Manual for computer application-I by :Er.

A Yadav

Importance and use of OS

An OS is a program that acts an intermediary between the user of a computer and computer
hardware. An operating system (OS) is a software program that manages the hardware and
software resources of a computer. The OS performs basic tasks, such as controlling and allocating
memory, prioritizing the processing of instructions, controlling input and output devices,
facilitating networking, and managing files.
An operating system is the most important software that runs on a computer. It manages the
computer's memory and processes, as well as all of its software and hardware. It also allows you
to communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak the computer's
language. Without an operating system, a computer is useless.
Objectives of Operating System
To make a computer system convenient to use in an efficient manner
To hide the details of the hardware resources from the users
To provide users a convenient interface to use the computer system
To act as an intermediary between the hardware and its users and making it easier for the users
to access and use other resources
To manage the resources of a computer system
To keep track of who is using which resource, granting resource requests, according for
resource using and mediating conflicting requests from different programs and users
To provide efficient and fair sharing of resources among users and programs
Functions of Operating System

1. Process management:- Process management helps OS to create and delete processes. It

also provides mechanisms for synchronization and communication among processes.
2. Memory management:- Memory management module performs the task of allocation
and de-allocation of memory space to programs in need of this resources.
3. File management:- It manages all the file-related activities such as organization storage,
retrieval, naming, sharing, and protection of files.
4. Device Management: Device management keeps tracks of all devices. This module also
responsible for this task is known as the I/O controller. It also performs the task of
allocation and de-allocation of the devices.
5. I/O System Management: One of the main objects of any OS is to hide the peculiarities
of that hardware devices from the user.
6. Secondary-Storage Management: Systems have several levels of storage which includes
primary storage, secondary storage, and cache storage. Instructions and data must be
stored in primary storage or cache so that a running program can reference it.
7. Security: - Security module protects the data and information of a computer system
against malware threat and authorized access.
8. Command interpretation: This module is interpreting commands given by the and acting
system resources to process that commands.
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9. Networking: A distributed system is a group of processors which do not share memory,

hardware devices, or a clock. The processors communicate with one another through the
network.
10. Job accounting: Keeping track of time & resource used by various job and users.
11. Communication management: Coordination and assignment of compilers, interpreters,
and another software resource of the various users of the computer systems
The advantage of using Operating System
• Allows you to hide details of hardware by creating an abstraction
• Easy to use with a GUI
• Offers an environment in which a user may execute programs/applications
• The operating system must make sure that the computer system convenient to use
• Operating System acts as an intermediary among applications and the hardware
components
• It provides the computer system resources with easy to use format
• Acts as an intermediate between all hardware's and software's of the system

Difference between 32-Bit vs. 64 Bit Operating System

Parameters 32. Bit 64. Bit

Architecture and Allow 32 bit of data processing Allow 64 bit of data processing
Software simultaneously simultaneously

Compatibility 32-bit applications require 32-bit OS 64-bit applications require a 64-bit

and CPUs. OS and CPU.

Systems Available All versions of Windows 8, Windows XP Professional, Vista,

Windows 7, Windows Vista, and 7, Mac OS X and Linux.
Windows XP, Linux, etc.

Memory Limits 32-bit systems are limited to 3.2 GB 64-bit systems allow a maximum
of RAM. 17 Billion GB of RAM.

Disk operating system

Disk Operating System (specifically) and disk operating system (generically), most often
abbreviated as DOS refer to operating system software used in most computers that provides the
abstraction and management of secondary storage devices and the information on them (e.g., file
systems for organizing files of all sorts). Such software is referred to as a disk operating system
when the storage devices it manages are made of rotating platters (such as hard disks or floppy
disks).
DOS works as an interpreter between user and computer. We give English like commands and it
converts it into machine language and after the computer has processed the information, returns
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the results to you in English. Ms. Dos consist of four essential programs and a set of additional
utilities.
Components of MS-DOS
Four main Programs are
Boot Record IO.SYS MSDOS.SYST COMMAND.COM
Booting: Process that starts up a computer is called booting. It checks for proper functioning of
all the peripheral devices attached with the system. It searches for the operating system and, when
located, loads it into the main memory.
Cold Booting is done by turning on the computer.
Warm Booting is performed by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delkeys simultaneously.
Unix
The name "Unix" is a trademark of The Open Group which licenses it for use to any operating
system that has been shown to conform to the definitions that they have cooperatively developed.
The name is commonly used to refer to the large set of operating systems which resemble the
original UNIX. UNIX systems run on a wide variety of machine architectures. They are used
heavily as server systems in business, as well as workstations in academic and engineering
environments. Free software Unix variants, such as Linux and BSD, are increasingly popular.
They are used in the desktop market . Unix was designed to be portable, multi-tasking and multi-
user in a time-sharing configuration.

Microsoft Windows
Windows OS, developed by Microsoft Corporation to run personal computers (PCs). Featuring
the first graphical user interface (GUI) for IBM-compatible PCs, the Windows OS soon
dominated the PC market. Approximately 90 percent of PCs run some version of Windows.

