ICT

Key Unit Competence

Understand the functions of operating system; install and use application and utility software.

1.1 Operating system (OS)

operating system is a large and powerful program that controls and manages computer hardware and application software. It is the most important computer program.

operating system software runs and manages all the operations of the computer. All electronic devices use operating systems to work, for example; laptop computers, tablet, desktop computers, smartphone, router, etc.

he operating system that runs a laptop or desktop computer is commonly called Desktop Operating System (DOS). this includes; Microsoft Windows(with versions like Windows 10 and Windows 8, MacOS(from Apple and is formerly OSX), Chrome OS (designed by Google) and Linux (e.g. Ubuntu, Fedora).

Mobile operating system runs on smartphones, PDAs, tablet PCs and other mobile devices. examples include Android (manufactured by Google Inc.) and iOS (manufactured by Apple) etc.

Server operating system or server OS is installed and runs on servers e.g. web servers examples of server OS are: Windows server, Linux, and FreeBsD (Free Berkeley software Distribution)

When the user runs an application, the program sends requests to the operating system and the operating system commands the hardware to work as required by the user. Most of the work done by the operating system is hidden from the user, meaning the user does not need all the details going on but just sees the results.

1. Booting: the operating system is responsible for completing booting process of the computer. Booting is starting or restarting the computer. Cold boot starts the computer that has been turned off completely whereas warm boot restarts the computer’s operating system.

2. The operating system provides an appropriate User interface. the interface enables the user to interact with the computer software and hardware. the user interface can be Command-line interface (CLI) or Graphical user interface (GUI). With CLI, the user interacts with OS by typing in commands at the command prompt to perform specific tasks. examples include Disk operating system (Dos) such as Ms.Dos (Microsoft Disk operating system).

With GUI, the user interacts with OS by using a mouse to access windows, icons and menus e.g. Microsoft Windows (8 or 10)

3. Operating system manages resource allocation to various programs. the operating system loads programs in computer’s primary memory, runs them and allocates them run-time, memory space, processor time, input/output devices and instructions to use.

4. Memory management: the OS organizes how the primary memory is used by different programs through partitioning. Partitioning is the dividing of the primary memory to run different programs in different partitions or sections of the hard disk. When the size of the primary memory or RAM is not enough, the OS borrows a space from the hard disk and adds it to the primary memory or RAM. this memory is called Virtual memory or Virtual RAM. It enables the OS to run programs which require more memory than available RAM in the system, but it is much slower.

5. Manages user’s files. the OS manipulates how files are created, stored and retrieved using file system. When you store a file on a disk, it is stored in pieces and when you open it, the OS organizes those pieces together and opens your file. OS also handles tasks related to cutting, copying and deleting files and folders.

 Note: File system is a method used by the operating system to name, store and organise files on a disk. For example Windows uses NTFS (New Technology File System).MacOS operating system uses a file system called HFS Plus or HFS+. HFS is written as Hierarchical File System. Linux has many file systems such as Ext 2, Ext 3, Ext 4, XFS, etc.

6. Operating system controls input/output peripherals. the operating system manages reading from the input peripheral devices and writing to all peripheral devices. It controls access to all peripherals through small programs called device drivers. A device driver is a program that controls how a specific device works with specific operating system. examples are: Printer driver, network driver and graphics driver.

7. Operating system manages files: operating system supervises the creation, storage, updating and deletion of files to various storage devices e.g. hard disk, flash disk, etc.

8. Operating system manages backup storage (secondary storage or auxiliary storage). operating system locates and retrieves files needed by user from backup storage and monitors how they are used.

9. Operating system manages security and access rights of computer users. In this case, the operating system monitors the creation of passwords, user names or account names on a computer. It also keeps record of who accesses the computer, the activities done and the resources used. In managing system security, the operating system guarantees that resources are used only for programs and users with appropriate authorization.

