Questions tagged [operating-systems]
The software layer between your hardware and application programs. It manages program scheduling, memory allocation, interrupt handling, disk input/output, graphic acceleration, hosting device drivers and various other resources.
134
questions
229
votes
19
answers
60k
views
32-bit vs. 64-bit systems
What are the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit systems?
If you have used both of them, what kind of sharp differences have you experienced?
Would it be a problem to use 32-bit programs on 64-...
135
votes
10
answers
226k
views
Use physical harddisk in Virtual Box
Using Virtual Box, how can I install an OS to a secondary, physical disk, and boot it in both (at separate times) Virtual Box, and as a typical secondary OS install?
78
votes
7
answers
46k
views
Using UDF on a USB flash drive
After failing to copy a file bigger than 4G to my 8G USB flash drive, I formatted it as ext3. While this is working fine for me so far, it will cause problems if I want to use it to copy files to ...
40
votes
5
answers
269k
views
What would happen if I take my hard drive out of my current PC and put it in a new PC?
Basically, I want to get a new PC, but I have so many software/games installed on my current hard drive, that I don't want to waste the time to re-install/re-configure. Would it work if I just take ...
27
votes
4
answers
171k
views
Can a 32 bit OS run in a 64 bit processor?
What's the difference between 32 bit OS and 64 bit OS? Can a 32 bit OS run in a 64 bit processor?
42
votes
8
answers
12k
views
Other benefits of 64-bit OS apart from memory expansion?
I'm trying to convince somebody of the benefits of switching to a 64-bit OS but I'm having a hard time finding arguments other than "you can use more than 3GB RAM". Are there any other clearly-...
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Installing Windows 8 pro on a built PC
I'm planning on building my own PC with the help of a friend, and after reading through this article, it seems that I need to purchase a System Builder licence. Does this mean that I should not buy ...
49
votes
3
answers
102k
views
How can I upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 and keep my files and applications?
I want to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8. How can I do this while keeping all of my files in-tact? Is it possible to retain all of my applications and user settings, too?
40
votes
3
answers
68k
views
What are "Commited Memory", "Cached", "Paged", "Not-paged pool" & How They are Different with "In-Use Memory"
I was thinking to add some RAM to my computer as it goes slow these days, so i came to the Taskbar to see memory usage statistics but i had difficulty guessing the real meaning of some memory ...
19
votes
6
answers
43k
views
Does low disk space affect SSD performance?
I was wondering if having less than 5-10GB of free space on an SSD would affect performance. Is it specific to SSD or is it more of an operating system aspect?
For example, on an Intel X-25 G2 that ...
15
votes
5
answers
7k
views
What is the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit Operating systems? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
32-bit vs. 64-bit systems
I know that there are 2 types of OSs, 64 bit and 32 bit What is the main differences between them?
And if I am buying a new laptop, which one should ...
7
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Theoretically possible to run two operating systems simultaneously?
A friend of mine asked a question that got me thinking. Is it possible (theoretically, I assume it hasn't been done) to run two operating systems simultaneously on the same computer? Not in the sense ...
78
votes
12
answers
24k
views
Does every OS need RAM?
Is there an OS which can be used without RAM, specifically the kind I can create a bootable pendrive from and use it in the computer? This gets awkward, since booting is essentially loading OS in RAM....
50
votes
19
answers
57k
views
Is it still necessary to shut down computers?
Nowadays with our modern operating systems, is it necessary to fully shutdown computers instead of choosing to stand-by or hibernate computers (desktops and laptops)?
Would there be any side-effects ...
50
votes
4
answers
10k
views
How computers display raw, low-level text and graphics
My ever-growing interest in computers is making me ask deeper questions, that we don't seem to have to ask anymore. Our computers, at boot, as far as I understand it, are in text mode, in which a ...
8
votes
6
answers
931
views
Why 32bits OSs can't address more than 3.2/3.2 gb of memory?
Don't know if this is the right place to ask this question.
I've been reading that 32bit OSs (like the Ubuntu i'm running right now) can't adress more than 3.2gb or 3.3gb of RAM memory.
I remember ...
3
votes
6
answers
21k
views
How many Operating Systems allowed in a single computer [closed]
How many operating systems are allowed in a single computer.
