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Computer Awareness Study Material – Operating System

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Computer Awareness Study Material – Operating System

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An operating system consists of a set of programs, which controls, coordinates and supervises the activities of the various components of a computer system. It is a program which acts as an interface between the user and the hardware. The interface enables a user to utilise hardware resources very efficiently. Operating system (OS) is an organised collection or intergrated set of specialised programs that controls the overall operations of a computer. It is a program that must be on any computer for proper booting.

Functions of Operating System
Operating system is a large and complex software consisting of several components. It is responsible for managing all the resources attached to a computer system.

Following functions are provided by an operating system to the convenience of users
Process Management
‘A Process is a program under execution’. It is the task which is currently being executed by the processor (CPU). The operating system handles the creation and deletion of processes and also manages the scheduling and synchronisation of process. Process management is the important part of an operating system which enables the activities of planning, monitoring and performance of a process.

Memory Management
Memory management of an operating system takes care of allocation and de-allocation of main memory to various processes. Managing the primary memory, sharing and minimising memory access time are the basic goals of the memory management. It also keeps track of memory usage. The performance of memory management is crucial for the performance of entire system.

File Management
File management module of operating system manages files held on various storage devices as well as transfers file from one storage device to another. The file management includes creating and deleting both files and directories, allocating space for files, keeping back-up, securing, easy access to files.

Input/Output Management
The Input/Output management module of the OS coordinates and assigns different input and output devices, namely terminals, printers, disk drives, tape drives, etc. Input/Output Management controls all I/O devices, keeps track of I/O requests, issues commands to these devices and takes measures which would ensure that data is transmitted efficiently and correctly to and from I/O devices.

Types of Operating System
The operating systems are classified as

Batch Processing Operating System
In batch processing operating system, a number of jobs are put together and executed as a group.
This operating, system is responsible for scheduling the jobs according to priority and the resource required. It is the type of OS which does not interact with the computer directly, e.g. Unix.

Single User Operating System
It is a type of operating system which allows only one user at a time. Operating system for personal computer (PC) is single user C 3. They are designed to manage one task at a time, e.g. MS-DOS, Windows 9X.

Multi User Operating System
This OS allows multiple users to access a computer system concurrently. It is used in computer networks that allows same data and applications to be accessed by multiple users at the same time, e.g. VMS, etc.

Multi-Tasking Operating System
In multi-tasking operating system, more than one processes can be executed concurrently. It also allows the user to switch between the running applications, e.g. Linux, Unix, Windows 95.

Multi-tasking OS can be classified as follow

  • Preemptive Multi-tasking OS It is a type of multi-tasking that allows computer programs to share operating system and underlying harware resources. It divides its overall operating, computing time between processes, and the switching of resources between different processes occurs through predefined criteria, e.g. OS/2, Window 95/NT, etc.
  • Cooperative Multi-Tasking OS It is the simplest form of multi-tasking. In it, each program can control the CPU for as long as it need it. If a program is not using the CPU, however it can allow another program to use it temporarily, e.g. Mac OS, MS-Windows 3-X, etc

Time Sharing Operating System
In time sharing OS, a small amount of time is allocated for the processing simultanously. The time sharing operating system allows multiple programs to simultaneously share the computer resources. It provides to each process to be run on. e.g. Mac OS.

Real Time Operating Sytem (RTOS)
The main objective of real time operating systems is their quick and predictable response to events than any other operating system. Real time operating systems are designed to respond to an event within a predetermined time. It must have preemptive kernels to execute a program. They are- often used in applications such as flight reservation system, military applications, etc. These types of operating system increase the availability and reliability of the System, e.g. Lynx OS, etc.

There are two types of real time operating system

  • Hard Real Time OS It is referred to as an operating system that can absolutely guarantee a maximum time for the operations, it performs.
  • Soft Real Time OS It is referred to as an operating system that cannot absolutely guarantee a maximum time for the operations, it performs.

User Interface
An operating system provides an interface between the computer user and the hardware.
The user interface is one of the most important parts of any operating system because it allows users to easily access and communicate with the applications and the hardware.

The user can interact with the computer by using mainly two kinds of interfaces
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
It is a computer program that enables a person to communicate with a computer through the use of symbols, visual metaphors and pointing devices. It is best known for its implementation in Apple products.
The first graphical user interface was designed by Xerox Corporation in 1970s. GUIs can be found in hand held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players, gaming devices, etc.

Character User Interface (CUI)
It is also known as Command Line Interface (CLI). CUI is a mechanism of interacting with a computer system or software by typing, commands to perform specific tasks. Programs with character user interface are generally easier to automate via scripting. CUI only uses text types one after another just as commands used in MS-DOS.

