Systems Software Finished

Question 1

what is systems software

Answer 1

software that governs the computer system

Question 2

what does systems software do (4)

Answer 2

controls the hardware, including peripherals
allows applications to run
provides an interface for the user to interact with the computer with
maintains the system

Question 3

what are the kinds of systems software (2)

Answer 3

operating systems

utilities

Question 4

what is an operating system

Answer 4

a suite of programs that manages and controls the computer

Question 5

what are the functions of an operating system (8)

Answer 5

controlling hardware components
providing a platform for software to run on
providing a user interface
multitasking facilities
managing a computer's memory
managing peripherals
managing files
managing users

Question 6

what is a user interface

Answer 6

a suite of programs that allows a user to interact with a computer

Question 7

what are the three types of user interface

Answer 7

graphical user interface (GUI)
mobile user interface (Mobile UI)
command line interface (CLI)

Question 8

pro and con of GUIs

Answer 8

powerful and easy to use but require a lot of processing power

Question 9

pro and con of CLIs

Answer 9

incredibly powerful and use little processing power but difficult to use

Question 10

what is multitasking

Answer 10

being able to run more than one program simultaneously

Question 11

what are the two conditions needed to multitask

Answer 11

the operating system needs to be able to support multitasking
the computer must have enough memory to hold more than one program in primary memory at the same time

Question 12

why must computer memory be managed (2)

Answer 12

so more than one program can run at the same time

so more than one document can be opened at the same time

Question 13

what is one method of memory management

Answer 13

paging

Question 14

what is paging

Answer 14

when memory is broken up into fixed-size blocks called pages
when a program is run it is loaded into memory and the OS determines how much memory the program requires and allocates enough pages to hold it and its documents

Question 15

what are peripherals

Answer 15

hardware devices connected to a computer

Question 16

how does the OS operate a peripheral

Answer 16

it uses a device driver which contains instructions on how to control the device

Question 17

where does the OS get the device driver from

Answer 17

each connected device has its own driver

Question 18

what are the two advantages of using a device driver

Answer 18

any device can be used with the operating system

drivers can be updated to give better performance or remove a bug

Question 19

what does file handling software enable the user to do (8)

Answer 19

create, modify and delete files and folders
copy and duplicate files and folders
move files and folders
rename files and folders
sort items into different orders, according to name, file type and data created
search for particular files and folders
restore deleted files
set access rights to files such as read only or edit

Question 20

how do operating systems manage users (3)

Answer 20

it allows individual users to be created and deleted
access levels can be given to users, such as admin or standard user rights
auditing (keeping a log) of files a user creates, access, edits and deletes

Question 21

what is utility software

Answer 21

software that helps maintain a system

Question 22

what are four examples of utility software

Answer 22

encryption software
defragmentation software
data compression software
backup software

Question 23

what happens over time when data is stored on a hard disk

Answer 23

it becomes fragmented which takes longer to read

Question 24

what does defragmentation software do

Answer 24

takes fragmented files and rearranges the segments so they run contiguously

Question 25

why are smaller files easier to transmit across a network

Answer 25

they require fewer packets to be sent

Question 26

what are the two types of backup

Answer 26

full backup

incremental backup

Question 27

what is a full backup

Answer 27

making a copy of every file on a computer network

Question 28

what is an incremental backup

Answer 28

making a copy of any new files created or edited since the last backup