Comparing the features and functions of different operating systems (M1)

I have chosen to compare Windows vista to Mac OS, I will begin by showing the features and functions of Windows vista.

Windows vista

First of all Windows vista has a new hardware based graphical interface named windows aero which stands for “Authentic, energetic, reflective and open) this was made in such a way that it was supposed to be cleaner and aesthetically pleasing than the previous windows interfaces.

The Windows Shell is an improved version of the previous shell with windows XP, this newer software offers a new range of organisation, navigation and search capabilities.

Windows vista also has updated search methods with its new “instant search” type system which makes searching a lot quicker.

Another feature of the windows vista operating system is the newest version of Windows media player which has had a major revamp since its last version with new ways to store and organise your media library, this also has a new search feature which search as you type for instance if you look for a word like “chocolate” as you type C it will bring up all media to do with C then C H will bring up the same but C and H ad so on until you have “chocolate” this feature is speedy and very accurate.

Windows vista features a “Backup and restore centre” which you can use to set up periodic backups to revert back to in case anything happens to your system.

Windows mail has been added to replace Microsoft outlook express which includes a mail store increasing stability as well as a phishing filter and junk mail filter.

Windows Vista now contains a System assessment tool which is used to bench mark the systems performance. The benchmark software such as games can retrieve this rating and modify it’s own behaviour at runtime to improve performance. The benchmark tests CPU, RAM, 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, graphics memory and hard drive space.

Windows vista offer a wide range of Media tools as well some of these include; windows photo gallery, windows DVD maker, Windows media centre and games explorer.

The Mac OS X

This is a piece of software created by Apple.

The graphics interface of a Mac is called “Aqua” this includes the look, feel, the behaviour and integration of GUI elements.

Mac’s OS has many unique and functional user interfaces such as “sheets”, which are document modal dialogs that attach to and appear to come out of the document’s title bar.

The Mac’s organisation system is based around context rather than just placing files all over the place, which place a files goes is set up in the “preferences” for the system.

Synchronising between your computer and its configuration is another thing which the mac OS X does for you, Currently this data set includes the address book, calendar and safari bookmarks, although apple should add more entities. If you are doing a new installation or clean upgrade it is a boon to have the follow: on the “old” installation, click a button to synchronise the above information.

Apple has excellent support for FireWire as it was their own creation. You can readily boot from external drives, treat a Mac to behave as if it were an external FireWire drive, and even connect two computers together using TCP/IP over a FireWire cable. The Isight and Ipod use FireWire as well.

Ipods are a common accessory across more countries, the Mac OS X uses It’s main program, Itunes as it’s default Media player, this is also one of the most commonly used media players for Windows as well.

Security: The Mac OS X features many security systems in order to keep use of the computer safe. Systems of security include Password controlling/managing, certificates, public private keys, application level privileges and trust policies.

Mac OS also brings in some new features such as Ichat which is immature and possibly unstable but offers audio, video and text chat. FileVault is a piece of software, which encrypts a user’s home directory. As well as Exposé, this is secure “trash” deletion software.

To conclude

In conclusion I would recommend the Windows vista operating systems, the lay out and options a much clearer than that of the Mac OS X. although the Media output and features from a Mac OS X is a lot higher quality that the

Vista I feel offers a lot more applications and security, as well as higher protection and prevention of mishaps.

The best solution -

Software utilities are used on computers to help the system and keep it running in fine order. The software programs purpose is to allow the system to do many things more efficiently than the user go through and do them manually themselves, the programs go through instead and help analyse, configure, optimize and maintain itself. Usually focusing on how the computers infrastructure operates, due to this focus utilities are generally thought of as high tech these include programs which serve as Virus protection utilities and other tools which help you maintain a healthy system free from unnessacery hoarding of files, known as clean up tools.

I will here explain both Virus protection utilities and clean up tools, describing how they work, what they do & why it is important that they do it.

Ø Disk clean up utilities

When the Disk is full this type of utility helps go through files that are unnessacery or that take up a large amounts of space by scanning the entire computer quickly assessing the disk space usage of all files.

Reasons why this is used;

First of all, whenever you do something on a computer be it access the internet create documents, add folders, download music, install a new program or change something etc. you are adding more and more files to the computer’s hard drive, these items are then rarely ever touched again, and remain on the computer therefore the disk space is continuously being taken up with small files and programs. If the disk space is largely taken up by small files it starts to build up and whenever you find yourself looking for something or trying to access certain parts of the hard drive because of all the little bits it has to go through this can have a slowing up effect on the search taking valuable time from the user.

