Thursday, September 5th *** Friday, September 6th

OPERATING SYSTEMS SOFTWARE

Systems Software Basics

In the last unit, we discussed various types of Application Software.

Today's unit introduces Systems Software—the set of software programs that help run the computer and coordinates instructions between applications software and the computer’s hardware.

   

What the Operating System Does

Make sure you understand the basics of each of these:

• It provides a way for the user to interact with the computer
• user interface
• GUI - graphical user interface
• It manages the processor, or central processing unit
• It manages the memory and storage
• It manages the computer system’s hardware and peripheral devices
• It provides a consistent means for software applications to work with the CPU - software application coordination

Organizing Your Computer: File Management

Where did my stuff go?  You downloaded music and now you can’t find it.  You saved a paper on your computer and now you can’t find it.  (Sound familiar?)

• This is creating folders on your hard drive to keep like files together...for example, creating a folder called Photos to keep all your folders in.

  

Utility Programs

The other part of the systems software is the utility programs. These programs help manage system resources, make your time and work on the computer more pleasant, and improve efficiency.

Of these tools, I think one of the most important ones is the Disk Cleanup Tool. It helps to get rid of temporary files that take up space on your hard drive which in turn slows your computer down. 

You can also use the Disk Defragmenter tool to reorganize the files on the hard drive so they are easier to find and access.  This will also help to speed up your computer.