Operating System Tricks

> What is Disk Defragmentation?
Disk defragmentation describes the process of consolidating fragmented files on your computer's hard disk.

Fragmentation happens to a hard disk over time as you save, change, or delete files. The changes that you save to a file are often stored at a location on the hard disk that's different from the original file. Additional changes are saved to even more locations. Over time, both the file and the hard disk itself become fragmented, and your computer slows down as it has to look in many different places to open a file.

Disk Defragmenter is a tool that rearranges the data on your hard disk and reunites fragmented files so your computer can run more efficiently. In this version of Windows, Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule so you don't have to remember to run it, although you can still run it manually or change the schedule it uses.

> What would you do if a PC is not turning on ?
First Check the Power cables and power supply.

> What is the latest Operating System ?
Windows 7.

> What is a Heat Sink ?
A component designed to lower the temperature of an electronic device by dissipating heat into the surrounding air. All modern CPUs require a heat sink. Some also require a fan. A heat sink without a fan is called a passive heat sink; a heat sink with a fan is called an active heat sink. Heat sinks are generally made of an aluminum alloy and often have fins. 

> What is the difference between SATA and PATA Hard-Disk Drives?
Serial ATA and Parallel ATA are both specialized interface and data transfer devices, that are used in computers to connect peripheral storage devices. Both serve the same purpose of data transfer but differ in their basic technology, speed of performance and therefore their niche applications these days.

> What would you do if your system is running slow ?
1.Empty Recycle Bin.
2.Empty Windows Temp folder.
3.Run Scandisk.
4.Run Defragmenter.
5.Full System Virus scan. 

> What are Plug & Play devices ?
They are peices of computer hardware that already have the software for them in you system. simply put, you just have to plug it in and you computer does the rest.

> What are Device Drivers?
Device drivers are small files that act like “liaisons” between hardware in a computer system and the operating system (OS). Hardware requires device drivers so that the OS can “see” the devices and handle them effectively and efficiently.

> Difference between IE6 & IE7 ?
ie 6-security issuse are less
ie 7-security issuse are more.

ie 6-tabbed browsing is not there
ie 7-tabbed browsing is available.

ie 6-no advanced printing.
ie 7- advanced printing.

ie 6-no phishing filter.
ie 7-phishing filter available.

ie 6-no tool bar search box.
ie 7- tool bar search box.

ie 6-no advanced delete history.
ie 7-advanced delete browing history option.

ie 6-no page zoom.
ie 7-page zoom.

ie 6-no add-ons disable mode
ie 7-add-ons disable mode.

> What is the difference between a Serial and a Parallel Port ?
Basically a serial port sends and receives data 1 'bit' at a time over a single wire, while a parallel port sends the data a 'byte' at a time over several wires simultaneously.

> Explain the Windows XP Boot Process ?
1.First is the POST, this stands for Power On Self Test, for the computer. This process tests memory as well as a number of other subsystems. You can usually monitor this as it runs each test. After that is complete the system will run POST for any device that has a BIOS (Basic Input-Output System). An AGP has its own BIOS, as do some network cards and various other devices.

2.Once the POST is complete and the BIOS is sure that everything is working properly, the BIOS will then attempt to read the MBR (Master Boot Record). This is the first sector of the first hard drive (called the Master or HD0). When the MBR takes over it means that Windows is now in control.

3.The MBR looks at the BOOT SECTOR (the first sector of the active partition). That is where NTLDR is located, NTLDR is the BOOT LOADER for Windows XP. NTLDR will allow memory addressing, initiate the file system, read the boot.ini and load the boot menu. NTLDR has to be in the root of the active partition as do NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI, BOOTSECT.DOS (for multi-OS booting) and NTBOOTDD.SYS (if you have SCSI adapters)

4.Once XP is selected from the Boot Menu, NTLDR will run NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI and BOOTSECT.DOS to get the proper OS selected and loaded. The system starts in 16-bit real mode and then moves into 32-bit protected mode.

5.NTLDR will then load NTOSKRNL.EXE and HAL.DLL. Effectively, these two files are windows XP. They must be located in %SystemRoot%System32.

6.NTLDR reads the registry, chooses a hardware profile and authorizes device drivers, in that exact order.

7.At this point NTOSKRNL.EXE takes over. It starts WINLOGON.EXE that in turn starts LSASS.EXE, this is the program that display the Logon screen so that you can logon.

> What do you know about the PING Command ?
Pinging is a command which tells you if the connection between your computer and a particular domain is working correctly.

Eg : C:\Administrator\>Ping 192.168.1.100 or Ping opstricks.blogspot.com

> What does X mean in the term 16X on the CD/DVD ROM ?
"x" = speed; i.e. 48 speed CD-ROM. Refers to how quickly the drive will read the disk. same deal for writing to disks. Speed increased incrementally from single speed (1X) CD-ROM. On a burner, it'll say for example 4X4X8, which would be 4 speed write, 4 speed rewrite, 8 speed read (I may have write & rewrite backwards). Those are always max speeds, doesn't necessarily mean the rated speed is constant. 

> What are PCI Slots?

A PCI slot is used to add extension cards to a machine. The PCI world is somewhat of a mess right now. There are at least TEN different types of PCI sockets in use!