Some Important Operating System
Some popular operating systems are as follows

  1. UNIX The first version of Unix was developed in 1969 by Ken-Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at AT & T Bell Laboratories. It is primarily used to a server rather than a workstation and should not be used by anyone who does not understand the system.
  2. Apple Macintosh (Mac OS) It was introduced in January, 1984 by Steve Jobs and was initially named as system software, which was later renamed as Mac OS. Most recent version of OS is based on Unix because it has a good graphical interface.
  3. LINUX The first Linux Kernel was released in October, 1991 by Linus. It is an open source software, means anyone can download it and use it without any fees. Linux is similar to Unix in operations. It is difficult to understand by anyone who does not understand the system and can be difficult to learn.
  4. SOLARIS It is a free UNIX based OS developed by Sun Microsystems. The first version of Sun Microsystems was published in 1992 and coined as SunOS.
  5. BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) BOSS GNU/Linux (or simply BOSS) developed by C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) was initially released in 2007 and derived from Debian for enhancing the use of Free/Open Source Software throughout India. BOSS Linux provides GUI to the user.
  6. Microsoft Windows It is an operating system, based on GUI, developed by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 in response to the growing interest in GUIs.

Mobile Operating System
This OS operates on Smartphones, Tablets and Digital Mobile devices. It controls mobile devices and its design supports wireless communication and different types of mobile applications. It has built-in support for mobile multimedia formats
Some popular mobile operating systems are as follows

  • Android It is a mobile OS developed by Google, which is based on Linux Kernel. It is basically designed for touch screen mobile devices like Tablets, Smartphones, etc. Now-a-days, it is most common as used in mobile phones. The latest version of Android is Nougat which was released on 22 August, 2016.
  • Symbian It is the OS developed and sold by Symbian Ltd. It is an open source mobile OS designed for Smartphones.
    It has been used by many major handset manufacturers including Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony, etc. The latest version of Symbian is Nokia Belle which was released in October 2012.
  • iOS It is the popular mobile operating system developed by Apple Incorporation. This operating system is commonly used in Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, etc. The latest version of iOS is iOS 10.0.2 which was released on 23th Septemeber 2016
  • BlackBerry It is the most secure operating system used in leading Smartphones developed by BlackBerry company. It also supports WAP 1.2. The latest version of Blackberry is BlackBerry OS 10.3.3 which was released in 2016.

MS-DOS (Microsoft-Disk Operating System)
The DOS OS was developed by Microsoft in 1980 for micro computers. MS-DOS was the first operating system that run on PC developed by IBM corporation in 1981. DOS is a single user operating system. It is only operating system, which can be loaded in the main memory of the computer using a single disk.

Structure of DOS
There are four essential programs associated with the control of computer and the way it interacts with them.

  • The Boot Record It includes loading the operating system into main memory. It is the main program of MS-DOS.
  • The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS, sys) It provides an interface between the hardware and programs.
  • The MSDOS. sys Program It is a collection of program routines and data tables that provides high level programs such as application programs.
  • The Command.com Program It provides a standard set of commands that gives users access to file management, configuration and miscellaneous functions.

Configuration of DOS
Config. sys, Autoexec, bat provide the environment to computer to set commands.

  • sys It adjusts the system acoording to commands.
  • Auto Exec.bat When the system is powered On, this file executes in automatically command line.

Important Extensions and their Meaning

Extensions Meaning
.exe Executable files.
.com Command files
.bat Batch files
.doc Document files
.txt Text files
.Prg Program files
.ovr Over lays
.sys System files

Types of DOS Commands
There are two kinds of DOS command, Internal and External.

  • Internal Commands These commands are automatically loaded into main memory when the booting process gets completed, e.g. DATE, TIME, VER, VOL, DIR, COPY, etc.
  • External Commands These commands require external files to be loaded in the computer to run. e.g. Checking disk, comparing disk, formatting, etc.

