

What type of troubleshooting utility software can be used to check for and repair errors or problems on a flash drive?

Answer 37

A disk scanner

Question 38

Explain what we mean when we say a disk is fragmented and why it slows down disk access.

Answer 38

As you create, save and delete files over a period of time, the more the files (and parts of the files) are likely to get scattered on the disk. The more scattered the parts of the files are, the slower the computer becomes, as the files take longer to retrieve. This is known as disk fragmentation.

Question 39

Explain how a disk defragmenter utility can overcome this problem.

Answer 39

A disk defragmenter utility reorganises and ‘re-joins’ the parts of files that were scattered.

Question 40

A computer advert advertises a CPU with a cache memory size of 8192 KB. Explain what cache memory is, and why it can improve the overall performance of a computer.

Answer 40

Cache memory is a type of special high-speed memory used to store recently or frequently accessed data. Caching data like this can improve the overall performance of a computer, as data stored in cache memory can be retrieved much faster than from ordinary memory (RAM).

Question 41

Explain why the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer needs cache memory.

Answer 41

The CPU needs cache memory to store frequently or recently accessed data based on the assumption that it will probably be accessed again soon.