How Computers Work – Course Information



High School Computer Science – Week 1.11.1

System Software: The Operating Environment Part 3(PowerPoint Presentation)

System Utilities: Tools for Housekeeping

Backup Software

Full Backup vs. Incremental Backup

Antivirus Software

File management Utilities

Search

File Compression Utility

Disk Scanning

Disk Defragmentation

Troubleshooting

Updates, Drivers, and Service Packs

Service Packs

Device Drivers

Windows Update

Homework

Online- Windows (Service Packs, Updates & Drivers), System Software PowerPoint

Online- Quiz on Windows Backup, SP, Device Drivers, Updates, and

Software Part 3: System Utilities

Incremental Backup vs Full Backup - Which One is More Effective?

By Alexander Golishev

When looking for the most effective backup solution, people are often confused by the terms 'Full backup' and 'incremental backup' which often stay unexplained on the developers' websites. So I feel it my duty to explain this difference as best as I can for you to no longer feel confused or misguided by the "pro's language".

Let's start with full backup (FB). FB means to copy data files from one location to another in full. That is every single file and folder in the specified location is overwritten in full upon each backup session. FB copies data with no regard to file changes that may take place in-between backups. FB is bigger in size, takes longer to perform, but is easier to recover than IB.

Incremental backup (IB) copies only the new and changed files of the selected data. Normally IB is preceded by FB. When IB is done, the backup software copies only the new and changed files that have accumulated in-between backups. However, IB does not copy the files that have changed earlier than the previous backup. Because increments are not overwritten, each increment is responsible for copying changes within a certain period of time. When doing data recovery, the backup software must take into account the first FB, as well as each increment that followed. If one or more increments are missing, the recovery may be problematic.

When applied to specific user needs, both backup types have their advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with the advantages and disadvantages of FB. The major advantage of FB is that you can recover it much quicker than IB. However, a serious drawback of the FB is that it takes longer to record and occupies more space on the selected storage medium. Some professionals believe that FB is generally more secure than IB, because it's just one file, and there is no data separation.

IB is easier to do because it only records the new and changed information, so it's smaller than FB and it is easier to store. However, to make sure your IB is restorable; you need to keep all the increments that have been created. While, with FB you only need to keep one backup file. Another advantage of IB is that you can keep track of the file changes that take place in-between backups with the ability to restore the needed file versions.

Windows XP (Service Packs, Updates & Drivers)

Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The letters "XP" is an abbreviation for eXPerience. It was codenamed "Whistler", after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort during its development. Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies were in use in January 2006, according to an estimate in that month by an IDC analyst. It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on November 8, 2006, and worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007.

The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and Windows XP Professional, which has additional features such as support for Windows Server domains and two physical processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients. Windows XP Media Center Edition has additional multimedia features enhancing the ability to record and watch TV shows, view DVD movies, and listen to music. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is designed to run the ink-aware Tablet PC platform. Windows XP is known for its improved stability and efficiency over the 9x versions of Microsoft Windows. It presents a significantly redesigned graphical user interface, a change Microsoft promoted as more user-friendly than previous versions of Windows. It is also the first version of Windows to use product activation to combat software piracy, a restriction that did not sit well with some users and privacy advocates. Windows XP has also been criticized by some users for security vulnerabilities, tight integration of applications such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, and for aspects of its default user interface.

Service packs

Microsoft occasionally releases service packs for its Windows operating systems to fix problems and add features. Each service pack is a superset of all previous service packs and patches so that only the latest service pack needs to be installed, and also includes new revisions. Older patches need not be removed before application of the most recent one.

Service Pack 2

Service Pack 2 (SP2) (codenamed "Springboard") was released on August 6, 2004 after several delays, with a special emphasis on security. Unlike the previous service packs, SP2 adds new functionality to Windows XP, including an enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support, such as WPA encryption compatibility, with a wizard utility, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support. Security enhancements include a major revision to the included firewall which was renamed to Windows Firewall and is enabled by default, advanced memory protection that takes advantage of the NX bit that is incorporated into newer processors to stop some forms of buffer overflow attacks, and removal of raw socket support (which supposedly limits the damage done by zombie machines). Additionally, security-related improvements were made to e-mail and web browsing. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes the Windows Security Center, which provides a general overview of security on the system, including the state of anti-virus software, Windows Update, and the new Windows Firewall. Third-party anti-virus and firewall applications can interface with the new Security Center.

On August 10, 2007, Microsoft announced a minor update to Service Pack 2, called Service Pack 2c (SP2c). The update fixes the issue of the lowering number of available product keys for Windows XP. This update will be only available to system builders from their distributors in Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Professional N operating systems. SP2c was released in September 2007.

Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) was released to manufacturing on April 21, 2008, and to the public via both the Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on May 6, 2008.