In 1985 Microsoft came out with its Windows operating system, which gave PC compatibles
some of the same capabilities as the Macintosh.
The first version of Windows, released in 1985, was simply a GUI offered as an extension of
Microsoft’s existing disk operating system, or MS-DOS. Based in part on licensed concepts
that Apple Inc. had used for its Macintosh System Software, Windows for the first time allowed
DOS users to visually navigate a virtual desktop, opening graphical “windows” displaying the
contents of electronic folders and files with the click of a mouse button, rather than typing
commands and directory paths at a text prompt.
Subsequent versions introduced greater functionality, including native Windows File Manager,
Program Manager, and Print Manager programs, and a more dynamic interface. Microsoft also
developed specialized Windows packages, including the networkable Windows for Workgroups
and the high-powered Windows NT, aimed at businesses. The 1995 consumer release Windows
95 fully integrated Windows and DOS and offered built-in Internet support, including the World
Wide Web browser Internet Explorer.
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With the 2001 release of Windows XP, Microsoft united its various Windows packages under a
single banner, offering multiple editions for consumers, businesses, multimedia developers, and
others. Windows XP abandoned the long-used Windows 95 kernel (core software code) for a
more powerful code base and offered a more practical interface and improved application and
memory management. The highly successful XP standard was succeeded in late 2006
by Windows Vista, which experienced a troubled rollout and met with considerable marketplace
resistance, quickly acquiring a reputation for being a large, slow, and resource-consuming system.
Responding to Vista’s disappointing adoption rate, Microsoft in 2009 released Windows 7, an OS
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whose interface was similar to that of Vista but was met with enthusiasm for its noticeable speed
improvement and its modest system requirements.
Windows 8 in 2012 offered a start screen with applications appearing as tiles on a grid and the
ability to synchronize settings so users could log on to another Windows 8 machine and use their
preferred settings. In 2015 Microsoft released Windows 10, which came with Cortana, a digital
personal assistant like Apple’s Siri, and the Web browser Microsoft Edge, which replaced Internet
Explorer. Microsoft also announced that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows,
meaning that users would receive regular updates to the OS but that no more large-scale revisions
would be done

Memory Management Functions

The Operating System is responsible for the following memory management functions:
􀂾 Keep track of which segment of memory is in use and by whom.
􀂾 deciding which processes are to be loaded into memory when space becomes available. In
multiprogramming environment it decides which process gets the available memory, when it
gets it, where does it get it, and how much.
􀂾 Allocation or de-allocation the contents of memory when the process request for it otherwise
reclaim the memory when the process does not require it or has been terminated.

File Management Functions

􀂾 Keeps track of the information, its location, its usage, status, etc. The module called a file
system provides these facilities.
􀂾 Decides who gets hold of information, enforce protection mechanism, and provides for
information access mechanism, etc.
􀂾 Allocate the information to a requesting process, e.g., open a file.
􀂾 De-allocate the resource, e.g., close a file.

I/O Device Management Functions

An Operating System will have device drivers to facilitate I/O functions involving I/O devices.
These device drivers are software routines that control respective I/O devices through their
controllers.
􀂾 Keep track of the I/O devices, I/O channels, etc. This module is typically called I/O traffic
controller.
􀂾 Decide what is an efficient way to allocate the I/O resource. If it is to be shared, then decide
who gets it, how much of it is to be allocated, and for how long. This is called I/O scheduling.
􀂾 allocate the I/O device and initiate the I/O operation.
􀂾 Reclaim device as and when its use is through. In most cases I/O terminates automatically.

AUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXEC.BAT is a special batch file name that, if found in the root directory of the boot disk,
will automatically run before control of the computer is turned over to you. You might want to
always load particular files on starting the computer and the commands to do this would be in
AUTOEXEC.BAT. Typically, the AUTOEXEC.BAT file is used to set the system up to your
particular needs. This includes setting the PATH to define where DOS will look for commands,
defining various variables in the DOS environment and setting the PROMPT to look like you
want it to. If you want to terminate the AUTOEXEC.BAT file (or any other batch file)
CONFIG.SYS
CONFIG.SYS is the primary configuration file for the MS-DOS and OS/2 operating systems. It is
a special file that contains setup or configuration instructions for the computer system. The
commands in this file configure DOS for use with devices and applications in the system. The

