OS topic 17 – Booting and configuration

Question 1

Booting

With the power to a computer turned off, the processor is not running and the OS only exists as a collection of f_______ on s__________ storage such as a hard disk.

Answer 1

files
secondary

Question 2

Booting

The boot process proceeds in a number of stages.
The very first code that runs when the processor is first turned on cannot be stored on a hard disk or other secondary storage.

Instead it must be f________: software that is stored in non-volatile chips and therefore exists somewhere on the boundary between hardware and software.

Answer 2

firmware

Question 3

Booting

The ‘boot code’ code is responsible for initializing the h_________ and loading the o__________ s__________ into the computer’s memory.

Answer 3

hardware
operating system (OS)

Question 4

Booting

On older computers, the firmware that controlled the boot process was called the BIOS.

What does BIOS stand for?

The B_____ I_______/O________ S________

Answer 4

Basic Input/Output System

Question 5

Booting

On newer machines, the firmware is now the UEFI.

What doe UEFI stand for?

The U_________ E________ F_______ I__________

Answer 5

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

Question 6

BIOS

BIOS was originally included in ROM (read-only memory) chips soldered onto motherboards; why was it later on included on flash memory chips?

Answer 6

So that it could be updated id necessary.

Question 7

BIOS

True or false
The BIOS is the second software to run when power is applied to a processor.

Answer 7

False - it is the first!

Question 8

BIOS

The BIOS first performs a power-on self-test to check for the presence of basic h__________ – disk drives, keyboard, display – and i____________ it.

Answer 8

hardware
initialises

Question 9

BIOS

The BIOS then loads and runs a bootloader program which in turn tries to find, load and run a full o________ s___________.

Answer 9

operating system

Question 10

BIOS

Personal computers have moved from using BIOS to UEFI as the main booting firmware because UEFI offers better support for modern h________.

Answer 10

hardware

Question 11

UEFI

True or false?
Nearly all personal computers now use UEFI instead of BIOS for booting.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

UEFI

UEFI has advantages over BIOS including a more powerful pre-operating system environment, some network capabilities and a function called ‘s_______ boot’ which can help prevent malware from tampering with the boot process.

Answer 12

secure

Question 13

Configuration files

There is a need for storing information that can be used to configure the parameters and initial settings of many computer applications, including the operating system, system utilities and user applications.

The simplest method is to store information in c_____________ files, which are often just p______ t_______ files.

Answer 13

Configuration files
plain text files

Question 14

Configuration files

Typically, the filenames have extensions such as .conf, .ini or .cfg.

True or false:
Such files can be viewed – and if necessary edited – with a simple text editor or word processor.

Answer 14

True

Question 15

Configuration files

The Windows OS has a different approach to dealing with configuration data, called the r_______.

Answer 15

registry

Question 16

Configuration files

The registry is a central database of c________ information, implemented in such a way that looking up information is much faster than searching text files.

Answer 16

configuration information

Question 17

Configuration files

You should always be careful when modifying configuration files as the changes can have a significant impact on how the o________ s________ or a_______ s__________ runs.

Answer 17

operating system
application software

Question 18

System logs

Sometimes things go wrong. In the context of an operating system, problems can range from h________ problems through to the computer running low on memory. U______ might try to perform actions that are not allowed, or that fail.

Answer 18

hardware
users

Question 19

System logs

For system administrators, it is extremely useful to have a record of operating system events.
By logging any e________, warnings or informational events that have occurred, an administrator can later review all of this data to troubleshoot any problems that arise.

Answer 19

errors

Question 20

System logs

True or false?
Most operating systems keep such logs.

Answer 20

False - All OS’ keep such logs

Question 21

System logs

True or false?
Linux logs are kept in /var/log.

Answer 21

True