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Unit 2 Operating Systems P2

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Task 1 – P2

Purpose of Operating Systems
An Operating System (OS) is a software program that allows the computer hardware to be able to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer Operating System, a computer and software programs would be useless. Initially the Operating System acts as an interface between the user of a computer and the computer’s hardware.
The OS is the most important program that runs on the computer. Every computer needs an Operating System to be able to run programs and applications. The basic tasks the Operating System is responsible for includes; recognising inputs from the keyboard, displaying output to the screen, controlling peripheral devices, and keeping track of files and directories.
Another purpose of the Operating System is also responsible for security, so that unauthorised access is denied. In addition, the Operating System allows the use of …show more content…

Memory management exists in programs and applications, hardware, and in the Operating System (OS).
In the Operating System, the OS goes to the hard drive, finding the piece of file or specific memory blocks, and then copies it into the RAM. The CPU is then able to access it. The OS must find a location in the RAM where it is not being used by anything else when it copies it from the hard drive. Placing the copied file or specific memory block anywhere into the RAM, then the file or the specific memory block can overwrite existing files or other programs which could lead to the data to be destroyed or the computer to crash.
Memory Management keeps track of the software’s’ being opened and where the OS has placed the software in the RAM. Also the memory management keeps tracks of where in the RAM is a free space, so that it can be used to store copied files or software.

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