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commands also set up the memory managers in the system. After processing the CONFIG.SYS
file, DOS proceeds to load and execute the command shell specified in the shell= line of
CONFIG.SYS, or COMMAND.COM if there is no such
COMMAND.COM
The command processor performs three tasks: It handles critical interrupts...that is,
COMMAND.COM takes care of all demands for attention by parts of the computer. The user
typing the Control-Break program break command is an example of an interrupt.
• It handles critical errors...that is, COMMAND.COM takes care of problems.
• It performs end-of-program housekeeping, that is, COMMAND.COM takes care of making the
computer's memory available for other programs and reloading parts of itself if the program wrote
over them.
COMMAND.COM also places the C> prompt on the screen and interprets any command(s) you
might type. In short, the command processor tells the rest of DOS what to do.
Internal Commands : These commands enter into the computer memory during computer
booting. These commands are not in the form of any file; so neither they can be viewed nor can be
edited or detected. For example : MD, CD, TIME, DATE, COPY, COPR CON, TYPE ETC.
External Commands : These commands are stored in the computer list in the form of files.
These Commands can be viewed, copied, changed or deleted. For example : FORMAT, COPY,
PRINT, SYS, EDIT, TREE, SORT, PROMPT etc.
Important Internal DOS Commands
(i) MD (Make Directory) : We use this commands to make a new directory or sub directory.
Syntax : C\:>MD DIRECTORY NAME
Example : MD STUDENT
(ii) CD (Change Directory) : This commands is used to move from one directory to another.
Syntax : C:\> CD Directory name
Example : > CD Student
Exit to Directory :
CD… The command move the subdirectory to parent directory.
CD\ The command is used to move directly to the root directory.
(iii) RD (Remove Directory) : If a Directory which was earlier is ;not required than such
directory can be removed by using
Syntax : C:\> RD Directory name
Example : >RD student
(iv) Copy Con : Its command is used to create a file. The name of the file, which is to be created,
is written after the copy Con leaving one space in between
Syntax : Copy Con file name
To created a file, the following steps are :
(i) Type Copy Con Monu and press Enter.
(ii) Type whatever is to be typed in the file.
(iii) Press F6 function key or CTRL + Z keys ‘?Z’ will be displayed on the screen, which indicates
that the file is complete.
(iv) Press Enter and after that the DOS will save the file and will display the message ‘1 File(s)
copied.
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(v) Del : This command is used to erase the files which are no longer required.
Syntax : C:\> Del < File name >
Example : >Del Monu
(vi) Type : This command is used to view the contents of text file.
Syntax : Type <file name>
(vii) Copy : This command is used to copy of file from one place to another place. A copy of file
is another file with the same contents.
Syntax : C:1> copy <source> < destination path>
(viii) Ren : This command is used to rename the file. In REN command two parameters are used.
The first is the file we want to rename and the second is the new name for the file.
Syntax : > Ren <old file name> <New file name>
(ix) DIR : This command is used to display of directory and files.
Syntax : C:\> DIR ?
(x) CLS : This command is used to clear the screen.
Syntax : C:\> CLS

S.NO DOS WINDOW

DOS is single tasking operating While windows are multitasking operating
1 system. systems.

2 It consumes low power. While windows consume high power.

It consumes less memory in
3 comparison of windows. While it consumes more memory.
4 DOS does not support networking. While window supports networking.
5 DOS is complex in terms of using. Whereas it is simple for using.
6 DOS does not share time. While window can share time.
DOS is a command line operating Whereas windows are the graphical operating
7 system. systems.

DOS operating system is less While windows are more preferred by the
8 preferred than windows. users in comparison of DOS.

In DOS operating system

multimedia is not supported such as: While windows support multimedia such as:
9 Games, movies,songs etc. Games, movies,songs etc.
In DOS operation systems, operation
are performed speedily than While in windows OS, operation are
10 windows OS. performed slowly than DOS OS.

There is only one window opened at While in windows, multiple windows can be
11 a time in DOS. opened at a time

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GUI

Stands for “Graphical User Interface” .It are a user interface that includes graphical elements,
such as windows, icons and buttons. GUIs were controlled exclusively by a mouse and a
keyboard. Because there are now many types of digital devices available, GUIs must be designed
for the appropriate type of input. For example, a desktop operating system includes a menu bar
and windows with small icons that can be easily navigated using a mouse. Regardless of the type
of input, each of these interfaces is considered GUIs since they include graphical elements.

It can use graphical images to executes commands, easy to access, easy to understand, works in
windows, its slow compare to dos, more memory requirement, expensive, high speed ,components
required, it can use keyboard, mouse, more than one task can run at a time, it’s based on graphics,
user controls the flow of actions, e.g. Windows...
CUI
Short for character user interface or command-line user interface, CUI is a prompt used to interact with
computer programs. It works by allowing the user to issue commands as one or more lines of text
(referred to as command lines) to a program.
user requires commands, its difficult to remember all commands, its only in black and white machine,
works in Dos, dos is fast compare to windows, memory requirement less, its cheap compare to gui, it can
only use keyboard, it can linked directly, one task can run at a time, its totally based on text, programmer
controls the flow of actions, eg. Dos
Sr. Key GUI CUI
No.
Interaction User interacts with computer User interacts with computer
1 using Graphics like images, using commands like text.
icons.
Navigation Navigation is easy. Navigation is difficult.
2
Peripherals Keyboard, mouse or any other Only keyboard.
3 used pointing device.

4 Precision GUI has low precision. CUI has high precision.

5 Speed GUI is of low speed. CUI is of high speed.

Usage Usage is easy. Usage is difficult, requires
6 expertise.
Memory High memory requirement. Low memory requirement.
7 requirement
8 Flexibility Highly flexibile user interface. Little flexibile user interface.

Customize GUI is highly customizable. CUI appearance is not easily

9 changable.

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