* Original PCI.
* Wide PCI.
* Fast/wide PCI.
* Fast/wide 3.3-volt PCI.
* PCI-X.
* Narrow PCI-X.
* PCI-Express x1.
* PCI-Express x4.
* PCI-Express x8.
* PCI-Express x16.

Today, mainly the x16 is used for Graphic cards, and PIC is used to connect network cards.

> What are the types of Printers?
Dot matrix printers, Characters printer, Ink jet printers, Laser printers . 

> What is the difference between DDR1, DDR2 and DDR3 memories ?
# DDR stands for Double Data Rate. Like SDRAM, it operates at the rate of the computer's clock cycle. However, unlike SDRAM, it can transfer data twice per clock cycle. It does this by using the rising and falling edges of the clock signal, also known as "double pumping" and employing a prefetch buffer capable of accessing two datawords at a time. This means that it can store and move a value in the same amount of time it takes SDRAM to do one or the other, effectively doubling the memory's speed.

# DDR2 also utilizes the same double pumping technique as DDR. It achieves performance gains by using a prefetch buffer that retrieves four datawords per memory access. This allows it to transfer data four times per clock cycle (compared to twice in the case of DDR). According to Bit-Tech.com, its improved efficiency allows it to consume less power than DDR.

# Like all other forms of DDR, DDR3 transfers data twice per clock cycle. However, its prefetch buffer can access eight datawords at a time, according to Benchmark Reviews. Thus, it can transfer data eight times per clock cycle, giving it a maximum data transfer rate twice that of DDR2 while using less power.

> What are the types of Hard-disk drives ?
Disk drive technologies have advanced quickly over recent years, making terabytes of storage available at reasonable cost. When researching the type of hard disk storage system appropriate for your needs, keep in mind the format and data rate of the video you’re capturing. Depending on whether you work as an independent video editor or collaborate with others, the amount of storage you require and the bit rate of data transfer will be important factors to match up with your storage needs. Outlining all of the hard disk storage technologies is beyond the scope of this documentation, but four common choices include:

* ATA
* FireWire
* SCSI
* RAID and Fibre Channel

>What is an Operating System?
An operating system is a program that controls the normal functions of your computer. There are two mainstream operating systems today - Windows and MacOS.

There are different versions of both operating systems, and it is important to determine which one you have before we can assist you.

If you have a Macintosh, go to the Finder (or click on the desktop in OS X). Select the Apple Menu, and choose About This Macintosh or About This Computer. The operating system version your computer is running will be displayed on the window that pops up. Mac OS X versions include 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5.

If you have a PC, chances are you are running some form of Windows. If your computer starts up with a splash screen that says "Windows Vista" and have a round Start Button, then you are running Windows Vista. Other versions of Windows, identified by their splash screens, include Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

>Name a few ports in your computer ?
USB, IEEE 1394 ps/2 PS/2 ethernet port lpti vga line in microphone gamejack

>What is Last Known Good Configuration ?
The Last Known Good configuration" is one of the methods which are used to repair our computer system. In this method a restore of data from the backup is not required. This "last known good configuration" is a backup replica of the existing configuration which is stored on the registry key "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet". This registry key is always updated whenever the system is shut down by the user after successfully and effectively logging on. Our system can be repaired by restoring information from this updated registry key. For instance in case when we install some driver which causes our operating system not to be loaded, this type of repair is helpful and useful.
So it is a very good practice to repair our system without any loss. So whenever we see our operating systemfails to load, simply press F8 and when the message "please select the operating system to start" appears, just select the Last Known Good Configuration. This option can be seen under the "Windows Advanced Options Menu". The Last Known Good Configuration is only useful in the case if we have not logged on yet. Whenever we logon and then shut down or even restart, all of the current configurations always become the "Last Known Good Configuration".

>What is windows Device Manager ?
Device Manager is an extension of the Microsoft Management Console that provides a central and organized view of all the Microsoft Windows recognized hardware installed in a computer.

Device Manager is used to manage the hardware devices installed in a computer like hard disk drives, keyboards, sound cards, USB devices, and more.

>What is MSConfig ?
msconfig.exe is a file which helps to edit and administer text configuration files such as win.ini and autoexec.bat.

Msconfig is used to control what programs and services start with your computer. Its very helpful in troubleshooting startup problems as well as poor performance and getting rid of spyware and viruses.

>What is the Blue Screen of Death and what could be it's causes ?
Sometimes bad or flaky memory (RAM memory, not your hard drive) can cause seemingly random system crashes. If you have just the right combination of programs open and system memory in use, and your computer tries to access a "bad spot" on a RAM chip, the results can be unpredictable. Or they can be the Blue Screen of Death. You can try replacing your RAM sticks one at a time to see if the problem goes away. This involves opening up the system unit and looking at scary wires and stuff, so for some people just living with the problem may be a workable option.

More likely, you have a software problem. Some programs just don't get along... they trample on each other's memory spaces and confusion (or the BSOD) results. And it seems that Windows just gets old and cranky the longer you have it installed. You may solve the problem by using the System File Checker, or if all else fails, by
re-installing the Windows operating system and/or your software packages. If the problem seems to be limited to one particular program, try re-installing just that one first.