CompTIA^® A+^™ Core 2 Exam Notes :Using Appropriate Command Line Tools & Operating System Features And Tools

CHKDSK (Check Disk): CHKDSK command, one of DOS commands, examines your hard drive for error conditions and reports the total size of the disk, how many files are stored there, and the space remaining. CHKDSK also reports the total amount of conventional memory in your system and the amount of conventional memory available. Note that CHKDSK can't report extended memory.

DFRAG: The DFRAG.EXE is included with DOS6.0 and later. DEFRAG utility arranges the clusters of data on the hard drive to achieve better performance by placing all of the clusters for a given file together in a contiguous order. DEFRAG does not do any repair on your disk, and errors, if any will remain on the disk.

BACKUP: DOS has a backup utility since version 2.0.

1. The command "format a: /s" can be used to format the floppy disk in drive A, and at the same time make it bootable.

2. To make floppy in drive A bootable, the command SYS A: should be given.

IO.SYS

1. 1. It does: Loads basics Input/ Output routines for the processor

2. 2. Default Attributes: Hidden / System/ Read Only 3. Is it required for OS Start up: YES

MSDOS.SYS

1. 1. It does: Defines System File locations

2. 2. Default Attributes: Hidden / System/ Read Only

3. 3. Is it required for OS Start up: YES

To stop a single process on a Windows 7 workstation from the command line

You have to run the Command Prompt as Administrator. To do this just right click command prompt from "All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt" then select "Run as Administrator" on the pop-up menu.

On the Command Prompt, perform the following.

1. 1. Type "task list" and press enter. It will show you a list of all the running processes.

2. 2. Now you can End any particular process by executing the "Task kill" command. For Example, to kill Chrome just type.

3. Example:

4. Task kill /IM chrome.exe /F

5. Where: /IM - Kill by Image Name , /F - Kill the process forcefully.

Of course, you can also do this using Task Manager without going to the command prompt.

You can have "Recovery Console" as a start up option by typing \i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons at the command prompt, after switching to the CD ROM drive letter. To install the Recovery Console, follow these steps:

1. 1. Insert the Windows XP CD into the CD-ROM drive.

2. 2. Click Start, and then click Run.

3. 3. In the Open box, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive. In the case of 'Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, type d:\amd64\winnt32.exe /cmdcons where d is the drive letter for the CD-ROM drive.

4. 4. A Windows Setup Dialog Box appears. The Windows Setup Dialog Box describes the Recovery Console option. To confirm the installation, click Yes.

5. 5. Restart the computer. The next time that you start your computer, "Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" appears on the startup menu.

1.4 Given a scenario, use appropriate operating system features and tools

1. MSCONFIG, short for "Microsoft System Configuration Utility" is designed to help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, MSCONFIG can also be used to ensure that your computer boots faster. Every time you boot your computer a lot of "hidden" programs load in the background. Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't. Turning off some of these hidden programs (or services) can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

2. The Device Manager provides the status of the devices installed in the system. The Device Manager lists all the hardware devices installed on your system. You can also update any existing drivers, as well as change the hardware settings. You use Add/ Remove Hardware to install new hardware. Accessibility options is primarily used to configure the keyboard, display, and mouse options on a computer to accommodate the users who are physically handicapped. The Add/ Remove Programs is used to install / uninstall 3rd party software. This is also used for installing / uninstalling Windows 2000 optional components. To connect a USB device,

1. a. The computer supports USB.

2. b. The USB should be enabled in the BIOS,

If both the above conditions are met, USB Controller is listed in the Device Manager. If it's not listed in the Device Manager, you can suspect that the USB was not enabled in the BIOS.

3. USB devices are hot pluggable. There is no need to reboot the computer. If the drive files for the USB device is available already with the operating system, the system will automatically load the drivers for the device. Otherwise, the driver files need to be provided separately.

4. You can access Computer Management screen through:

1. a. MyComputer on Desk Top -> Right Click -> Manage

2. b. Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management

3. One of the frequently used resource in "Computer Management" screen is System Tools. System tools contain the following:

   1. a. Event Viewer

   2. b. System Information

   3. c. Performance logs

   4. d. Device Manager

   5. e. Shared folders

   6. f. Local Users and Groups

These are very useful tools to a system administrator.

5. You can access Task Manager by pressing < Alt > < Ctrl > < Del >. The applications tab lists all the applications that are currently running on the computer. The current status of the application is also displayed as either "Running" or "not responding" or "stopped".

6. You can enable memory dump to a file when your system is about to crash due to Stop Error (such as Blue Screen)The following types of memory dumps are available with Windows XP/2000:

1. a. Complete memory dump

2. b. Kernel memory dump

3. c. Small memory dump (64 KB)

7. You can start the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard by clicking Start on the computer running Windows XP, pointing to All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then clicking Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.

8. The System Preparation (Sysprep) tool prepares an installation of Windows^® for duplication, auditing, and customer delivery. Duplication, also called imaging, enables you to capture a customized Windows image that you can reuse throughout an organization. Audit mode enables you to add additional device drivers or applications to a Windows installation. After you install the additional drivers and applications, you can test the integrity of the Windows installation. Sysprep also enables you to prepare an image to be delivered to a customer. When the customer boots Windows, Windows Welcome starts.

9. Windows Performance Monitor is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that combines the functionality of previous stand-alone tools including Performance Logs and Alerts, Server Performance Advisor, and System Monitor. It provides a graphical interface for customizing Data Collector Sets and Event Trace Sessions. Windows Performance Monitor enables you to track the performance impact of applications and services, and to generate alerts or take action when user-defined thresholds for optimum performance are exceeded.

10. Always Notify option in User Account Control, which is the selection at the top of the slider and is identical to the default mode in Windows Vista. It will show the user any changes to the computer either by a program or the user themselves. Although the default mode would notify for programs that wanted to change the computer settings, it would not notify if the users accidentally changed something.

11. Sync Center allows you to check the results of your recent sync activity if you've set up your computer to sync files with a network server (often called offline files). When you sync with a network server, you can access files by keeping synced copies of those files on your computer, even when the network server is unavailable. Sync Center can tell you if the files synced successfully or if there are any sync errors or warnings. To launch sync center, just open your control panel, then click sync center.