Here is how you avoid these potential problems;

Many people think of the disk clean up processes as “time consuming” and “unnessacery” however, they are very much the opposite, after the 1^st check which may take some time, doing regular one thereafter will ensure your system is running to its full potential, and future tests will therefore be faster as you will not of built up so much data.

Starting the process is quite easy, using a simple program such as Microsoft Windows Installer Clean-up Utility, which is free to download from the Microsoft website, open it up and install it’s package, Then  find the program, start it up and follow the on screen instructions.

Ø Anti-Virus Utilities

Antivirus utilities are used on computers to scan files to identify and eliminate viruses and other malicious software, and example of this is Malware.

The virus programs have two main ways of checking for bad files/hackers, the first of these is examining all files for known viruses by means of a virus dictionary almost. The author of the software is responsible for the dictionary and so if they have put in a specific type of file in the dictionary as being seen as a virus the program will pick up on that particular piece of code in a file when it is found and point it out to you, so that you may take appropriate actions to remove the threat. In some cases the virus program will destroy/quarantine harmful files automatically it all depends on how you have set it up. In a basic view of this kind, the virus program stops potential threats.

In today’s world, new viruses are made every day. New codes and more relentless hackers attempting to gain entry to yet more things that aren’t theirs this type of anti-virus requires daily updates because in some cases by the time you’ve updated it, another virus type has been made. This also means that a virus program can never be 100% protecting over your system.

A particular type of new virus has come about which attempts to disguise itself against the anti-virus software, this illegal piece of technology tries to get a step ahead of protection programs in such a way. “Polymorphic viruses” encrypt themselves, and modify themselves as a method of avoiding detection by changing its signature the dictionary type of software cannot then find it.

The other kind of virus detection is a rather different approach, this kind does not search for files and codes, it simply knows what each normal, legal program does and watches over the programs as they write data, if the anti-virus software detects something happen that it doesn’t think should it will alert the user of the attempted changes. This view of anti-virus software stops the virus from changing files. By contrast this is a far easier more efficient way of virus protection as you do not have to scan all your files which can be a lengthy process, however you are not getting the same quality of service, the latter is more reliable when trying to ensure the safety of your systems files.

Most offer both types of virus protection so choosing between the two isn’t an issue, running regular checks of your computer and having the virus software constantly running which browsing the internet is the safest bet as you will be notified if one of either is breached.

But why do we use these types of program?

If a hacker gains access to your computer they can do anything to your system from accessing sensitive files, stealing important work/files, copying software, re-writing programs and planting no end of bugs that will corrupt your data and render your computer useless. The hacker can literally change anything they like, and can potentially make your life hell if they manage to get hold of the right files.

Operating systems –

The operating system is a piece of software consisting of different programs and data which runs on the computer and manages all the hardware resources, also providing a more efficient way of executing programs.

 All desktops have one version of an operating system or another. The operating system is the framework which allows you to access and communicate with the computer’s hardware in an interactive way. Without the operating system you wouldn’t be able to give the computer tasks and it would therefore do nothing, hence why all computers have one. To make the computer easier to use with user friendly interfaces.  Examples of these would be Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Here i will post specific details and diagrams in order to help experts in Tanzania’s charity to rebuild, upgrade/replace certain components in computer systems..

The shell of the Computer

I will begin with the Shell this is not necessarily and technical part of the computer but it is more of a body for it all to fit into and cover the inner parts to protect them from dust, with the shell you have to get a compatible motherboard and stick it into the shell back-side, from here screw it in with the screws that would have come with it or a screw that fits, there are other parts on the shell that can have parts screwed into it but i will come to them later.

The Motherboard

Next is the Actual motherboard itself Made mainly out of an epoxy resin which is a plastic material, something which is damp proof and which doesn’t conduct electricity. The motherboard connects the various components of a computer together via a series of minute paths. There are a few types of motherboard such as Full AT, Baby AT and the ATX, you can find out which one you have by measuring the motherboards dimensions.

If the motherboard is 12 inches wide and 11 inches long it is a Full AT However this model came with problem that you may experience later when installing other parts of the computer, such as PCI slot expansion cards for example the Video Card or Sound card.

The Baby AT is 8.5 Inches wide and 10 inches long and can be easily recognised by the DIN keyboard connector in the top right corner. Compared with the Full AT the baby is around two thirds it's size and incorporated with a 7 ZIF slot for the classic Pentium processors, i will cover processors later as well.