10. Operating system handles errors as they happen. When the computer is used, without user intervention or knowledge. It can suggest to the user what to do to correct errors through error messages.

there are several different types of operating systems and choice of which operating system to use depends mainly on; cost of buying the OS, hardware requirements to run the OS and user experience. the OS comes with two important components i.e. the Shell (which provide interface between the user and the operating system itself) and the Kernel (which provide interface between hardware and applications). You can install OS using different options among which are; fresh installation (done on a new computer or if the existing OS is damaged and cannot work); multi-boot installation (done when you install two or more different copies of OS on different parts of hard disk) and upgrading (done when you replace old version of OS with a new copy of OS e.g. replacing windows 7 with windows 10).

Activity 1.1

1. explain briefly the meaning of ‘operating system’ in the computer system.

2. Identify the operating system(s) that is installed in your school computers.

3. Discuss any five functions performed by the operating system in a computer.

4. Give an example of operating system that can be installed on each of the following devices:

                 a) PDA

                 b) Laptop computer

5. With clear examples discuss the following terms in computer system:

                 a) File system

                 b) User interface

1.3 Types of license for software

A software license is a legally binding agreement that specifies the terms of use for a software. It also defines the rights of the software producer and that of the end-user.

there are two types of licenses for software:

                       .open source software

                        .Proprietary software

1.3.1 Open Source License (General Public License or GPL)

Open source software is a computer program in which the source code is available to the general public for use or modification from its original design and free of charge.

Open source license is a license that allows the software to be freely used, modified and shared. this software license is widely used for free and guarantees end-users the freedom to run, study, share and modify software.

1.3.2 Proprietary license

Proprietary software is owned by an individual or company that developed it. the source code is kept almost secret, so you cannot modify it.

his means that the software is under restrictive copyright and the source code is hidden from users. Anybody cannot copy or change proprietary software unless permission is sought from owners. Most software today is proprietary.

Proprietary license is a software license in which the software publisher/owner grants a license to use one or more copies of software, but the ownership of those copies remains with the software publisher. the user must pay for the license before permission is given to use the software.

1.4 Download software

Download software means the transfer/copy of a software through the Internet from the remote computer (server) to a local machine or computer.

Downloaded software installation files (executable files) are commonly used for program installations.

Activity 1.2

Using a browser installed on your computer, download Google Chrome installation file from Internet onto your computer.

Step 1: open your Browser on the computer.

Step 2:Use the search engine and type “download Google Chrome” installation file in the search book.

Step 3:Press enter key (Return key) on your keyboard. Doing this will start the search for the specified item. After a short time, the search results display. Scroll to find the best result.

Step 4:Click the search result you think is best for you. this will take you to the items page. now click “for Personal Computers” the result will be as shown in the picture below.

Step 5:Click the “Download Chrome” button.

Note: If you download chrome, it automatically installs itself and so you may not see the downloaded file, but an already working program

Step 6: open your downloaded file(s). Do this by clicking on the file’s name bar at the bottom of the browser or by navigating to the computer’s default download location, which is a folder called “Downloads”.

Note: By default, all downloaded software and files are kept in the folder called Downloads on your computer from where they are transferred to another location of user’s choice.

Some programs take long to download and to install and others strictly require Internet connection to complete installation.

Activity 1.3

Create a folder on your desktop using your first name and use it to save all the downloads.

Using installed browser, download the following software installation files.

a) Avast antivirus                 b) Mozilla Firefox

c) VLC media player             d) Adobe reader

e) Chess game                     f) skype

1.5 Installation of software

the term Software Installation means, the process of copying installation files of a given program onto hard disk in a format that allows the computer to run the program. It means putting a computer program on a computer and ready for use.

You should always read the manufacturer’s installation manual to correctly install programs. this manual describes all the procedures and the necessary system requirements for successful installation.

System requirements for installing software

       .Processor speed (the higher the speed the better)

      . RAM size

      .Hard disk space

      .Graphics card

   e.g. to install Windows 10, the minimum requirements usually include:

Processor  1 Gigahertz (GHZ) or faster processor or SoC (system on Chip or integrated circuit known  as a chip).

RAM     1 Gigabyte (GB) for 32–bit or 2GB for 64-bit

Hard disk space    16GB for 32-bit OS or 20GB for 64-bit OS

Graphics Card Direct X 9 or later with WDDM (Windows Display Driver Model) 1.0 driver

WDDM is a graphic driver architecture for video card drivers running Microsoft Windows.

