Week Two: Heart & Soul
After the computer goes through its POST/BIOS checks, the next piece it looks for is an Operating System.
An Operating System (OS) is a piece of Software.
Software: Two categories
Operating Systems & Applications
Operating Systems: DOS W3.1, W95, W98, WME, W2000, WXP….
What does an operating system do?
An operating system allows us to interact with our computer through a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Critical Files for an OS startup
Autoexec.bat
win.ini
config.sys
system.ini
the registry
All of these can be edited.
File Structure
All of the files are organized into folders and sub folders. Sometimes called tree, directory, sub-directory, all of these refer to the file PATH. We can quickly find files by using wildcards: *.*, a?.*, *.xxx, etc.
Common Tools for Troubleshooting HDDs and startup problems.
Using a System Boot Disk
Scandisk
Defrag
Edit the Autoexec.bat, config.sys
Add / Remove files from the Startup folder
Add / Remove files from win.ini, system.ini, etc.
Edit the registry
Troubleshooting Tips - Clean up that computer!
Cleaning up garbage files, temp files, cookies, cache.
Skill Sets
Understanding directory paths (IE c:\windows\text.txt)
Understanding common methods of searching for files using wildcards.
Recognize common port types: video, ps/2 (keyboard, mouse), parallel, serial, usb, firewire, sound, modem, network
Format a Floppy
Run Scandisk
Run Defrag
Run Sysedit, MSConfig
Run Regedit
View File Paths on multiple operating systems
Last Update: 05/30/2005 02:20:52 PM.