The Processor

Another of the main parts in a computer is the processor. The processor (also known as the CPU) is like the main brain of the computer, it interprets and executes all actions made by the user be they software jobs such as saving, opening or drawing in a paint programme. The overall speed of the computer is generally taken from the speed of your processor, so if you have a fast processor your computer has the potential to also be fast at calculations and tasks. a fast processor nowadays would be averagely around 600-700MHz .. Any CPU with these speeds will do almost any task you need of it, and almost any application or game in the market at present.

To remove/replace a processor, follow this step by stop guide (below)

 

Step 1 – Health and safety, remove all power supplies and plugs etc. from the computer before continuing to any other steps Anti-static wrist band connected to rubber map, which the computer is sat on to neutralise ant excess power that may still remain in the device.

Step 2 -  Remove the outer shell from around the computers frame, this allows for access to the computers inside parts.

Step 3 – lay the computer on it’s side with the motherboard on the bottom side, remove any plugs and leads that are in the way.

Step 4 – the latch on the processors case holding it in place, will come off easily if you just pull it up gently, after this the processor can be removes, and a new one placed in.

Step 5 – to remake the computer after having done this, repeat steps 3, 2 and 1 in this order.

RAM (Random-access memory)
There are two main types of RAM Volatile and non-volatile. Volatile memory means that when the system loses the power the RAM loses all data. Non-Volatile on the other hand sometimes abbreviated to NVRAM does the opposite, and saves memory even if the power is lost.

Another vital part of the computer it is important to get a ram that can cater for your speed of processor as if either is slower this will decrease the performance and therefor make the extra speeds from the other pointless. A decent processor to get these days is around £50, and can range between 1gig memory to 8gig for a decent amount of memory.

Random Access memory or RAM is used for storing data which is then fed to the processor for processing. The ram attempts to anticipate your next move by opening certain area of the computer should you use them, to minimise time it takes to do these actions.

The ram is connected to the computer in a small circuit board, which has the chips on containing to the memory. This is inserted into (commonly two) RAM slots, having two means you can add a lot more RAM to the computer and gives the computer a lot more potential in terms of efficiency and speed. The slots have two clips on the ends to hold the ram sticks in place.

HDD - Hard Disc Drive

The Hard Drive is similar to the RAM in the way that it stores digital data, and is non-volatile. Any programs or data that is on the computer is stored inside the hard drive, because of this hard drives must be considerably large in size to store an adequate amount of programs, such as Microsoft office, Adobe photo shop, any editing software , gaming applications and so on. Data is magnetically written with floating read/write heads on a film of air above the platter. Hard drives are becoming ever smaller and ever larger in capacity.

To install a hard drive or remove/replace follow the steps below

Before you begin, revert back to removing the CPU, health and safety must be followed to ensure safety at all times.

Attach anti-static equipment as before, and lay the computer on the mat.

Remove the shell of the computer
Remove all cables leading into the hard drive and use a screw driver to unscrew the hard drives screws.
The hard drive should slide out straight, easily if it doesn’t attempt to do it from a different angle as this may damage the hard drive if you force it.
Replacing the hard drive
Just slide the new hard drive in the same slot as the other, screw in the screws, reconnect the power cables and connector cables and put the shell back on. And you’re done.

Graphics card.

A decent graphics card will cost £50 at max and will provide all the visual effect you need. The graphics card generates and processes the visual part of the computer, the part you see on the monitor. When the computer need to show any visual information on the monitor the graphics card is called upon and makes Picture and videos which are played using the video card and help them to run smoother and add in colour enhancers.

The CPU tells send information about images to the video card which then interprets them and sends them along the connecting cable to the monitor. The images are created using binary code; this isn’t an easy process, the card creates a wire frame for the image then fills in the gaps, adding lighting texture and colour to the mix. For gaming pcs, the monitor has to do this process 60 times per second. Meaning if there were no graphics cards the workload would be too much for the computer to handle and would crash.

Fixing the graphics card to the Motherboard –

To do this simply remove the shell like part one in the processors section and find the PCI slots there should be three, and slide the card in with the connectors on the correct side (going into the slot) another important thing is the make sure you’re putting the card in the right way, if you are doing this step correctly you shouldn’t need to force the card in, if you are having to force it and it’s not working try another side.

Computer power supply

A power supply unit is put in the computer and is sent general high voltage power, AC which is then converted and ready to send, the newly converted lower voltage DC power to the needy areas in the computer. In terms of compatibility of parts, the majority of power units are made to cater for ATX mother board styles. These also have the option to be turned on and off using signal from the mother board power options such as standby, restart, hibernate and shut down.

Connecting the power supply unit to the computer.