1.5.1 Installation of Operating system

operating system is installed in a separate section of hard disk referred to as disk partition. the hard disk is usually divided into multiple sections and each section or partition can operate independently of the other. Dividing hard disk into partitions is called disk partitioning.

Before you partition a disk, save or backup important files onto another disk because disk partitioning erases all the data on the disk and prepares it for new data using a particular file system such as FAT (File Allocation table) or NTFS.

the hard disk is usually partitioned when installing operating system. to partition your hard disk, insert in the optical drive a bootable DVD containing a desired operating system e.g. Windows 8 or Windows 10.

Note: While installing the OS, determine the type of file system you should use. File system is a method used by Operating system to keep track of files stored on computer. File systems commonly used by operating systems include: FAT32 and NTFS.

Modern operating systems such as Windows 10 mainly use NTFS (New Technology File System). Consider the type of file system best supported by OS or application software you want to use.

Since an Operating system has to take control of all other programs you will use, it must be installed first before other programs.

Activity 1.4

Provided with Windows 10 installation DVD or flash disk containing Windows 10 installation files, perform a fresh installation of Windows 10 on your computer.

Step 1:Backup all your data on an external storage device such as a flash drive or external hard drive. this is because clean installation deletes everything on your computer’s hard drive.

Step 2: start your computer and then connect the bootable USB flash drive or insert the bootable Windows 10 DVD on the PC where you want to install Windows 10.

Step 3:Restart your PC, and then press any key to boot from the USB flash drive or the DVD. Press the key after seeing the message as shown below.

If you restart your PC and your current version of Windows starts, then open a boot menu or change the boot order in your computer’s BIOS or UEFI (Unified extensible Firmware Interface) settings so that your computer boots from the media.

Note: To open a boot menu or change the boot order, press a combination of keys (such as F2, F8, F9, F10, F12, Delete, or ESC) as soon as you turn on your PC. However, the key (s) you press depends on the manufacturer of your computer’s motherboard and it is usually displayed immediately the computer starts. Check it out.

once you get the boot menu, select the best boot order such as Optical disk drive then press enter key.

Step 4: on the first screen for Windows setup, select your language, time, keyboard preferences and then click on Next button on lower right.

Step 5: In the next screen, click on “Install Now” to install Windows.the new OS Windows 10 will start its installation. Make sure you don’t turn off your PC.

Step 6:In the next screen, you will be asked to provide a 25-character product key in the space provided. After entering it, click Next. However, if you don’t have a product key at the moment, click on Skip button so you will enter the product key later.

Step 7: the next screen is the License Agreement Window. If you have time, read through and then check the option labelled “I accept the License terms”. afterwards click Next button.

Step 8: In the next screen, you will see two options. to perform a clean installation, select Custom.

Note: Custom is selected to make fresh installation.

Step 9: select the drive on which to install Windows 10. You may need to format the drive for clean installation. select the drive and click on Format at the bottom of the window. In case you have just installed a new hard disk, you need to create a new partition to install Windows.

To create a partition

• select the hard drive and click on “New” button

• Allocate the space you want depending on the capacity of your hard disk.

• Click “Apply” to complete the process.

Note: The system additionally creates a partition with name “System Reserved” to ensure that the system works fine. Its size usually is 100MB.

Step 10: select partition where you want to install Windows 10 and click Next button.

At this point, the installation of Windows will start. It will take about 25 minutes to complete the installation process.

During the installation, your system may reboot two or three times but don’t press any key, leave everything to work automatically.

Step 11: once the installation is completed, a blue color screen displays.

Click on “Use Custom Settings” button if you want to go with default settings. You can also click on “Customize”button if you want to customize settings.

Follow on-screen instructions and a few minutes Windows 10 will be ready for use.

Note: If you did not enter the 25 character windows key above, then go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Activation. Enter the key to activate the windows.

1.5.2 Install Microsoft (MS) Office 2016 on selected computer(s)

Activity 1.5

You are provided with office 2016 Installation DVD. Install this application on your computer. Follow the steps below.