Is any extra RAM is need for each extra operating system?
93
votes
4
answers
11k
views
How does the computer know that the PC was not properly shut down?
Actually, this question struck me because of power cuts in my house. When there is a power cut, there is a sudden loss of power from the computer.
How does the computer know that the shutdown was ...
73
votes
6
answers
47k
views
Does Windows still rely on MS-DOS?
I am just about to start an OS course and as an Apple user I am not very familiar with the underlying details of Windows OS. I was wondering, is MS DOS still used with Windows running on top or is ...
69
votes
11
answers
66k
views
What is the relationship between Unix, Linux, Ubuntu, Debian and Android?
What is the relationship between Unix, Linux, Ubuntu, and Debian?
I suspect they are all Operating Systems that are based upon one another - similar to how Windows is based on DOS. Is my suspicion ...
22
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What are the technical differences between Windows Vista and Windows 7?
I'm interested in finding an unabridged technical manual documenting all of the differences between the two operating systems. In Tanenbaum's latest edition of Modern Operating Systems (3rd Edition), ...
10
votes
5
answers
3k
views
What happens when you install > 4GB of RAM in a computer with a 32-Bit OS?
So I'm a programmer and I'm not a complete idiot so I know exactly why you can't access memory where you can't have pointers. But I've never tried this and I don't think I ever will because it seems ...
10
votes
5
answers
11k
views
How to safely delete stuff from %SystemDrive%\Windows\Installer? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it safe to delete from C:\Windows\Installer?
Not Duplicate:
The link mentioned above talks about Windows XP. I am talking about Windows 7. The behavior of the folder ...
3
votes
2
answers
671
views
How can I have a multi-bootable USB KEY that has installers for many different OS's?
I own 4 different computers which I often shuffle the primary OS's around on. I specifically use Windows 7 Enterprise (work laptop) Windows 7 Ultimate (my primary desktop) Windows XP (my old laptop) ...
72
votes
8
answers
33k
views
How is virtual memory actually increasing the memory space?
I understand that virtual memory fools the program by displaying more memory than is actually available.
But ultimately it has to map the logical address to the actually physical address. Now how is ...
56
votes
11
answers
12k
views
Would an executable need an OS kernel to run?
I know that when the source code, in say C++, is compiled, the output from the compiler is the machine code (executable) which I thought were instructions to the CPU directly. Recently I was reading ...
46
votes
8
answers
13k
views
How to make VIM settings computer-dependent in .vimrc?
I share my VIM configuration file between several computers. However, I want some settings to be specific for certain computers.
For example, font sizes on the high-res laptop should be different to ...
21
votes
2
answers
78k
views
A Dark Theme for Windows 8
Is there any way for me to use Windows 8 in a dark environment? For a long time I had headaches that I couldn't fid their cause. Now, I'm using a dark visual style for my Windows 7 and since then, I ...
18
votes
4
answers
219k
views
Should I install my operating system on my SSD or HDD?
I'm currently deciding whether to install my Operating System on my SSD (solid state drive) or HDD (hard disk drive). Should I install programs on the HDD and the OS on the SSD or vice versa? Which ...
14
votes
6
answers
5k
views
What is the difference between Unix and Linux? [duplicate]
I want to know what the actual difference between Unix and Linux is.
Do they share the same kernel?
Is Linux built on Unix?
Do programs written for Linux work on Unix and vice-versa?
13
votes
4
answers
29k
views
How do I know my laptop is 64-bit compatible?
I recently plan to buy a new laptop to run a 64-bit OS, but a friend told me that my current laptop is already 64-bit.
How can I verify if my laptop is ready to load a 64-bit OS or not?
Here is the ...
11
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Is BIOS considered an OS? [closed]
This question comes to mind when dealing with RAID arrays, but is not necessarily applicable to the subject.
How is that the BIOS is able read from a hard drive to effectively load the OS, when ...
10
votes
5
answers
38k
views
Windows 7: Should I Install 64-bit or 32-bit Version? (x64 vs x86)
Deciding which Windows 7 version to install can be a difficult decision and can really limit what you can do with your system. Do you have any practical hints which could help decide which version to ...
