Operating Systems Articles

Computers » Operating Systems | By MIKE SELVON @ Monday, 7th April 2008 @ 4:53 PM

Recently, an Apple Computer commercial for the Mac featured a down and out "Windows guy" who sheepishly confessed that he was taking the unlikely step of uninstalling his recent Windows Vista upgrade and returning to the former Windows XP system. While a clever scenario for an advertisement, it seems it was not at all far from the truth. In the course of extensive tests, some independent computer researchers found that XP did much better than Vista in all of the tests they conducted. more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Adrian Adams @ Saturday, 1st March 2008 @ 10:51 AM

Using a computer can be either a blessing or a curse. It's a blessing to be able to do so many things so easily. When Windows XP boots up, especially if you've owned your computer a while (but even on new machines sometimes) tons of programs start popping up. This can be a major annoyance, especially if they are programs you don't even use! Things like this are examples of why computers can be a curse. The beauty of it is that you can take control. Here's how!more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Ed Lathrop @ Monday, 25th February 2008 @ 9:16 AM

All Windows Operating systems are made up of registry files. These files are stored in directories in a way commonly know to Windows users as a tree structure. In other words, your operating system's contents are saved to your hard drive the way as your word documents are, with one main directory having other directories and files stored in it. The main registry directories are known as hives. In the older operating systems, there were six main directories contained in these hives... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Craig Summer @ Sunday, 10th February 2008 @ 11:00 PM

The windows system registry is at the heart of how your windows computer operates. The registry brings together in one place all of the rules for how your hardware and software operates, and information relating to the individual users of the computer. Without a central registry, all of this information would be stored all over the place on your hard drive. This would mean that when you make changes, such as software uninstalls, or installing a new printer, your system would have to sear... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By faye bautista @ Monday, 8th October 2007 @ 2:54 PM

The Linux Kernel is the center of what makes the Linux and Unix operating systems. The kernel is the foreman or mediator over all your programs and hardware components. As the core of the operating system, the kernel has access to certain services that interact with the systems hardware which no other program has direct access to. If a program wants to carry out a special task, then it must go though the kernel first. When a program wants to run, write data to a disk, write to ce... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Kevin Sinclair @ Friday, 7th September 2007 @ 1:03 AM

We have had some time now to get accustomed to Microsoft's latest incarnation of Windows with its release of Vista. And it seems the general consensus is....PASS! If you are considering a new computer, understand the hardware has not caught up to the physical demands set forth by Microsoft and it's newly born cash cow. The most important upgrade you could buy to make your computer experience worthwhile is more memory. In other words, the hardware needs to catch up to the ... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By faye bautista @ Wednesday, 1st August 2007 @ 4:18 PM

This deals with what action is to be taken (during a reboot) after a power failure or an incomplete shutdown of a Linux system due to any reason. This problem seems to be very common since many newcomers install Linux and get all the various softwares/hardwares working under Linux and suddenly one day the power fails. There are a few things that you can try to get Linux back on track.. 1. While rebooting, Linux may print a message saying that there is a problem with the file system and i... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By faye bautista @ Tuesday, 24th July 2007 @ 6:14 PM

Red Hat released its "Core"-less Community Linux distribution, Fedora, now on version 7. You can get the distribution via Bit Torrent, direct download or doing a network install. This is also the first release that comes in different sub-versions or spins, GNOME and KDE desktop environment based bootable live images that can be installed to a hard disk. These spins are meant for desktop users who prefer a single disk installation and for sharing Fedora with friends, family, and e... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By faye bautista @ Wednesday, 18th July 2007 @ 2:40 PM

The OpenMoko-based FIC Neo1973 is "the World's First Integrated Open Source Mobile Communications Platform", the smartphone is expected to compete against the Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian and now OS X operating systems on mobile phones. Based on the initial specs, it will be released with EDGE, like the iPhone, instead of the faster 3G or HSDPA , I am having doubts if Europe and Asia will find it interesting. Also, Motorola is showcasing their MotoRIZR K6 as a mobile phone ... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Jay Moncliff @ Friday, 29th June 2007 @ 11:37 AM

The official name of the Mozilla Application Suite developed by the Mozilla Foundation. It is also the public and original name but got changed recently to SeaMonkey suite. In informal terms, the name found usage in combination with other phrases related to the now-defunct Netscape Communications Corporation and the various application software that were related to it. The code base for Netscape Communicator Internet suite was given the Netscape Public License, which is a free software or... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Gary Terrazas @ Monday, 25th June 2007 @ 7:05 PM

