Chapter 8 Questions

True/False

Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.

1. System software serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the computer's hardware.

2. Some parts of the operating system are nonresident, that is, these instructions remain on the hard disk until they are needed.

3. In most cases, drive A (the floppy disk) is the boot drive.

4. Most users today work with a graphical user interface.

5. Early systems were multitasking, but most of today's operating systems are single user/single tasking.

6. Fault-tolerant computers have duplicate components such as processors, memory, and disk drives.

7. Because virtual memory is faster than RAM, users may notice the computer speeding up while it uses virtual memory.

8. By spooling print jobs to a buffer, a processor can continue interpreting and executing instructions while a printer prints.

9. With Plug and Play, the operating system determines an appropriate IRQ (interrupt request line) for communications between a device and the processor.

10. When the contents of a file are scattered across two or more noncontiguous sectors, the file is fragmented.

11. The advantage of device-independent operating systems is that users can retain existing application software and data even if they change computer models or vendors.

12. Application software is said to be downward compatible, meaning it will run on a new version of an operating system.

13. At its peak, DOS was a widely used operating system, with an estimated 70 million computers running it.

14. The programmer of a virus, known as a virus author, intentionally writes a virus program.

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

15. Two types of system software are _____.

a.	application software and utility programs	c.	operating systems and utility programs
b.	Web browsers and application software	d.	operating systems and Web browsers

16. In Windows XP, the _____ consists of several files that contain the system configuration information.

a.	buffer	c.	platform
b.	driver	d.	registry

17. If a new device, such as a printer or scanner, is attached to a computer, its _____ must be installed before the device can be used.

a.	driver	c.	manager
b.	platform	d.	kernel

18. While entering a _____, most computers hide the actual characters by displaying some other characters, such as asterisks (*) or dots.

a.	user name	c.	user ID
b.	password	d.	all of the above

19. A _____ is an icon on the desktop that provides a user with immediate access to a program or file.

a.	kernel	c.	buffer
b.	spooler	d.	shortcut

20. _____ a disk, or reorganizing it so the files are stored in contiguous sectors, speeds up disk access and thus the performance of the entire computer.

a.	Formatting	c.	Spooling
b.	Defragmenting	d.	Compressing

21. Windows XP includes the diagnostic utility, _____, which diagnoses problems as well as suggests courses of action.

a.	Windows Picture and Fax Viewer	c.	DriveSpace
b.	Windows Explorer	d.	Dr. Watson

22. When first developed by Microsoft, _____ used a command-line interface, but later versions included both command-line and menu driven user interfaces.

a.	Windows XP	c.	Mac OS X
b.	DOS	d.	UNIX

23. A _____ is a program that acts without a user’s knowledge and deliberately alters a computer’s operations.

a.	malicious-logic program	c.	system software program
b.	utility program	d.	diagnostic program

24. _____ is a program placed on a computer without the user’s knowledge or consent that secretly collects information about the user, sometimes relating to Web browsing habits.

a.	Spyware	c.	Spam
b.	A pop-up ad	d.	A filter

25. Compressed files, sometimes called _____.

a.	ripped files, usually have a .rip extension
b.	tipped files, usually have a .tip extension
c.	dipped files, usually have a .dip extension
d.	zipped files, usually have a .zip extension