It began being automatically pushed out to Automatic Update users on July 10, 2008. A total of 1,174 fixes have been included in SP3. Service Pack 3 can be installed on systems with Internet Explorer versions 6, 7 or 8. Internet Explorer 7 and 8 are not included as part of SP3.

Slipstreamed retail and OEM versions of Windows XP with SP3 can be installed and run with full functionality for 30 days without a product key, after which time the user will be prompted to enter a valid key and activate the installation. Volume license key (VLK) versions still require entering a product key before beginning installation.

Although service packs have, until now, been cumulative, installing SP3 on an existing installation of Windows XP requires that the computer must at least be running with Service Pack 1 installed. However, it is possible to slipstream SP3 into the Windows XP setup files at any service pack level—including the original RTM version—without any errors or issues. Slipstreaming SP3 into Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is not supported.

Service Pack 3 contains updates to the operating system components of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.

User complaints

There have been various complaints regarding Service Pack 3's installation and performance reported by many users, ranging from conflicts with other software such as Symantec and other security applications, to internet connectivity and reboot loops.

Support lifecycle

Support for Windows XP without a service pack ended on September 30, 2004 and support for Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 1a ended on October 10, 2006.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 will be retired on July 13, 2010, almost six years after its general availability. In accordance with Microsoft's posted timetable, the company stopped general licensing of Windows XP to OEMs and terminated retail sales of the operating system on June 30, 2008, 17 months after the release of Windows Vista. However, an exception was announced on April 3, 2008, for OEMs installing to ultra low-cost PCs (ULCPCs) either until June 30, 2010, or one year after the availability of the next client version of Windows, Windows 7—whichever date comes later. Windows 7 was released on October 22, 2009.

On April 14, 2009, Windows XP and its family of operating systems were moved from Mainstream Support to the Extended Support phase as it marks the progression of the legacy operating system through the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy. During the Extended Support Phase, Microsoft will continue to provide security updates every month for Windows XP, however free technical support, warranty claims and design changes are no longer being offered.

On April 8, 2014, all Windows XP support, including security updates and security-related hotfixes will be terminated.

Hotfixes

In a Microsoft Windows context, hotfixes are small patches designed to address specific issues, most commonly to freshly-discovered security holes. These are small files, often automatically installed on the computer with Windows Update (although some may only be able to be obtained via Microsoft Support) and could contain a hot patch eliminating the need for a reboot.

Device driver

A device driver, or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a computer hardware device. Every version of a device, such as a printer, requires its own specialized commands.

Windows Update

Windows Update is a Control Panel applet found in recent versions of Microsoft Windows that provides updates for the operating system and related components, such as definition updates to the Windows Defender antispyware product and Junk Mail filter updates for Windows Mail. Windows Update is also the means to download Windows Ultimate Extras, optional content offered to users of Windows Vista Ultimate.

Microsoft Update is an optional feature in Windows Update that provides updates not only for the operating system, but also certain Microsoft software.

History

The Windows Update site was first introduced with the launch of Windows 98. Since then the site has gone through several revisions. In 2002, Microsoft released Software Update Services, a server component that could be installed on Windows 2000 Server systems to enable downloading and distribution of security patches for an entire company through a central server. Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 included BITS to facilitate a new client-side component first seen in Windows Me called Automatic Updates, making it possible to download and install security updates in the background.

In late 2004, Microsoft released Windows Update 5 for Windows XP, which includes Service Pack 2 and several major changes to the update application. Users without broadband access can order a CD of XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from the Microsoft website; while the CD was at one time completely free of charge, as of July 2006 there is a small charge for shipping (the packaging encourages sharing the CD with other users of Windows XP). After installing SP2, one should then go to the Microsoft website to check for newer updates—dozens have been released since SP2.

In 2005, Microsoft introduced the first beta of the optional Microsoft Update, delivering updates for supported operating systems, plus Microsoft Office (Office XP and Office 2003 all-user installations only), Exchange and SQL Server, in response to customer requests for an easier way to check for and obtain all the applicable Microsoft product updates for a particular system. Over time, the list has expanded to include other Microsoft products, such as Windows Defender and Virtual Server.

Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows 8

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Revised Restart dialog box in Windows Vista

In Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and later, the web site is no longer used to provide a user interface for selecting and downloading updates. In its place, the Windows Update (or Automatic Updates) control panel has been expanded to provide similar functionality. Support for Microsoft Update is also built into the operating system, but is turned off by default. The revised Windows Update can also be set to automatically download and install both Important and Recommended updates. In prior versions of Windows, such updates were only available through the Windows Update web site.

In versions of Windows prior to Vista, updates requiring a reboot would pop up a dialog box every number of specified minutes requesting that users reboot their machines. This dialog box was changed to allow the user to select a longer period of time (up to 4 hours) before being prompted again. The revised dialog box also displays under other applications, instead of on top of them.

