TIA Chapters 5-8 Flashcards
Mainframe
powerful computer responsible for storing, managing and simultaneously processing data from many users
Utility program
is a small program in system software that performs many of the general house-keeping tasks, system maintenance and file compression
MS-Dos
1st widely used OS that does not use icons
RTOS
real-time operating system also referred to as an embedded system that requires little user interaction
Network Operating System
multiuser operating system installed on a server to manage all user requests
server
the computer on a network that manages network resources
UNIX
multiuser, multitask OS used as a network OS primarily with mainframes
Apple OS & Windows
allows a user to perform more than one process at a time
application programming interface - API
block of code in the OS that software applications need o interact with
application software
the software you use to do everyday tasks at home and at work
authentication
process of identifying a computer user, based on login or username and password
Backup & Restore utility
Windows utility that allows the user to create a duplicate copy of all the data on the hard drive or selected files & copy it to another storage device
BIOS or basic input/output system
program that manages the data between a computer’s OS and all the input and output devices attached to the computer and
program responsible for loading the OS from its permanent location on the hard drive to the RAM
boot process
process for loading the OS into RAM when the computer is turned on - Steps:
- BIOS is activated by powering on CPU
- BIOS checks that all attached devices are in place (called POST, powered on self-test)
- OS is loaded into RAM
- Configuration and customization settings are checked
command-driven interface
an interface in which you enter commands to communicate with the computer system
device driver
special program that facilitates communication between the hardware device and the OS
Device manager
feature in the OS that lets you view and change the properties of all devices attached to your computer
directory
an hierarchical structure that includes files, folders, and drives used to create a more organized and efficient computer
Disk Cleanup
Windows utility that cleans or removes unnecessary files from your hard drive
Disk Defragmenter
regroups related pieces of files on the hard drive so the OS can work more efficiently
Error-checking
Windows utility that checks for lost files and fragments as well as physical errors on your hard drive
event
result of an action, such as keystroke, mouse click or signal to the printer, in the respective device, (keyboard, mouse or printer) to which the OS responds
extension (file type)
the 3 letters that follow the user-supplied file name (after the dot) that ids what kind of family of files the file belongs to or which app should be used to read the file
file
collection of related pieces of info stored together for easy reference
file allocation table - FAT
an index of all sector numbers in a table
file compression utility
a program that that takes out redundancies in a file to reduce it’s size
file management
process by which humans or computer software provide organizational structure to a computer’s contents
file name
1st part of the label applied to a file; generally applied by the user to a file while saving it
file path
the exact location of a file starting with the drive in which the file is located, and including all folders, subfolders, (if any) the file name, and the extension
firmware
system programs included in the system software that controls hardware devices
folder
collection of files
gadget
easy-to-use mini program that gives you info at a glance or quick access to frequently used tools like weather, calculator, games, system tools, etc
GUI
graphical user interface - displays graphics and uses point-and-click technology of the mouse and curser
icon
pictures that represent an object such as a software application or a file or folder
interrupt
unique signal that tells the OS it is in need of immediate attention - every device has it’s own interrupt
interrupt handler
special numeric code that prioritizes the request placed in the interrupt table in the RAM
kernel (supervisor program)
is the essential component of the OS responsible for managing the processor and all other components of the computer system, stays in RAM when CPU is on so it is memory resident
Last Known Good Configuration
Windows feature that starts the computer by using the registry info that was saved during the last shutdown
library
a folder that is used to display files from different locations, as if they were all saved in a single folder, regardless of where they are stored
Linux
an open source OS designed for use on PCs and as a network operating system based on the central programming code of an OS and the rest of the code is from GNU Project and other sources
Mac OS
1st commercially available OS to incorporate a GUI w/ user friendly point-and-click technology
menu-driven interface
one you can choose commands from menus displayed on screens
OS
a group of programs that control how your computer functions -
OS functions
- manages computer hardware including CPU, memory and storage devices and peripheral devices
- provides a consistent means for software applications to work with the CPU
- responsible for the management, scheduling and coordination of tasks as well as system maintenance
paging
process of swapping data or instructions that have been placed in the swap file for later use back into RAM,
