Operating System (OS) -ANSWER-provides the interface between the hardware,
application programs, and the user. Handles many of the basic system functions, such
as interaction with the system hardware and input/output
Made up of kernel files and device drivers to interface with the hardware plus programs
to provide a user interface and configuration tools
Instant Search -ANSWER-windows feature allowing rapid search of apps, data folders,
messages, and the web
Windows Settings -ANSWER-touch-enabled interface for managing user and system
settings in Windows
Control Panel -ANSWER-Legacy management interface for configuring user and system
settings in Windows
User Account -ANSWER-Identifies to Windows the resources, such as apps and storage
locations, a user can access when working with the computer.
Microsoft Account -ANSWER-Cloud-based SSO service allowing users to synchronize
settings between multiple Windows devices
Account Settings App -ANSWER-Windows Settings pages relating to user account
creation and maintenance.
Used for configuration tasks: your info (manage the current user account), Email &
Accounts (add sign-in credentials to other accounts), Configure Sign-In Options
(fingerprint or PIN to access computer rather than a password), Access Work or School
(join the computer to a centrally managed domain network), Family & Other Users
(permit other local or Microsoft accounts to log on to the computer), Sync Settings (use
the cloud to apply the same personalization and preferences for each device you use a
Microsoft account to sign in with)
User Accounts Applet -ANSWER-Control Panel app relating to user account creation
and maintenance
Can also be used to change the User Account Control (UAC) settings
User Account Control (UAC) -ANSWER-A system to prevent unauthorized use of
administrator privileges
Privacy Setting -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to personal data collection
and use
Time & Language Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages allowing configuration of
default data formats (date, currency, and so on), location information, and keyboard
input locale
,Personalization Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to customizing the
appearance of the desktop using themes
Ease of Access -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to desktop and input/output
device accessibility configuration.
Three main settings groups: Vision, Hearing, and Interaction
Drive -ANSWER-Can be a single physical disk pr a partition on a disk, a shared network
folder mapped to a drive letter, or a removable disc.
C:drive is the partition on the primary fixed disk holding the Windows installation
Root Directory -ANSWER-each drive contains a directory called the root.
Represented by the backslash (\)
Each directory can contain subfolders and files
System Files -ANSWER-Files that are required for the operating system to function.
Windows System Files -ANSWER-the system root, containing drivers, logs, add-in
applications, system and configuration files (notably the System32 subdirectory), fonts
and so on
Program Files/Program Files (x86) -ANSWER-Subdirectories for installed applications
software. In 64-bit versions of Windows, a Program Files (x86) folder is created to store
32-bit applications
Users System Files -ANSWER-Storage for users' profile settings and data. Each user
has a folder named after their user account. This subfolder contains NTUSER.DAT
(registry data) plus subfolders for personal data files. The profile folder also contains
hidden subfolders used to store application-settings and customizations, favorite links,
shortcuts, and temporary files
File Explorer Options -ANSWER-Control panel app related to view and browsing settings
for File Explorer
Hide Extensions for Known File Types -ANSWER-Windows files are identified by a
three- or four-character extension following the final period in the file name.
Can be used to associate a file type with a software application.
Overtyping the file extension (when renaming a file) can make it difficult to open, so
extensions are normally hidden from view
Hidden Files and Folders -ANSWER-a file or folder can be marked as "Hidden" through
its file attributes. Files marked as hidden are not shown by default but can be revealed
by setting the "Show hidden files, folders, and rives" options
Hide Protected Operating System Files -ANSWER-Configures files marked with the
System attribute as hidden. It is worth noting that in Windows, File/Resource Protection
prevents users (even administrative users) from deleting these files anyway
Indexing Options Applet -ANSWER-Control Panel app related to search database
maintenance
Allows you to define indexed locations and rebuild the index
Indexed locations can include both folders and email data stores
A corrupted index is a common cause of search problems
Systems Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings page relating to basic and advanced
system settings
Presents options for configuring input and output devices, power, remote desktop,
notifications, and clipboard
There is also an About page listing key hardware and OS version information
,Update & Security Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to configuring
automatic patching, deploying feature updates, and managing security features
Patch Management -ANSWER-Important maintenance task to ensure that PCs operate
reliably and securely. A patch or update is a file containing replacement system or
application code. The replacement file fixes some sort of coding problem in the original
file. The fix could be made to improve reliability, security, or performance
Windows Event Viewer -ANSWER-This allows you to monitor system events. It
maintains logs about computer programs, security, and system events.
