Chapter 13

Operating System Administration

The following CompTIA A+ 220-802 Exam objectives are covered in this chapter:

• 1.1 Compare and contrast the features and requirements of various Microsoft Operating Systems.
  • Features: User account control, compatibility mode, administrative tools, security center, event viewer, file structure and paths, category view vs. classic view
• 1.2 Given a scenario, install, and configure the operating system using the most appropriate method.
  • Partitioning: Dynamic, Basic, Primary, Extended, Logical
  • File system types/formatting: FAT, FAT32, NTFS, CDFS, Quick format vs. full format
  • Load alternate third party drivers when necessary
  • Workgroup vs. Domain setup
  • Time/date/region/language settings
  • Driver installation, software and windows updates
  • Factory recovery partition
• 1.3 Given a scenario, use appropriate command line tools.
  • Networking: PING, TRACERT, NETSTAT, IPCONFIG, NET, NSLOOKUP, NBTSTAT
  • OS: TASKKILL, BOOTREC, SHUTDOWN, TASKLIST, MD, RD, CD, DEL, FDISK, FORMAT, COPY, XCOPY, ROBOCOPY, DISKPART, SFC, CHKDSK, [command name] /?
  • Recovery Console: Fixboot, Fixmbr
• 1.4 Given a scenario, use appropriate operating system features and tools.
  • Administrative: Computer management, Device manager, Performance monitor, Services, Task Scheduler
  • MSCONFIG: General, Boot, Services, Startup, Tools
  • Task Manager: Applications, Processes, Performance, Networking, Users
  • Disk management: Drive Status, Mounting, Extending partitions, Splitting partitions, Assigning drive letters, Adding drives, Adding Arrays
  • Run line utilities: MSCONFIG, REGEDIT, CMD, SERVICES.MSC, MMC, MSTSC, EXPLORER, MSINFO32, DXDIAG
• 1.5 Given a scenario, use Control Panel utilities.
  • Common to all Microsoft Operating Systems
  • Internet options (Connections, Security, General, Privacy, Programs, Advanced)
  • Display (Resolution)
  • User accounts
  • Folder options (Sharing, View hidden files, Hide extensions, Layout)
  • System (Performance (virtual memory), Hardware profiles, Remote settings, System protection
  • Security center
  • Windows firewall
  • Power options (Hibernate, Power plans, Sleep/suspend, Standby
• 1.7 Perform preventive maintenance procedures using appropriate tools.
  • Best practices (Scheduled backups, Scheduled check disks, Scheduled defragmentation)
  • Tools
  • Backup
  • Check disk
  • Defrag
• 1.8 Explain the differences among basic OS security settings.
  • NTFS vs. Share permissions (Allow vs. deny, Moving vs. copying folders and files, File attributes)
  • System files and folders
  • Shared files and folders (Administrative shares vs. local shares, Permission propagation, Inheritance)
  • User Authentication (Single sign-on)

The previous chapter introduced the basic components of the Windows operating systems. This chapter builds upon that and focuses more on the administration of those operating systems. All of the content is generic to the three operating systems you’ll be tested on in the 220-802 certification exam: Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.

Some of the tools covered are network-specific rather than OS-specific; the ping command, for example, will work the same in many operating systems, but this exam focuses on only Microsoft Windows operating systems. In the three chapters that follow, we will dive into specifics for each of the three end-user operating systems, one per OS.