1 / 33

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.

chace
Télécharger la présentation

Chapter 10

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  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

More Related