10
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Running Operating System from memory
Assuming SSD's are extremely prone to faliure how economical would it be to load an OS into main memory and run it from there?
I can think I can deal with a few obvious drawbacks (I've survived ...
10
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Mouse double-click min interval
This is the second mouse dying on me because of a poor switch !
Under most operating systems there is a option to set the max time interval in which two mouse clicks are processed as on double click.
...
4
votes
2
answers
8k
views
What does the 'bit' mean in an OS
I know there are 32/64 bit OS in the market.
Q1-> But what does this bit mean actually ?
Q2-> What is the lowest bit OS and highest bit OS ?
4
votes
3
answers
1k
views
External hard drive how to format it?
I just bought a hard drive of 500GB that I want to use on Mac OS X and GNU/Linux but be able to use some file on Windows.
Basically I have to deal with FAT32 (That doesn't support file over 4GB), ...
4
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Connecting to host OS database from guest OS VirtualBox virtual machine
I’m using Pentaho BI server in a CentOS VirtualBox machine, and now I want to connect it to an SQL Server database that I am running in my Windows host OS (localhost).
Is there a simple way to do ...
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How do I find out if my computer's hardware is compatible with Ubuntu?
I'm going to switch OS. From Windows 7 to Linux (Ubuntu, I think). Problem is that I'm not sure about my computer's hardware. Will it be suitable and there will be working drivers for it? For example, ...
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to create bootable USB flash drive with more than one installation O.S.? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to make a multiboot USB key?
What I want to do is to get
Windows 7 installation (both x64 + x86)
XP installation SP3
HBCD
All together in 1 USB flash drive. Is there ...
3
votes
1
answer
172
views
Problems with uninstallation of windows 8
I installed windows 8's developer preview version dual boot with win 7 ultimate.
I put my win 8's partition to 11 GB (almost), but now when I try to uninstall the win 8 it dont allow me to uninstall ...
2
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Remove one of multiple Operating System
I have two operating systems, ubuntu and backtrack 5. I no longer need BT5. How do I remove/uninstall BT5 without losing any data of Ubuntu ?
Edit 1: After I delete the BT5 partition how do I extend ...
2
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How could I install Linux to the hard drive of a different computer (one that won't boot from cd)
I have a really old Dell laptop that is beyond slow with its current WinXP installation. I want to make it usable again by installing a Linux distro (such as Xubuntu) but there is one big problem: It ...
2
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Do I need more RAM for programming if I switch to a 64 Bit OS?
Given that today (for performance reasons?) variables are usually aligned to the "bit-width" (I wanted to use "word-width" here, but on x86 a "word" is still 16 bits right?) of the processor, would ...
2
votes
2
answers
7k
views
2.5 GB usable out of 4 GB of ram [duplicate]
I have a HP pavilion g6 1301tx laptop. It came up with 2GB of DDR3 ram, windows 7 pro (64 bit), 1 GB ATI graphic card and motherboard - hp 1670 serial number- pcela212c1bo7I. Few months back I ...
1
vote
4
answers
1k
views
How should i setup my PC partition?
I want to clear out my PC and setup the partitions.
Right now i have it as XP, Win-7, Vista, XP/Test/Spare
I notice my PC is pretty good at virtualization, at least virtualizing linux. I also rarely ...
0
votes
1
answer
597
views
Windows 8.1 Factory Reset w/ Upgraded SSD and OS on that new SSD [closed]
Why I am doing this:
I download the wrong graphics card driver update and now my graphics card has gone haywire. After trying several things with NVIDIA, including installing the right driver, and ...
-1
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to set up Windows on VM using Powershell (Hyper-V)
I know how to create a VM and I know how to start that VM on Hyper-V using the script of Powershell but it's the first use of the VM so I need to set up Windows and I don't know how using the ...
-1
votes
1
answer
630
views
Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT partition style?
I am trying to install Windows 10 in my laptop. I am not allowed to install on any of drive. It keep through error of "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is of the GPT ...
-2
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Why is Windows 7 gone if I change my hard drive?
I just replaced a "broken" hard drive in a Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop and it looks like Windows 7 is gone. Is the operating system saved/stored on the hard drive? If so, does that mean I need to buy ...