(in the Applications & Service Logs > Microsoft\Windows > WindowsUpdateClient >
Operational log file)
If an update fails to install, the log should be checked to find the cause; the update will
fail with an error code that you can look up on the Microsoft Knowledge Base
Microsoft Product Activation (MPA) -ANSWER-An antipiracy technology that verifies that
software products are legitimately purchased
Must active Windows within a given number of days after installation. After the grace
period, certain features will be disabled until the system is activated over the Internet
using a valid product key or digital licesne
Standby/Suspend to RAM -ANSWER-Cuts power to most devices (for example the CPU,
monitor, disk drives, and peripherals) but maintains power to the memory. This is also
referred to as ACPI modes S1-S3
Hibernate/Suspend to Disk -ANSWER-Saves any open but unsaved file data in memory
to disk (as hiberfil.sys in the root of the boot volume) and then turns the computer off.
This is also referred to as ACPI mode S4
Sleep -ANSWER-a laptop goes into standby state as normal; if running on battery power
it will switch from standy to hibernate before the battery runs down
Hybrid Sleep -ANSWER-a desktop creates a hibernation file and then goes into the
standby state. It can also be configured to switch to the full hibernation state after a
defined period
Modern Standby -ANSWER-Utilizes a device's ability to function in an S0 low-power idle
mode to maintain network connectivity without consuming too much energy
Fast Startup -ANSWER-Power-saving option allowing swift resume from sleep via an
image of system memory contents saved to a hibernation file
Administrative Tools -ANSWER-Folder in Control Panel containing default Microsoft
management consoles used to configure the local system
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) -ANSWER-One of the primary administrative
tools used to manage Windows and many of the network services provided by
Windows. Contains one or more snap-ins that are used to modify advanced settings for
a subsystem, such as disks or users
Computer Management (compmgmt.msc) -ANSWER-Default management console with
multiple snap-ins to schedule tasks and configure local users and groups, disks,
services, devices, and so on.
Defragment and Optimize Drives (dfrgui.exe) -ANSWER-Maintain disk performance by
optimizing file storage patterns
Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) -ANSWER-Regain disk capacity by deleting unwanted files
Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) -ANSWER-View and edit the security settings
, Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) and Performance Monitoring (perfmoon.msc) -
ANSWER-View and log performance statistics
Registry Editor (regedit.exe) -ANSWER-Make manual edits to the database of Windows
configuration settings
Review system, security, and application logs
Services Console (services.msc) -ANSWER-Start, stop, and pause processes running in
the background
Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) -ANSWER-Run software and scripts according to
calendar or event triggers
START + X or right-clicking the Start Button -ANSWER-Shows a shortcut menu with
links to the main management utilities, such as Device Manager, Computer
Management, Command Prompt, and Windows PowerShell
Run Dialog -ANSWER-(START + R) can be used to execute a program with switches
that modify the operation of the software
Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) console -ANSWER-displays a summary of any fixed
and removable disks - hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), and optical
drives - attached to the system.
HDDs and SSDs can be divided into logical partitions.
Each partition is represented as a volume int he top pane
Partitions -ANSWER-a wall or partial wall that separates or divides space
Configured on HDDs and SSDs.
Volume -ANSWER-A logical storage unit made available to the OS. There could be a
simple 1:1 mapping between a partition and a volume.
A volume can also be created using a redundant drive configuration (RAID) where there
are actually multiple devices and partitions supporting the volume
Disk -ANSWER-Typically Disk 0 will be holding the operating system and this disk will
have at least three volumes:
system volume contains the files used to boot the OS. This typically uses a boot system
called extensible firmware interface (EFI). It is not usually assigned a drive letter.
boot volume contains the operating system files and is usually allocated the drive letter
C:
recovery partitions contain tools to repair a damaged installation and/or return the
computer to its factory state. These can either contain the PC vendor's tool or
Microsoft's Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) They are not usually assigned
drive letters
Storage Spaces -ANSWER-Windows feature for creating a single storage resource from
multiple devices. Data can be protected against device failure by RAID-like mirroring or
parity
Defragment and Optimize Drives Tool (dfrgui.exe) -ANSWER-Fragmentation occurs
when a data file is not saved to contiguous sectors on an HDD and reduces
performance. The defragmenter mitigates this and can also perform optimization
operations for SSDs.
