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Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Windows 9x. Where it all began. Microsoft Windows is a graphic user interface (GUI) Instead of using commands to run files, one is able to see the program files A GUI is not necessarily an OS All a GUI does is translate icons into commands that the OS understands.

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Chapter 10

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  1. Chapter 10 Windows 9x

  2. Where it all began • Microsoft Windows is a graphic user interface (GUI) • Instead of using commands to run files, one is able to see the program files • A GUI is not necessarily an OS • All a GUI does is translate icons into commands that the OS understands

  3. Windows 3.x and DOS • Windows 3.x needed DOS • Before one could use Windows 3.x, they had to install DOS • Windows 3.x uses terminate and stay residents (TSRs)

  4. Faster Drive Access/ Swap Files • 3.x uses Fadtdisk, which skips the system BIOS and talks directly to the hard drive • Virtual memory is hidden in swap files • Virtual memory is used when there is not enough RAM to run any more programs • Then the swap file is used as a temporary storage box

  5. INI Files • Windows 3.x uses text files with the extension INI to initialize just about everything from device drivers to applications to Windows itself • These files were stored in the /Windows directory • One can edit these files from DOS, he or she does not have to be in Windows

  6. INI Files • All INI files are broken up into sections called groups • All start with a group header, which is a word within brackets • [mswindows] • Although most Windows 3.x systems used INI files, two in particular were different • SYSTEM.INI • WIN.INI

  7. SYSTEM.INI • SYSTEM.INI is the CONFIG.SYS of Windows • All resources are initialized there • SYSTEM.INI is required to run a Windows 3.x system • It is still required on Windows 2000 and serves as a way to communicate with older Windows versions

  8. WIN.INI • WIN.INI is the AUTOEXEC.BAT of Windows 3.x • It defined the personalizations of Windows such as fonts, screen savers, and display colors • One does not need WIN.INI to boot but there will be a lot of functionality lost without it

  9. Windows 9x • Showed great improvements but many new problems as well • In 1993 Windows NT was introduced However, it lacked solid support for most applications written for DOS • It had massive hardware requirements

  10. Core File Improvements • Windows 9x still uses the core files, KRNL.EXE, USER.EXE, and GDI.EXE • Windows 9x can perform preemptive multitasking • This means that Windows 9x tells each application how much time it receives and retains complete control of all system resources

  11. Registry • The use of INI files in 3.x created a problem • You could have settings for a number of different aspects of the computer scattered among many INI files • Registry is used to store information in Windows 9x • Registry is composed of two binary files called SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT

  12. Registry • These files are found in the /WINDOWS folder • The registry stores all of the information on one’s PC, including network info, hardware info, user preferences, and file types

  13. Built-in Driver Support • Windows 9x includes built-in driver support • Windows 9x automatically sees SCSI devices using the built-in Windows Advanced SCSI Programming Interface • Before Windows 9x you had to add device drivers to access devices like this

  14. Filenames • Windows 3.x (DOS) could only support 8.3 characters where as Windows 9x could have filenames up to 255 characters while maintaining compatibility with the 8.3 format • Windows extended the 8-bit ASCII from 256 characters to 65,536 characters

  15. MSDOS.SYS • MSDOS.SYS is no longer the DOS kernel in DOS 7 • It is a text file that replaces many of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS functions • It has hidden, system, and read-only attributes by default

  16. Safe Mode • Safe mode is an attempt to fix Windows • It turns off almost everything on one’s system • Go to your control panel to access the registry • Or go to the start menu then run, then type REGEDIT

  17. Registry Components (p. 558+) • HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT • HKEY_CURRENT_USER • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE • HKEY_USERS • HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG • HKEY_DYN_DATA

  18. GUI Drivers/ Windows Structure • You do not need CONFIG.SYS because Windows 9x does everything • The lowest levels of Windows 9x are the device drivers • After that is the Virtual Memory Manager which supports usage at both DOS 7 and the GUI • The installable file system provides support for long file names

  19. FAT32 • It is an optional device, one does not need it • FAT16 will work on Windows • The only downside to FAT32 is that it will not work with the oldest Window Systems • FAT32 has reduced cluster size • No limit on the number of root directories • Completely compatible with all Windows and DOS applications • One can install FAT32 by using FDISK and format

  20. System info tool/ Windows Update/ Disk Cleanup • This provides a launch point for almost every utility • Updating had to be carefully controlled • Microsoft constantly provides free updates to its OS • Windows needs lots of disk space for swap files- temporary files • Disk cleanup allows one to clean out unnecessary files

  21. Directory Structure • Skinny-armed computer nerds have literally come to blows over which is better, Windows Explorer or My Computer (refer to page 575) • Windows Explorer might also be thought of as a direct competitor to My Computer

  22. Control Panel • Control Panel handles most of the maintenance, upgrade, and configuration aspects of Windows • Every icon you see in the control panel is actually a file with the extension CPL • There are a number of programs that are called applets that are in the control panel

  23. System Compatibility • If you have any questions about System Compatibility refer to FAQ section of your book • Mike Myers still finds himself returning one out of every five purchases because of system incompatibility

  24. Back up the Registry BACK UP THE REGISTRY before installation

  25. Device Manager/ Applications • It is the primary tool for dealing with devices and device drivers • It organizes the devices into groups called types • Applications: • Built in: When windows comes with applications for certain devices • Enhanced: many devices come with enhanced applications such as ZIP drives

  26. Applications • Application categories: • Supplied Critical must be installed via the CD-ROM • Supplied Helpful is installed via the CD-ROM and are helpful but not required • Supplied Optional means “supplied but I doubt you’ll want it” • Plug and Play needs many steps when installing to insure smooth installation (One in five plug and play installations have problems)

  27. Device Manager Errors • If a device has a problem, it will show up with an exclamation point surrounded by a small yellow dot • A small red x on the device means that the device has been disabled by Windows

  28. Legacy Device • Legacy devices are old ISA cards and are non-PnP • Once you have reserved all necessary resources, install and boot to a start up disk • Run the utility.exe program to set the resources for the device • Then simply reboot the system

  29. Resource Conflicts • If a newly installed device shows a black exclamation point or a red X error, a quick error check always confirms what is wrong with the device • To configure a device manually you must click the set configuration manually button and then on the subsequent dialog box.

  30. Installing and Upgrading Windows 9x • PnP makes life easier • After a blank drive is formatted the installation and upgrading become identical • An installation trick is to copy contents of Win9x to a folder on your Hard drive, this makes the installation faster. • In order to prevent bootlegging Microsoft prompts for a product key.

  31. Installation Problems • Is better to have an error in DOS than anywhere else (refer to page 628) • Lockups occur often in installation, if these occur unplug the system, then re-run the setup program

  32. Drive Maintenance • Defragmentation – to access this feature go to accessories under the programs menu, then go to system tools. • ScanDisk – checks for errors. In same place as Defrag • Use Task Scheduling to run these features automatically

  33. Troubleshooting • Be sure to backup important files • If no OS found there is a corrupted of missing IO.SYS or MSDOS.SYS you will have to restore these files manually • Missing COMMAND.COM, use start up disc to copy COMMAND.COM file onto C: Drive • Error in CONFIG.SYS look for typos in the file • For more Problems check pages 651-655

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