Chapter 14: 10/24/20

32-Bit OS vs. 64-bit OS

Programs can either be 64-bit or 32-bit, and the number of bits is determined by the processor. A processor with 64-bits has more cores, and therefore more processing power. 32-bit processors can only run Operating Systems and applications that have been written specifically for 32-bits, and the same goes for 64-bit.

End of life concerns

Operating systems should be updated frequently and software that is no longer being updated by developers can be dangerous. Security threats, software incompatibilities, and cost are some common issues that can occur when using out of date or ‘dead’ operating systems and software.

Update Concerns

When updating operating systems and software, some problems can arise with this process. With new updates brings higher system hardware requirements, data loss, installing drivers, and possible set-up issues and freezes. Backing up data is the best way to prevent tragic data loss.

Compatibility Concerns

Most software is only compatible on some operating systems or hardware, and knowing the compatibility of different things is important. A very common compatibility issue comes with the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors, but this is easy to avoid if you know your CPU is 64-bit that you can only get 64-bit programs. Backwards Compatibility: When a programmer designs a system that can run programs from a previous system. File type errors are another compatibility issue that can occur when running the same program on different operating systems.

Filenames and Extensions

Files on operating systems are usually organized into folders, A.K.A. a directory. Folders within a folder are subfolders or subdirectories. Files have extensions that usually tell you what the file contains, and sometimes what application it is associated with or where it originated. Two very common file extensions are .exe and .txt. .exe: Short for executable, is an extension on files that start a process or an application. .txt: An extension on text files, files that contain no specific formatting only words and numbers.

Intro to Windows Control Panel Utilities

The control panel gives the user to all windows capabilities and can be viewed from the search bar or in settings. Some important areas of the control panel include: Windows Firewall, System, Windows Update, Administrative Tools, Windows Defender, Sound, Display, and many more tools to utilize the windows operating system.

Windows Registry

Registry: A database on windows that contains user information, software and hardware configurations, applications preferences, and more about users on this computer. The registry loads into RAM on startup, and when a user logs in, their user profile containing application preferences and other specific configurations is loaded up. The registry is divided into 5 subtrees: Hkey_Local_Machine, Hkey_Users, Hkey_Current_User, Hkey_Current_Config, and Hkey_Classes_Root. Two important subtrees are Hkey_Current_Config and Hkey_Users. Hkey_Current_Config: This subtree holds critical information about the hardware profile to be used when the computer first boots. Hkey_User: This subtree keeps track of all users on the machine and their preferences.