Disk Clean-Up (cleanmgr.exe) -ANSWER-Windows utility for removing temporary files to
reclaim disk space.
application programs, and the user. Handles many of the basic system functions, such
as interaction with the system hardware and input/output
Made up of kernel files and device drivers to interface with the hardware plus programs
to provide a user interface and configuration tools
Instant Search -ANSWER-windows feature allowing rapid search of apps, data folders,
messages, and the web
Windows Settings -ANSWER-touch-enabled interface for managing user and system
settings in Windows
Control Panel -ANSWER-Legacy management interface for configuring user and system
settings in Windows
User Account -ANSWER-Identifies to Windows the resources, such as apps and storage
locations, a user can access when working with the computer.
Microsoft Account -ANSWER-Cloud-based SSO service allowing users to synchronize
settings between multiple Windows devices
Account Settings App -ANSWER-Windows Settings pages relating to user account
creation and maintenance.
Used for configuration tasks: your info (manage the current user account), Email &
Accounts (add sign-in credentials to other accounts), Configure Sign-In Options
(fingerprint or PIN to access computer rather than a password), Access Work or School
(join the computer to a centrally managed domain network), Family & Other Users
(permit other local or Microsoft accounts to log on to the computer), Sync Settings (use
the cloud to apply the same personalization and preferences for each device you use a
Microsoft account to sign in with)
User Accounts Applet -ANSWER-Control Panel app relating to user account creation
and maintenance
Can also be used to change the User Account Control (UAC) settings
User Account Control (UAC) -ANSWER-A system to prevent unauthorized use of
administrator privileges
Privacy Setting -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to personal data collection
and use
Time & Language Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages allowing configuration of
default data formats (date, currency, and so on), location information, and keyboard
input locale
,Personalization Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to customizing the
appearance of the desktop using themes
Ease of Access -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to desktop and input/output
device accessibility configuration.
Three main settings groups: Vision, Hearing, and Interaction
Drive -ANSWER-Can be a single physical disk pr a partition on a disk, a shared network
folder mapped to a drive letter, or a removable disc.
C:drive is the partition on the primary fixed disk holding the Windows installation
Root Directory -ANSWER-each drive contains a directory called the root.
Represented by the backslash (\)
Each directory can contain subfolders and files
System Files -ANSWER-Files that are required for the operating system to function.
Windows System Files -ANSWER-the system root, containing drivers, logs, add-in
applications, system and configuration files (notably the System32 subdirectory), fonts
and so on
Program Files/Program Files (x86) -ANSWER-Subdirectories for installed applications
software. In 64-bit versions of Windows, a Program Files (x86) folder is created to store
32-bit applications
Users System Files -ANSWER-Storage for users' profile settings and data. Each user
has a folder named after their user account. This subfolder contains NTUSER.DAT
(registry data) plus subfolders for personal data files. The profile folder also contains
hidden subfolders used to store application-settings and customizations, favorite links,
shortcuts, and temporary files
File Explorer Options -ANSWER-Control panel app related to view and browsing settings
for File Explorer
Hide Extensions for Known File Types -ANSWER-Windows files are identified by a
three- or four-character extension following the final period in the file name.
Can be used to associate a file type with a software application.
Overtyping the file extension (when renaming a file) can make it difficult to open, so
extensions are normally hidden from view
Hidden Files and Folders -ANSWER-a file or folder can be marked as "Hidden" through
its file attributes. Files marked as hidden are not shown by default but can be revealed
by setting the "Show hidden files, folders, and rives" options
Hide Protected Operating System Files -ANSWER-Configures files marked with the
System attribute as hidden. It is worth noting that in Windows, File/Resource Protection
prevents users (even administrative users) from deleting these files anyway
Indexing Options Applet -ANSWER-Control Panel app related to search database
maintenance
Allows you to define indexed locations and rebuild the index
Indexed locations can include both folders and email data stores
A corrupted index is a common cause of search problems
Systems Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings page relating to basic and advanced
system settings
Presents options for configuring input and output devices, power, remote desktop,
notifications, and clipboard
There is also an About page listing key hardware and OS version information
,Update & Security Settings -ANSWER-Windows settings pages related to configuring
automatic patching, deploying feature updates, and managing security features
Patch Management -ANSWER-Important maintenance task to ensure that PCs operate
reliably and securely. A patch or update is a file containing replacement system or
application code. The replacement file fixes some sort of coding problem in the original
file. The fix could be made to improve reliability, security, or performance
Windows Event Viewer -ANSWER-This allows you to monitor system events. It
maintains logs about computer programs, security, and system events.