There are several plugs which come from the power supply:

P1, this connection goes to the mother board which give it power the connector is 20/24 pins.

P4, goes into the motherboard also, and is a dedicated power supply, this gives power when needed to the processor. 4 pins.

Molex are smaller connectors which go to the other various parts the disk drive and are 4 chords, made up of 4 different colours, red, yellow and two black.

When attaching power supply connectors you must have the machine turned off and be comply with health and safety rules I mentioned earlier

Network cards.

A network card (also called a Network Adapter or Network Interface Card, or NIC for short) is a small card that slots into the motherboard card slots and acts as an interface between the computer and a network.

Network card commonly have two LED lights, these are usually red/orange and green the green flashes to show that the card is receiving electricity, the other to show receiving Mbs or information.

Just like all other cards the computer must be taken apart to fit the card in, and health and safety rules must be obeyed to ensure minimal harm comes to the handlers if any.

Just like all other cards the network card is an expansion (like the graphics card and video card) on the motherboard which enables you to access the network interfaces.
 the computer must be taken apart to fit the card in after this it is inserted into the one of the PCI slots, and health and safety rules must be obeyed to ensure minimal harm comes to the handlers if any.

BIOS –

BIOS stands for basic input/output systems. These make sure all hard drives, CPU, ports and other chips function together properly. The bios are stored in a small microprocessor, and can be accessed by starting up your machine and pressing F2, this will bring up the different options, after this find the BIOS section. From this section you can edit and view all the speeds and settings of the various computer parts for example, you can edit the speed of the RAM, your CPU, its multiplier if it has one and how they interact with each other.  Only in dire circumstances would you need to upgrade BIOS and even so, the BIOS system is commonly soldered onto your hard drive so it’s not going anywhere.

To the left i have included A picture of the BIOS chip and a Picture of the BIOS set up screen 

The CMOS & CMOS battery –

All AT computers or later must have a small battery known as the CMOS on the motherboard of the system which provides power for the complementary metal Oxide semiconductor chip even when the computer is off. This chip basically remembers all systems configurations and setups such as Hard disk type, Time and date as well as the order in which parts of the computer are booted up upon start up. The CMOS battery allows the CMOS to preserve these settings.

The top right image is the CMOS chips battery, below it a smaller version of the chip itself.

Computer internal memory –

Most of the computer’s inside parts hold a specific amount of memory or have a “dedicated” memory which acts as RAM for that specific part.

Processor Cache – this is memory that is used with the processor to help it access data from the systems “mail memory” or RAM. The processor internal memory consist of two parts, L1 is the first of these; L1 accesses the data that it need to execute an action, L2  the other pulls information from the systems main memory that the L1 can easily access.

To the right i have included step by step images of how to set up virtual memory for windows vista.

RAM –

The RAM holds information so that the Main hard drive doesn’t need to be accessed so many times when searching for information that is required to carry out the users actions.

Video RAM –

This kind of internal memory can be stored in the video card’s dedicated memory chip or it can share the computer’s memory instead of its own chip the data is then sent to an image displaying device such as a monitor. Higher memory dedicated chips have become more popular with the raise of computer games and the intensive graphics that they use. Basically it takes the strain off of the computer memory. Some cards are up to 2gig and are constantly getting bigger.

Virtual memory –

Virtual memory is made up of an area I the hard drive which is saved for strenuous times for the RAM when it needs it the excess information will flow through into the Virtual memory relieving the RAM and helping to stop a system crash. The Virtual memory can be set up manually by the user. Below I have print screened and edited the images to make it clearer on how to set this up.

Boot memory –

This is where some of the BIOS are kept like its name suggests it helps to remember what the computer needs in order to boot up.

Ports –

On the back of your computer you will find several “plug sockets” Which will all be a different colour to help differentiate between the different types.

This image includes the most common ports you will find on the back of a computer.

There are many difference types of port type; by this I mean there are type definite categories which ports can be split into. The 1^st is (in terms of electrical signal transfer) a Serial port these send and receive one ‘bit’ at a time via a single wire pair. The 2^nd parallel ports send multiple bits at the same time over several sets of wires.

When the ports have been connected they require “handshaking” similar to its real life meaning, port and socket exchange information about transfer type, transfer rate and any other necessary details before data is sent.

“hot-swappable ports” this kind of port can be removed and reconnected while the computer is running. There is however one port which should never be removed while a computer is running; the keyboard PS/2 can cause permanent damage to some model of computers.

USB ports are referred to as “plug and play” ports as they are designed to begin the “handshaking” upon connection, so that they can be used straight away, another example of this kind is the fire wire port.