Software & Operating Systems
🔒 Log in to trackSystem vs application vs utility software, what an OS does, Windows features, and file systems. Classification (odd-one-out) questions are the most frequent pattern here.
One page per subtopic: detailed notes, every question type, formulas, tricks and practice sets.
Every formula on one printable page, grouped by subtopic.
4 exam-level questions worked step by step.
63 questions — untimed practice or a timed test with analysis.
Track record in the exam
Test difficulty mix (63 questions)
Question patterns exams keep repeating
Taken from previous-year papers. If a pattern is marked "very common", expect to see it in your exam.
Software classification odd-one-out
very commonA list mixes an operating system, utilities and applications and asks which is not like the others, or names one program (antivirus, driver, Word) and asks its class.
How to solve: Apply the SUApp test to each option: serves the machine = system (OS, driver, BIOS, compiler), maintains it = utility (antivirus, defragmenter, zip), does the user's work = application (Word, Chrome, games). The odd option is always the one serving a different master.
Example: Disk Defragmenter, Antivirus, MS Excel, Disk Cleanup — which one is different?
MS Excel — the other three are utilities that maintain the machine; Excel is an application that does the user's work.
OS function/feature match
common'Which service allots RAM / chooses the next CPU task / manages folders?', 'multiprogramming vs time-sharing vs real-time', 'kernel vs shell'.
How to solve: Match the job to the service: CPU turn = process scheduling, RAM = memory management, folders = file management, passwords = security. For OS types, use the keywords: deadline = real-time, time slices = time-sharing, many programs resident = multiprogramming. Kernel stays in memory; the shell is only the interface.
Example: Which OS type guarantees a response within a fixed deadline?
Real-time operating system (RTOS) — used in missile control, pacemakers and industrial robots where a late answer is a failure.
Booting and POST
occasional'What happens first when the computer starts?', 'restarting without power off is called', 'arrange POST, boot loader, kernel, login'.
How to solve: Fix the order: POST (Power-On Self-Test from the BIOS) → boot loader → kernel loads into RAM → login screen. Cold boot = from powered-off; warm boot = restart without cutting power. Any option placing the boot loader before POST is wrong.
Example: Restarting a running computer through the Restart option is:
Warm booting — the power stays on; a cold boot starts from a powered-off state.
File-system limits
occasional'Maximum single-file size on FAT32', 'why won't this movie copy to my pen drive', 'which file system has permissions/journaling', 'default file system of Windows'.
How to solve: Three-column memory: FAT32 = 4 GB per file, pendrives; exFAT = FAT32 without the 4-GB wall, big flash media; NTFS = Windows default with permissions and journaling. Scenario stems about a big movie hiding the 4-GB FAT32 ceiling are the most common form.
Example: The default file system for the C: drive of a modern Windows PC is:
NTFS — New Technology File System, with permissions, journaling and huge file support.
Windows tool and feature identification
common'Which tool shows CPU usage / stuck programs?', 'which feature auto-detects new hardware?', 'where do you change settings?', 'Notepad vs WordPad'.
How to solve: Tool map: stuck program or CPU/RAM figures → Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc); hardware and drivers → Device Manager; settings → Control Panel/Settings; junk files → Disk Cleanup. Feature map: auto-detect hardware → Plug and Play; WIMP → GUI. Notepad = plain text, WordPad = formatted text.
Example: Which Windows tool lists installed hardware with its driver status?
Device Manager — every component appears with its driver; problem devices carry a warning mark.
Mobile and desktop OS basics
occasional'Android is developed by / based on which kernel?', 'iOS runs on which devices?', 'which OS is open source?', 'match OS to maker'.
How to solve: Pin the pairs: Android = Google, Linux kernel, open-source core, many brands; iOS = Apple only, closed source; Windows = Microsoft; macOS = Apple; Linux = open source (Linus Torvalds). Statement versions usually swap the kernel or the owner.
Example: The Android operating system is built on which kernel?
The Linux kernel — Google's Android layers its own system and apps over Linux.