Step 1: obtain Ms office installation DVD (or download Installation file from the Internet.)

Step 2:Insert the disc in the optical drive (e.g. DVD Drive)the installation disc automatically launches setup wizard. (If the setup wizard doesn’t start automatically, open the disk drive or folder for office 2016 and double-click Setup file.see the picture below.

When the setup file is double-clicked, it displays the office screen as shown in Picture 1.16.

Remember:

to install application software successfully you must use an Administrator account, without which installation cannot take place. other types of accounts such as standard or limited accounts and Guest accounts do not have the privilege to install or uninstall software.If you normally use limited accounts for doing other practical activities, this time you should use an administrator account to install Microsoft office 2016 and other applications.

After a short time, the office installation screen appears to show the status of installation process as shown in picture 1.17.

Step 3: Wait as office installs to complete the installation process. Click Close after the installation is complete (see picture 1.18).

Step 4: open an office application such as Word 2016. the message as shown in picture 1.20 may display on top of office (Word) 2016 Open back stage screen. In case you purchased a licensed product, close it and will not show again, start using office normally.

If you purchased a non-licensed product, and you have the product key, click on “enter a product key instead” (see picture 1.20).

he Product key screen displays as shown below. type in your product key which must be 25 characters and then click on continue.

MS Office 2016 may not require a product key once you purchase a licensed copy.

Note: Product key is a specific software-based key for a computer program and certifies that the copy of the program is original. If you do not have product key, you may fail to use the software installed normally or if the product key is required before installation you may fail to install the software. The location of your product key depends on how you got a copy of the software.

Step 5:Afterwards office installs; click close after installation is complete.

Step 6:If the activation wizard displays, click “I want to activate the software over the Internet” and then follow prompts.

1.5.3 How to install application software (installing skype)

Procedure

Step 1: obtain a disc that contains the software to be installed. If you earlier downloaded the software, then check for the software from the folder where you save on the desktop.

Step 2: Insert the disc in the disk drive.

Step 3: open the disc. open the folder containing installation files.

Step 4: Double click on the setup file for skype to install. the wizard for installation starts as shown in picture 1.21.

Note: Many Application programs require internet connections. So ensure Internet is available for proper and complete installation.

f you are using the latest version of Windows 10, skype is already installed on it. Just sign in with skype name, email or phone.

Step 5: Repeat step 4 above and install the rest of the software you downloaded that includes: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Chess game, Avast antivirus and nero burning software.

Activity 1.6

Locate the software you downloaded in activity 1.3. Perform software installation of each of the installation files for;

a) Avast antivirus         b) Mozila firefox

c) VLC media player     d) Adobe (Acrobat) reader

e) nero burning software

1.5.4 Install Antivirus

this is a utility program used for scanning computer viruses and removing them from the computer.

Viruses can corrupt computer data on hard disk, delete most important operating system files and can make the system to crash. Always install updated antivirus software and ensure you scan your system regularly with the program. You can download and install the antivirus you want depending on user experience or information from other users like norton, Kaspersky, AVG, McAfee, Avast, etc. similar steps are used to download and install different anti-viruses.

Uninstall application software

take the following steps to uninstall (Google Chrome) an application software.

Step 1:Right click the start button and select Control Panel. (or type “Control panel” in the search box at the start and press enter).

Step 2:In the control panel window that displays (as shown in picture 1.25) select Uninstall a program under Programs option.

Step 3: In the Programs and Features screen, select Google Chrome (you can select another program you are sure you do not need and uninstall it). then click on Uninstall tab above programs list.

Step 4:Wait for the Windows Installer (as shown in picture 1.27) to gather all the features of (Google Chrome) program and remove them. Lastly close Control Panel.

Note: After uninstalling some applications such as MS Office, it requires to restart the computer to completely remove all the features. When you see a message prompting you to restart, please accept it.

1.6 Software add-on

this is a piece of software that adds a specific feature or capability to an existing software application. A software add-on cannot be run independently, it is just a software extension.

Examples of common add-ons are AdobeFlash, QuickTime and Silverlight.

Role of add-ons

  .Interface change: the application can be dynamically extended to include new features which have friendly interface suitable for different users.