Important Commands and their Uses

CALL Call one batch program from another
CD Change Directory-move to a specific folder
CLS Clear the screen
CHKDSk Check the hard drive running position
COPY Copy one or more files to another location
DATE Display or set the date
DEL Delete one or more files
DIR Display a list of files and folders
ERASE Delete one or more files
EDIT View and edit files
EXIT Quit the current script/routine and set an error level
FORMAT To erase and prepare and disk drive
IF Conditionally perform a command

Commands Description

MD Create new folders
MOVE Move files from one folder to another
PATH Display or set a search path for executable files
PRINT Prints data to a printer port
PROMPT Change the command prompt
REN Rename a file or directory
RD Remove an empty directory
SORT Sort the input and displays the output to the screen
START Start a program, command or batch file
TIME Display or set the system time
TYPE Display the contents of a text file
VER Display version information
XCOPY Copy multiple files, directories, or drives from one location to another

QUESTION BANK

1. It runs on computer hardware and serves as platform for other software to run on.

  1. Operating system
  2. Application software
  3. Programs
  4. Peripherals
  5. Processing system

2. The primary purpose of the Windows operating system is

  1. to make the most efficient use of the computer hardware
  2. to allow people to use the computer
  3. to keep systems programmer’s employed
  4. to make computers easier to use
  5. None of the above

3. It is the first program run on a computer, when the computer boots up.

  1. System software
  2. Operating system
  3. System operations
  4. Processing system
  5. Memory system

4. It shares characteristics with both hardware and software

  1. Operating system
  2. Software
  3. Data
  4. Utility
  5. All of these

5. Which one of the following DOS commands sends contents of the screen to an output device?

  1. BREAK
  2. DISK COPY
  3. MORE
  4. ASSIGN
  5. None of these

6. Which of the following operating systems is also known as single user operating system?

  1. Windows
  2. Linux
  3. Unix
  4. DOS
  5. None of these

7. The main difference between Windows and DOS is the ability to

  1. multitasking
  2. speed up
  3. run a program
  4. run without power
  5. None of these

8. Multi-processing means

  1. two or more central processing units within a single computer system
  2. two or more programs running at once
  3. two or more input devices connected to a single computer system
  4. two or more tasks carried out by a single computer system
  5. None of the above

9. Which of the following is the main program of MS-DOS?

  1. Boot Record
  2. sys
  3. sys
  4. com
  5. All of the above

10. Which of the following is not an operating system?

  1. Windows
  2. DOS
  3. Linux
  4. Unix
  5. CP/M

11. The operating system is the most common type of ……. software.

  1. communication
  2. application
  3. system
  4. Word-processing
  5. None of these

12. In MS-DOS, which of the following commands is used to delete directory with all sub-directions and files?

  1. Delete
  2. Del
  3. Deltree
  4. Move
  5. None of these

13. Which of the following is not an external command of DOS?

  1. LABEL
  2. FORMAT
  3. CHKDSK
  4. CLS
  5. ATTRIB

14. Which commands are automatically loaded into main memory are known as

  1. internal
  2. external
  3. viral
  4. situational
  5. None of these

15. Which file in MS-DOS contains internal commands that are loaded during booting process?

  1. sys
  2. MSDOS.sys
  3. sys
  4. COMMAND.com
  5. None of these

16. What is the name of the batch file that is automatically run when MS-DOS is booted?

  1. sys
  2. CONFIG.bat
  3. bat
  4. RUN.bat
  5. None of these

17. Which type of commands in MS-DOS needs external files to perform their action?

  1. Internal commands
  2. External commands
  3. Batch commands
  4. Redirectories
  5. None of the above

18. The scandisk program is used to

  1. find bad cluster of disk and also remove these cluster
  2. scan disk and eliminate viruses
  3. scan disk and eliminate .bat files
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

19. Which of the following is not an internal command of DOS?

  1. VER
  2. COPYCON
  3. FORMAT
  4. VOL
  5. TYPE

20. A command, in DOS, used to set a name to a disk, is

  1. VOL
  2. REN
  3. LABEL
  4. CLS
  5. COPYCON

21. Which of the following is/are function of operating system?

  1. User interface
  2. File system manipulation
  3. Resources allocation
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

22. ‘DOS’ operating system does not have

  1. a boot record
  2. a file allocation table
  3. a root directory
  4. a virtual memory
  5. All of these

23. MS-DOS is usually supplied on a

  1. hard disk
  2. cartidge tape
  3. CD ROM
  4. flopy disk
  5. None of these

24. A program in execution is called

  1. process
  2. instruction
  3. procedure
  4. function
  5. None of these

25. Memory utilisation factor shall be computed as

  1. memory in use/allocated memory
  2. memory in use/total memory connected
  3. memory allocated/free existing memory
  4. memory committed/total memory available
  5. None of the above

26. Which one of the following is not the function of operating system?

  1. Resource Management
  2. File Management
  3. Networking
  4. Processor Management
  5. None of the above

27. The kernel is ……… user threads.

  1. a part of
  2. the creator of
  3. unaware of
  4. aware of
  5. None of these

28. Real time systems must have

  1. pre-emptive kernels
  2. non-pre-emptive kernels
  3. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. Either ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. None of the above