In Windows 7 and Vista, once automatic updates have finished, the computer will be shut down after a countdown, sometimes causing the countdown to finish and the system to reboot while the user is in the middle of using the computer (or away from the computer and not wanting it to reboot for various reasons), possibly losing data, gameplay advancement, etc.

In Windows 8, the user will have 3 days (72 hours) before the computer reboots automatically after installing automatic updates that require a reboot. Windows 8 will also consolidate the restart requests for non-critical updates into just one per month.

Windows Update makes use of Transactional NTFS, a file system feature introduced with Windows Vista, when performing updates to Windows system files. This feature helps Windows recover cleanly in the event of an unexpected shut-down during an update, as the transactioning system will ensure that changes are committed to the file system (in particular, to the persistent files of the registry) in an atomic fashion.

Windows 7

Windows 7 is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009, less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista.

Unlike its predecessor, Windows Vista, which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware which Windows Vista was not at the time. Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows shell with a new taskbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup, and performance improvements. Some standard applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows 7. Most are instead offered separately at no charge as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite download.

Features

Windows 7 includes a number of new features, such as advances in touch and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

Windows 7 adds support for systems using multiple heterogeneous graphics cards from different vendors (Heterogeneous Multi-adapter), a new version of Windows Media Center, a Gadget for Windows Media Center, improved media features, and a redesigned Calculator with multiline capabilities including Programmer and Statistics modes along with unit conversion.

Many new items have been added to the Control Panel, including ClearType Text Tuner, Display Color Calibration Wizard, Gadgets, Recovery, Troubleshooting, Workspaces Center, Location and Other Sensors, Credential Manager, Biometric Devices, System Icons, and Display. Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center which encompasses both security and maintenance of the computer.

The taskbar has seen the biggest visual changes, where the Quick Launch toolbar has been replaced with the "Superbar" allowing applications to be pinned to the taskbar. Buttons for pinned applications are integrated with the task buttons. These buttons also enable the Jump Lists feature to allow easy access to common tasks. The revamped taskbar also allows the reordering of taskbar buttons.

To the far right of the system clock is a small rectangular button that serves as the Show desktop icon. This button is part of the new feature in Windows 7 called Aero Peek. Hovering over this button makes all visible windows transparent for a quick look at the desktop. In touch-enabled displays such as touch screens, tablet PCs, etc., this button is slightly wider to accommodate being pressed with a finger. Clicking this button minimizes all windows, and clicking it a second time restores them.

The Aero desktop experience also includes taskbar previews for your open windows. When you point to a taskbar button, you'll see a thumbnail-sized preview of the window, whether the content of the window is a document, a photo, or even a running video.

Additionally, there is a feature named Aero Snap that automatically maximizes a window when it is dragged to the top of the screen. Dragging windows to the left/right edges of the screen allows users to snap documents or files on either side of the screen for comparison between windows. When a user moves windows that were maximized using Aero Snap, the system restores their previous state automatically. This functionality is also accomplished with keyboard shortcuts. Unlike in Windows Vista, window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized with Windows Aero applied. Instead, they remain translucent.

Microsoft has implemented better support for solid-state drives, including the new TRIM command, and Windows 7 is able to identify a solid-state drive uniquely. Microsoft is planning to support USB 3.0 in a subsequent patch, support not being included in the initial release due to delays in the finalization of the standard.

Internet Spades, Internet Backgammon and Internet Checkers, which were removed from Windows Vista, were restored in Windows 7. Windows 7 includes Internet Explorer 8 and Windows Media Player 12.

Users are also able to disable many more Windows components than was possible in Windows Vista. New additions to this list of components include Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, Windows Search, and the Windows Gadget Platform. Windows 7 includes 13 additional sound schemes.

A new version of Microsoft Virtual PC, newly renamed as Windows Virtual PC was made available for Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. It allows multiple Windows environments, including Windows XP Mode, to run on the same machine. Windows XP Mode runs Windows XP in a virtual machine and redirects displayed applications running in Windows XP to the Windows 7 desktop.

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) of Windows 7 is also enhanced to support real-time multimedia application including video playback and 3D games, thus allowing use of DirectX 10 in remote desktop environments. The three application limit, previously present in the Windows Vista Starter Edition, has been removed from Windows 7.

Removed features

A number of capabilities and certain programs that were a part of Windows Vista are no longer present or have been changed, resulting in the removal of certain functionalities. These include the classic Start Menu user interface, some taskbar features, Windows Explorer features, Windows Media Player features, and Windows Ultimate Extras.

Four applications bundled with Windows Vista — Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Calendar and Windows Mail — are not included with Windows 7, but applications with mostly similar functionality are instead available for free in a separate package called Windows Live Essentials which can be found on the Microsoft website. Although Windows Ultimate Extras was removed, many of the extras can be installed. Most popular extras were Microsoft Texas Hold 'em, Microsoft Tinker, and Windows DreamScene. They may also be installed into Windows 7.

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