  .Adding features: More features are added to the browser (program) to increase its usability

Download and install add-ons

Activity 1.7

Using Mozilla firefox Carryout a download to add various software extensions to your browser.

Step 1:Go to the Mozilla home page. You can use

            www.mozilla.org.

Step 2:Click Add-ons (First scroll down the page).

Step 3: on the new page that displays, go to the add-on or extension you want to add.

Step 4:Click the add-on you want to download. this automatically installs on your computer.

Download Helper

this is a tool used to extract videos and image files from websites and save them to your hard drive. As you are surfing the web Download Helper can detect that it can do something for you, the toolbar icon highlights and a menu allows you to download files by simply clicking an item.

Download file (Video) using add-ons/download helper

Step 5:In the new tab for Add-ons Manager, click in the search box at the upper right hand corner of the window. type in the word YouTube and press enter key.

Step 6:Click the Install button next to the result “1-click YouTube Video Download”.

Step 7: once the installation is complete, wait for a few seconds and then restart Firefox.

Step 8: type in the Address bar “www.YouTube.com”. Locate your favorite video and click on it.

Step 9: If “I click You tube video download” is used, to download a video on You  tube, there is a red button under Active Video download.

If Download Helper is used and there is an active video on any website, the icon is active to let you download it, see pictures 1.31 and 1.32.

Copy the URL for your favorite video.

Step 11:From Save as dialog box, select location to save your video and click save continue to download the page.

Click the Download button below the active video and the options it brings, select a suitable format. the save as dialog box displays.

Step 12: once the download is complete, watch the downloaded video at any time you want, using location specified.

Note: YouTube has been designed for users who only watch and view videos on their website. In case you want to download and save the video to your computer, you may have to select from a variety of online down loader programs or use YouTube down loader page to download the video.

Note: Ad blocker

this is software extension that reduces the number of unwanted, uncalled-for pop up ads which appear on the user’s display in a browser. Ad is short for Advertisement. Pop up ads usually appear unexpectedly.

Ad block Plus is the most popular ad blocker for Firefox, opera, chrome, safari and internet explorer. It blocks banners, pop-ups, tracking and some malware.

Why should you remove ads?

there are many reasons why people choose to remove ads. some of the most frequent arguments are:

     .People do not want to be manipulated by online advertising.

    .Advertising is annoying in most cases.

    .Advertising often uses heavy graphics which slows the page loading.

    .online advertising imposes a security risk for the Internet user, as the third-party banner ads may introduce security breaches to the site.

How to disable or remove browser plug-ins and add-ons

Internet explorer, Firefox, and Google Chrome each allow for the use of plug-ins and add-ons, which are scripts that supplement the functionality of the browser.

For - Mozilla Firefox

In the menu bar, select Tools > add-ons or click the Open menu button on the upper right page and select add-ons.

1. In the Add-ons Manager screen, find the add-on from the list of currently loaded add-ons on the right.

2. select it and click on the Disable button at the bottom right.Windows users may also be able to uninstall add-on files through the Control panel.

Activity 1.8

Download and install the following add-ons:

a) Media player for You tube

b) Mail notifier

c) screen Capture

End of Unit 1 Assessment

Theory Questions

1. a) Define the term Software Installation.

   b) Briefly describe the steps for installing an operating system.c) explain the role of operating systems.

2 Apart from fresh installation, explain other choices that are available for installing operating system on computer.

3. explain the following terms:

a) File system               b) Booting     

c) Disk partitioning        d) Microsoft office

4. Use Internet facility to research and then discuss the role of open source applications over proprietary software.

5. open your browser and download the following applications:

a) Microsoft Office                            b) Chess master

c) A shampoo burning software        d) PDF reader

e) Ludo game                                   f) Kerspersky Antivirus

g) Adobe Photoshop

6. Install the following programs you downloaded on to your computer:

a) Ashampoo burning software        b) Adobe Photoshop

c) Chess game                                 d) PDF reader

e) Mail notifier (add-on)

7. Uninstall the following software from your computer:

a) Acrobat Reader                      b) Media player for You tube

c) screen capture