29. The process of transferring data intended for a peripheral device into a disk, so that it can be transferred to peripheral at a more convenient time or in bulk, is-known as

  1. multi programming
  2. spooling
  3. caching
  4. virtual programming
  5. None of these

30. When a file contains instruction that can be carried out by the computer, it is often called a(n) file.

  1. data
  2. information
  3. executable
  4. application
  5. None of these

31. Linux is which type of operating system?

  1. Open-source
  2. Microsoft
  3. Windows
  4. Mac
  5. None of these

32. The PC (Personal Computer) and the Apple Macintosh are examples of two different

  1. platforms
  2. applications
  3. programs
  4. storage devices
  5. None of these

33. CHKDSK can be used to find

  1. disk’s bad portion
  2. occupied space
  3. free space
  4. All of these
  5. None of these

34. ………. provides process and memory management services that allow two or more tasks, jobs or programs to run simultaneously.

  1. Multitasking
  2. Multithreading
  3. Multiprocessing
  4. Multicomputing
  5. None of these

35. The simultaneous processing of two or more programs by multiple processors is

  1. multi programming
  2. multitasking
  3. time sharing
  4. multiprocessing
  5. None of these

36. An operating system is said to be multi user, if

  1. more than one program can run simultaneously
  2. more than one users can work simultaneously
  3. Either ‘1’ and ‘2’
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

37. Which file is the batch file that is read while booting a computer?

  1. Autoexec.bat
  2. Auto-batch
  3. Autoexecutive.bat
  4. Auto.bat
  5. None of these

38. Windows operating system is …………. and ………….

  1. multitasking, multi user
  2. multi user, single tasking
  3. single user, multitasking
  4. single tasking, single user
  5. None of the above

39. It provides scheduling to each process to be run on.

  1. Time sharing OS
  2. Distributed OS
  3. Real time OS
  4. Single user OS
  5. Multi user OS

40. It controls the way in which the computer system functions and provides a mean by which users can interact with the computer?

  1. The platform
  2. The operating system
  3. Application software
  4. The motherboard
  5. None of these

41. The restart of computer is called ……. when computer is already ON.

  1. cold booting
  2. warm booting
  3. shut down
  4. logging off
  5. None of these

42. What is the name of the program that controls the computer?

  1. The operating system
  2. An application program
  3. A browser
  4. The file manager
  5. The compiler

43. What does start or restart the computer?

  1. Exit
  2. Kick
  3. Boot
  4. Kick Start
  5. None of these

44. It is the program that manages the hardware of the computer system including the CPU, memory storage devices and input/output devices.

  1. Software
  2. Operating system
  3. hardware
  4. System software
  5. None of these

45. In DOS, the ‘label’ command is used to   [SBI Clerk 2007]

  1. create the label of disk
  2. change the label of disk
  3. remove the label of disk
  4. Both ‘1’ and ‘2’
  5. All of the above

46. Which command is used to delete file from a directory in DOS?     [SBI Clerk 2007]

  1. REN
  2. DEL
  3. CD
  4. MD
  5. None of these

47. The simultaneously processing of two or more programs by multiple processors, is   [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. Multi-programming
  2. Multi-tasking
  3. Time sharing
  4. Multi-processing
  5. None of the above

48. Linux is a type of …………..  [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. shareware
  2. commercial
  3. proprietary
  4. open source
  5. hidden type

49. Grouping and processing all of a firm’s transactions at one time, is called  [IBPS Clerk 2011]

  1. a database management system
  2. batch processing
  3. a real time system
  4. an on-time system
  5. None of these

50. Which process checks to ensure the components of the computer are operating and connected properly? [SBI PO 2012] 

  1. Booting
  2. Processing
  3. Saving
  4. Editing
  5. None of these

51. V symbol in DOS commands is used to    [SBI Clerk 2007]

  1. compare two values
  2. redirect input
  3. redirect output
  4. filter data
  5. None of the above

52. ………… is a feature for scheduling and multi-programming to provide an economical interactive system of two or more users.     [IBPS Clerk 2012]

  1. Time sharing
  2. Multi-sharing
  3. Time tracing
  4. Multi-processing
  5. None of these

53. Which one of the following is an MS-DOS external command?      [SSC CHSL 2012]

  1. DIR
  2. COPY
  3. FORMAT
  4. PROMPT

54. Which of the following commercial  software products are examples of operating system software and application software, respectively?         [SBI Clerk 2012]

  1. Microsoft Window XP and Microsoft Word
  2. Microsoft office XP and Microsoft Windows XP
  3. MS DOS and Microsoft Windows XP
  4. UNIX and LINUX
  5. UNIX and Java

