1.3 Operating Systems

• Meaning and importance of operating systems
• Types of operating systems used in digital devices
• Organising files and folders using an operating system
• Security control measures on files and folders

• explain the importance of operating systems in digital devices
• identify types of operating systems used in digital devices
• use an operating system to organise files and folders in a computing device
• implement security control measures on files and folders using the operating system
• appreciate the use of operating systems in a digital device

“What role do operating systems play in supporting user operations in a digital device?”

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1. What an operating system does
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   The program that runs before any other, and the four jobs it never stops doing.
2. Organising and securing files
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   A folder structure you can still navigate in two years, and how to protect it.
3. Graphical and command-line interfaces
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   How you talk to the operating system: pointing at objects, or typing a precise command.
4. User accounts and permissions
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   How an operating system keeps people apart on a shared machine, and who is allowed to change what.
5. Installing programs and updates
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   How software gets onto a machine, why updates exist, and how to keep an operating system healthy.
6. Troubleshooting with the operating system
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   A calm order of checks when a device misbehaves, using tools the OS already gives you.