CompTIA A+ 1102 Operating Systems

Why do you need an operating system?

- controls interaction between components

- provides a common platform for applications

- provides the user interface (UI)

Standard OS Features (list)

- file management

- application support

- I/O support

- included OS configuration and management tools

Microsoft Windows Advantages (list)

- large industry support

- many OS options

- wide variety of software support

Microsoft Windows Disadvantages (list)

- big target for security exploitation

- challenging integration due to the sheer amount of support for various hardware

Linux Advantages (list)

- free

- works on a wide variety of hardware

Linux Disadvantages (list)

- limited driver support

- limited support options

Mac OS Advantages

- easy to use

- extremely compatible

- relatively few security concerns

Mac OS Disadvantages

- requires apple hardware

- high initial cost

- less industry support than Windows

Chrome OS

- based on the Linux kernel

- created around the Chrome web browser

- most applications are web based

- many different manufacturers

- relatively cheap

- relies on the cloud

iPad OS Tablet Features (list)

- browser (Safari)

- second monitor support (Sidecar)

- keyboard support

- multitasking

iOS

- based on Unix

- cloud sourced

iOS Applications

- developed with iOS SDK on MacOS

- must be approved by Apple, prior to release

Google Android

- from the Open Handset Alliance

- open sourced, based on Linux

- wide device and hardware support

Google Android Applications

developed on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, using the Android SPK

End of Life (acronym)

EOL

OS EOL Policies

vary depending on the OS

Updating Operating Systems

- iOS, Android, and Windows check and prompt for updates.

- Chrome OS updates automatically

Do applications have compatibility between different operating systems?

There is almost no direct application compatibility between operating systems.

Boot Methods for Installing an Operating System (list)

- USB storage

- must be bootable

- computer must support booting from USB

- optical media

- PXE

- SSDs and HDDs

- internet-based

- external/hot swappable drive

- some can mount an ISO image

- boot from USB

Preboot Execution Environment (acronym)

PXE

PXE

- allows for remote OS installation, over a network

- booting with PXE must be supported by the OS

Types of Operating System Installations (list)

- in-place upgrade

- recovery partition

- clean install

- can be in conjunction with a migration tool

- image deployment

- deploy a clone on every computer

- can be completely automated

- repair installation

- does not modify user files

- remote network installation

- install across the internet, or from a local server or shared drive

Disk Partitions

- separates the physical drive into logical pieces

- useful for maintaining multiple operating systems

- in Windows, formatted partitions are called volumes

GUID Partition Table (acronym)

GPT

GPT Partition Style

- the latest partition format standard

- requires a UEFI BIOS

- can have up to 128 partitions

- maximum partition size is over 9 billion TB

- no need for extended partitions or logical drives

Master Boot Record (acronym)

MBR

MBR Partition Style

- maximum partition size of 2 TB

- includes primary and extended partitions

primary partitions:

- bootable

- maximum of four per hard disk

- one can be marked as active

extended partitions:

- used for extending the maximum number of partitions

- one per hard disk (though optional)

- contains additional logical partitions

- not bootable

Disk Partitioning

- the first step when preparing disks

- disks may already be partitioned, though

- not always compatible with the new OS

- occurs during Windows startup

Quick Format (Disk Partitioning)

- creates a new file table

- looks like data is erased, but it's not

- no additional checks

- the default option

Full Format (Disk Partitioning)

- uses the "diskpart" utility

- writes zeroes to the whole disk, making data unrecoverable

- checks the disk for bad sectors