55. An operating system is a/an [SSC CGL 2013]

  1. accounting software
  2. application software
  3. system software
  4. utility software

56. In DOS, the DIR commands is used to

  1. display content of a file [SSC CGL 2013]
  2. delete file
  3. display list of files and subdirectories
  4. copy files

57. Usually, in MS-DOS the primary hard disk drives has the drive letter  ………..  [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. None of these

58. What happends when you boot up a PC?  [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. Portions of the operating system are copied from disk into memory
  2. Portions of the operating system are copied from memory onto disk
  3. Portions of the operating system are complied
  4. Portions of the operating system are emulated
  5. The PC gets switched off

59. Linux is an example of [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. freewave
  2. open source software
  3. shareware
  4. complimentary
  5. None of these

60. Which of the following is the type of software that controls the internal operations in the computer and controls how the computer works will all its parts?  [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. Shareware
  2. Public domain software
  3. Application software
  4. Operating system software
  5. None of the above

61. Which of the following is not usual file extension in DOS? [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. .exe
  2. .bat
  3. .0
  4. .class
  5. None of these

62. What do you understand by the term ‘booting’?       [RBI Grade B 2012]

  1. The process of starting the computer from the power-off position
  2. Connecting computer of the electric switch
  3. Increasing the memory of the computer
  4. The process of shut down the computer
  5. None of the above

63. The DOS command, which cannot be executed with versions 1 and 2 is [RBI Grade B 2014, RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. GRAPHICS
  2. FIND
  3. LABEL
  4. MODE
  5. None of these

64. Which one of the following DOS commands sends contents of the screen to an output device?       [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. BREAK
  2. DISK COPY
  3. MORE
  4. ASSIGN
  5. None of these

65. Which one of the following file names is invalid in DOS?            [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. RIT. bat
  2. LISTEN.bin
  3. RLUA.btt
  4. TALK.bas
  5. None of these

66. Which one of the following DIR commands lists a group of files? [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. DIR INVOICE.bas
  2. DIR RESCUE.bas
  3. DIR PAY ROLL.bas
  4. DIR TOOL ? .bas
  5. None of the above

67. The capacity of the number of sectors and the number of file entries 3.5 inch floppy for root directory in MS-DOS are respectively (assume floppy capacity to be 2.88 MB) [RBI Grade B 2013]

  1. 20260
  2. 10120
  3. 15240
  4. 32512
  5. None of these

68. Every computer has a(n) ………. , many also have……………. [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. operating system; a client system
  2. operating system; instruction sets
  3. applicaton programs; as operating system
  4. application programs; a client system
  5. operating system application programs

69. The purpose of DISKCOPY command is to  [RBI Grade B 2014]

  1. format the disk if it is not formatted before a write operation is initiated on it.
  2. overwrite the existing contents of the destination disk as it copies the new information to it
  3. make an exact copy of a floppy disk
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

70. MS-DOS is ………. operating system.

  1. user friendly graphical [SBI PO 2014]
  2. graphical user interface
  3. real time GUI
  4. point and check
  5. command line interface

71. Which of the following refers to restarting the system when it is already powered on?  [SBI PO 2014]

  1. A strong boot
  2. Hibernation
  3. A cold boot
  4. Standby mode
  5. A warm boot

72.‘DOS’ floppy disk does not have [SBI PO 2014]

  1. a boot record
  2. a file allocation table
  3. a root directory
  4. a virtual memory
  5. All of these

73. Which of the following refers to the means by which an OS or any other program interacts with the user? [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. Program front-end
  2. Programming interface
  3. User login
  4. User interface
  5. User compatibility

74. The OS software and data, thje computer is currently using, are stored in . [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. PC
  2. AGP
  3. USB
  4. RAM
  5. Scanner

75. Which of the following is an operating system?        [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. Linux
  2. Debugger
  3. Mozilla
  4. Google Chrome
  5. Intel 8085

76. A collection of programs that controls how your computer system runs and processes information is called [IBPS Clerk 2014]

  1. operating system
  2. computer
  3. office
  4. compiler
  5. interpreter

77. The operating system is the most common type of ……….. software.           [SBI PO 2014]

  1. application
  2. antivirus
  3. communication
  4. system
  5. Word-processing software

78. What is Linux? [SBI Clerk 2014]

  1. Input device
  2. Storage device
  3. Operating system
  4. Output device
  5. Processor

79.Which among the following is not a mobile Operating System?          [IBPS PO 2016]

  1. Android
  2. Safari
  3. Symbian
  4. iOS
  5. BlackBerry

ANSWERS

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