Software Flashcards
Utility software
system software that carries out configurational or maintenance tasks.
What does backup utilities do and what are the two ways it can be initiated?
It creates a copy of files and programs.
They can be set to run automatically when the system is not in use.
or can be started by the user
What does disk defragmentation utilities do?
By reordering the data in the disk to be as close to each other as possible the disk defragmentation utilities reduce seek times and increase file loading speeds and the read and write heads of the hard disk drive have to move around a lot less to access the data in the disk
What are the two ways they defragging can be initiated
They can be set to run automatically or be started by the user
What does compression utillities
It reduces the original size of a file or a set of files
Define decompression
Extracting data from a compressed file to that it can be readable
What does formatting utilities do?
It prepares a storage device for its first use
How does formatting utilities make the process of formatting a disk easier for the user?
They allow the user to choose the file system, file unit sizes and name of the disk. They also confirm if the user actually wants to format their disk.
Define operating system-
An OS allows a user to control or manage a computers hardware either directly or by using another system or application software
What is single operating system
It is an operating system that allows for a general user and does not provide the option to customize the user interface for different users.
What are three functions of network operating software
It makes requests to servers when users log in with their username and password.
It separates the users accounts ensuring that the users cannot access each others files.
It provides access to network storage and other shared resources such as network printers.
How does an operating system manage the memory of a computer?
It allocates RAM to different applications when they are running and clears it when that application is no longer being used making it available for another application.
It also creates virtual memory for devices.
How exactly does it create virtual memory?
When the RAM of a computer runs out and more and more RAM is required by the multiple applications that are opened and are either actively being used or running in the background the OS creates virtual memory by temporarily transferring some of the less frequently used data by these applications to the hard disk of that computer and swapping it back to the ram when it is required by the application.
How does OS manage other resources?
Other resources of an application include its graphics card, input or output devices, memory and processor. When any of these hardware resources are required by an application, the OS of that computer makes the resources available. If that system resource is currently used by another application the OS will say so and if it is a resource like a printer the OS can let the app know when that resource is available again.
Define graphics card
A device that is built in or added to a computer to allow it to display visual graphics.