(in the Applications & Service Logs > Microsoft\Windows > WindowsUpdateClient >
Operational log file)
If an update fails to install, the log should be checked to find the cause; the update will
fail with an error code that you can look up on the Microsoft Knowledge Base
Microsoft Product Activation (MPA) -ANSWER-An antipiracy technology that verifies that
software products are legitimately purchased
Must active Windows within a given number of days after installation. After the grace
period, certain features will be disabled until the system is activated over the Internet
using a valid product key or digital licesne
Standby/Suspend to RAM -ANSWER-Cuts power to most devices (for example the CPU,
monitor, disk drives, and peripherals) but maintains power to the memory. This is also
referred to as ACPI modes S1-S3
Hibernate/Suspend to Disk -ANSWER-Saves any open but unsaved file data in memory
to disk (as hiberfil.sys in the root of the boot volume) and then turns the computer off.
This is also referred to as ACPI mode S4
Sleep -ANSWER-a laptop goes into standby state as normal; if running on battery power
it will switch from standy to hibernate before the battery runs down
Hybrid Sleep -ANSWER-a desktop creates a hibernation file and then goes into the
standby state. It can also be configured to switch to the full hibernation state after a
defined period
Modern Standby -ANSWER-Utilizes a device's ability to function in an S0 low-power idle
mode to maintain network connectivity without consuming too much energy
Fast Startup -ANSWER-Power-saving option allowing swift resume from sleep via an
image of system memory contents saved to a hibernation file
Administrative Tools -ANSWER-Folder in Control Panel containing default Microsoft
management consoles used to configure the local system
Microsoft Management Console (MMC) -ANSWER-One of the primary administrative
tools used to manage Windows and many of the network services provided by
Windows. Contains one or more snap-ins that are used to modify advanced settings for
a subsystem, such as disks or users
Computer Management (compmgmt.msc) -ANSWER-Default management console with
multiple snap-ins to schedule tasks and configure local users and groups, disks,
services, devices, and so on.
Defragment and Optimize Drives (dfrgui.exe) -ANSWER-Maintain disk performance by
optimizing file storage patterns
Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr.exe) -ANSWER-Regain disk capacity by deleting unwanted files
Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) -ANSWER-View and edit the security settings
, Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) and Performance Monitoring (perfmoon.msc) -
ANSWER-View and log performance statistics
Registry Editor (regedit.exe) -ANSWER-Make manual edits to the database of Windows
configuration settings
Review system, security, and application logs
Services Console (services.msc) -ANSWER-Start, stop, and pause processes running in
the background
Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) -ANSWER-Run software and scripts according to
calendar or event triggers
START + X or right-clicking the Start Button -ANSWER-Shows a shortcut menu with
links to the main management utilities, such as Device Manager, Computer
Management, Command Prompt, and Windows PowerShell
Run Dialog -ANSWER-(START + R) can be used to execute a program with switches
that modify the operation of the software
Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) console -ANSWER-displays a summary of any fixed
and removable disks - hard disk drives (HDDs), solid state drives (SSDs), and optical
drives - attached to the system.
HDDs and SSDs can be divided into logical partitions.
Each partition is represented as a volume int he top pane
Partitions -ANSWER-a wall or partial wall that separates or divides space
Configured on HDDs and SSDs.
Volume -ANSWER-A logical storage unit made available to the OS. There could be a
simple 1:1 mapping between a partition and a volume.
A volume can also be created using a redundant drive configuration (RAID) where there
are actually multiple devices and partitions supporting the volume
Disk -ANSWER-Typically Disk 0 will be holding the operating system and this disk will
have at least three volumes:
system volume contains the files used to boot the OS. This typically uses a boot system
called extensible firmware interface (EFI). It is not usually assigned a drive letter.
boot volume contains the operating system files and is usually allocated the drive letter
C:
recovery partitions contain tools to repair a damaged installation and/or return the
computer to its factory state. These can either contain the PC vendor's tool or
Microsoft's Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) They are not usually assigned
drive letters
Storage Spaces -ANSWER-Windows feature for creating a single storage resource from
multiple devices. Data can be protected against device failure by RAID-like mirroring or
parity
Defragment and Optimize Drives Tool (dfrgui.exe) -ANSWER-Fragmentation occurs
when a data file is not saved to contiguous sectors on an HDD and reduces
performance. The defragmenter mitigates this and can also perform optimization
operations for SSDs.
Disk Clean-Up (cleanmgr.exe) -ANSWER-Windows utility for removing temporary files to
reclaim disk space.