In spite of several other operating systems gaining a huge monopoly in the market, Linux has always has its own fan following. Even today, many people are realizing the strategic important of Linux as an operating system. There are several reasons for this - the quality is good, security is high and best of all, fixes are quick in a Linux system. More importantly, it is available for use by anyone and everyone who cares to use it because of the source code that's freely available.more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Chad Henry @ Thursday, 3rd May 2007 @ 6:01 PM

Nine times out of ten computer problems can be resolved quickly and painlessly if you know what steps to take. As a computer repair technician the most common question I get asked is 'Why is my computer is so slow'. In this article I will talk about how to fix a sluggish computer. Every computer connected to the internet will at one time or another begin to slow down to a crawl if certain maintenance procedures are not followed. What a lot of people don't realize is that ev... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By John Porter @ Tuesday, 3rd April 2007 @ 9:08 PM

How will you react when you come to know you are being watched? Will there be a chill in your spine? Quite possible! But let's look at the same thing in a different way. If you have the premonition that someone is keeping an eye on you, there is a possibility that you can take steps to counter the attack. Am I right? Now wear the same spectacles and watch the spyware through your angle of vision. What do you find out? Spyware was really troublesome when you were not that awar... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Chris Kaminski @ Monday, 26th March 2007 @ 12:09 PM

If you should talk to a tech about Vista, most will tell you to hold off for awhile. Not that there is anything really wrong with Vista, but because there is a severe lack of driver support. Many of the devices you normally use are behind in issuing new compatible drivers. The problem affects many consumers because all the big box stores are only selling Vista loaded machines. It is not uncommon to get your new computer home only to find out printers, scanners, cameras and other accessor... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Chris Kaminski @ Monday, 26th February 2007 @ 10:57 PM

This year brings the long awaited release of Microsoft Vista. I know many of you received new computers or components with a coupon to upgrade. But wait before you run out and put down your money. Vista might not be the best choice for you. Vista is indeed a big step forward, but notice, I say step and not leap. It is the first next generation operating system designed to make full use of all the changes in technology over the last 10 years. Vista is also heading toward the future with some very... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Dennis Cole @ Friday, 26th January 2007 @ 12:30 AM

Your Windows registry is a tool that is on every computer. The registry is a database that is consistently used by Windows every time you are using your computer. Your operating system must tap into the store of hardware and software configuration that is stored on your registry every time you call for a function. The registry is a key part of your computer and every time that you want your computer to perform an action, it will need to go to the registry information to make sure that happens... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Kenth Nasstrom @ Thursday, 14th December 2006 @ 2:59 PM

The configuration and default parameter data stored in the Windows Registry controls the behavior of Windows and all hosted applications and services. Applications are able to interact directly with the Registry to add, change, or remove this data, and the Registry in turn saves altered application data to the permanent hive files from which it is built, retrieving it when the applications are launched. In this way, the Registry is continuously bombarded with changes made by ap... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By David Armstrong @ Wednesday, 13th December 2006 @ 2:40 PM

I heard a funny story the other day that made think there is a real serious problem out there, let me explain, in my job, I meet many different people and when they ask me what I do, I tell them "I'm a computer engineer". Then it all starts, usually something like this: "my pc was running slow, so I put it into a shop, got it back cost me a fortune and 1 month later it's as bad as ever". Here's the thing, how many times have you just needed to print o... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By John McCollim @ Tuesday, 14th November 2006 @ 11:24 AM

Microsoft is is the process of releasing a new operating system called Vista. Windows Vista is suposedly available for businesses and schools to purchase on Nov 30th 2006, but not yet ready for home use. The home version of Vista will be released in January 2007, which makes perfect sense if you think about it. There are two levels of computer recommendations for Windows Vista, those dubbed Vista-Capable and those dubbed Premium-Ready. Microsoft has now revealed the specifics in each... more...

Computers » Operating Systems | By Weisheng Wu @ Wednesday, 27th September 2006 @ 1:56 AM

Since I'm going to talk about the Windows registry, it's better to give you a big picture of what it is before delving into the details. Let me put it this way, the registry is a hierarchical database in the Windows operating system, where configuration settings related to hardware, user preferences, memory setup, and applications are stored. You probably won't notice a need to fix any registry problems when your system is new, but as you use Windows for a period of time, your reg... more...