the contents of the hard drive’s swap file then become less active data or instructions
path separator
\ in between drive, primary folder, etc in a file path
platform
combo of a computer’s OS and processor - most common are the PC and the Apple
PNP or Plug and Play
technology that enables the OS, once it is booted up, to recognize automatically any new peripherals and configure them to work with the system
preemptive multitasking
when the OS processes the tasks assigned a higher priority b4 processing a task assigned a lower priority
RTOS
real time operating system or embedded system that requires little user interaction
registry
a portion of the hard drive containing all the different configurations (settings) used by Windows OS and other applications
ribbon
toolbars organized into task specific tabs with relevant commands
root directory
top level of the filing structure in a computer system - in Windows the root directory of the hard drive is represented as C:\
Safe mode
special diagnostic mode designed for trouble shooting errors in which only the mouse, monitor and keyboard work
sector
(2) section of a hard drive platter, wedge-shaped from the center of the platter to the edge
platters
(1) 3.5’ round thin metal plates covered with a special magnetic coating that records the data and are stacked onto a spindle
tracks
(3) concentric circles on platters data is recorded into and broken down into sectors
clusters
(4) smallest segments in sectors
index of sector numbers
to keep track of which clusters hold which files
UNIX
multiuser, multitask OS used as a network OS, primarily with mainframes
user interface
enables you to interact with the computer
utility program
performs many of the general housekeeping tasks for the computer, such as system maintenance and file compression
virtual memory
the process of optimizing RAM storage by borrowing hard drive space
widget
Mac mini-application that enables quick access to frequently used tools and activities
Windows Explorer
is the main tool for finding, viewing and managing your computer on a Windows PC
3D sound card
an expansion card that enables a computer to produce sounds that are omnidirectional or 3 dimensional
access time
the time it takes a storage device to locate its stored data and make it available for processing and measured in milliseconds (ms)
benchmarks
measurements used to compare CPU performance between processors
bit depth
number of bits a video card uses to store data about each pixel on the monitor
cache memory
a form of random access memory that is more accessible to the CPU than regular RAM
clock speed
how quickly a processor can work
core
a complete processing section from a CPU, embedded into 1 physical chip
CPU usage
the percentage of time a CPU is working
data transfer rate
the speed in which the hard drive can transfer data to other components, such as RAM
DVD-RAM
one of the 3 competing technologies for rewriting DVDs
DVD-ROM
DVD format in which data can only be read, not written
DVD-R/RW
one of the 2 recognized DVD formats that enable you to read, record (R), and rewrite (RW) data on the disc
DVD+R/RW
one of the 2 recognized DVD formats that enable you to both read, record (R), and rewrite (RW) data on the disc
external SATA (eSATA)
fast transfer port
Express card
cards that add functionality to your computer
FSB (front side bus)
connects the processor (CPU) in your computer to the system memory; the faster the better
GPU (graphics processing unit)
specialized logic chip that is dedicated to quickly displaying and calculating visual data such as shadows, textures and luminosity
hard drive
device that holds a permanently stored programs and data, can be internal or external
head crash
impact of read/write head against magnetic platter of the hard drive, often causes loss of data
hyperthreading
permits quicker processing of info by enabling a set of instructions to start executing before the previous set has finished
kernel memory
memory the OS uses
latency
process that occurs after the read/write head of the hard drive locates the correct track, and then waits for the correct sector to spin to the read/write head
Moore’s Law
prediction named after Gordon Moore (cofounder of Intel) states that the # of transistors on a CPU chip will double every 2 years
memory module
small circuit board that holds a series of random access memory (RAM) chips
platter
thin, round metallic storage plate stacked onto the hard drive spindle
RAM
computer’s temporary storage space
read/write head
the mechanism that retrieves (reads) and records (writes) the magnetic data to and from a data disk, they move from the outer edge of the spinning platters to the center, up to 50 times per second
SATA (Serial Adv Tech Attachment)
type of hard drive that uses much thinner cables, and can transfer data quicker than IDE drives
sector
section of a hard drive platter, wedge-shaped from the center of the platter to the edge
seek time
the time it takes for the hard drive’s read/write heads to move over the surface of the disk, between tracks to the correct track
SSD (solid state drive)
drive that uses the same kind of memory that flash drives use, but can reach data in only a 10th of the time
system evaluation
process of looking at a computer’s subsystems, what they do, and how they perform to determine whether the computer system has the right hardware components to do what the user ultimately wants it to do
track
concentric circle that serves as a storage area on a hard drive platter
