Features and Tools Usage How to Run

 

Users and Groups Assigns access rights to individual

 

users or groups

Use the (Local) Users and Groups category in Computer Management.

 

Local Security Policy	Manages security policies for	Run secpol.msc.
	users on the individual computer
Performance Monitor	Summarizes system performance	Use the Performance
		> Monitoring Tools >
		Performance Monitor node
		in Computer Management or
		run perfmon.msc.
Services	Manage system services	Use the Services node of
		Computer Management or
		run services.msc.
System Configuration	Displays basic system informa-	Open the System icon in the
	tion (processor, Windows version,	Control Panel or right-click
	installed memory size, and so on)	Computer/My Computer
		and select Properties.
Task Scheduler	Schedules backup, maintenance,	Open icon in Administrative
	and other tasks	Tools.
Component Services	Manage COM+, DCOM, running	Open icon in Administrative
	processes, and distributed transac-	Tools.
	tion coordinator
Data Sources (ODBC)	Manage data source providers	Open icon in Administrative
	(SQL, MS Access, Excel, dBase,	Tools.
	Visio)
Print Management	Manage printers, print servers	Open icon in Administrative
		Tools.
Windows Memory	Tests system and cache memory	Open icon in Administrative
Diagnostics	before booting into Windows	Tools.
Windows Firewall	Provides outbound as well as	Open icon in Administrative
with Advanced	inbound traffic filtering per rules	Tools.
Security	you create
Resource Monitor	Real-time customizable display of	Search for Resource Monitor
	CPU, disk, network, and memory	with Instant Desktop Search,
	activity (Figure 6-6). Easier to use	click Resource Monitor link
	than Performance Monitor.	after starting Performance
		Monitor, or run perfmon.
		exe /res from the command
		prompt

Chapter 6: Operating Systems 115

 

Figure 6-5 Computer Management (Windows 7).

 

Figure 6-6 Resource Monitor (Windows 7).

 

 

MSCONFIG (Table 6-8) provides startup management features. MSConfig can be started from the Run menu in Windows XP, or by using the integrated Instant Desktop Search feature in Windows Vista and 7. Note that the Windows XP version of MSConfig also includes tabs for managing sys-tem.ini and win.ini configuration files used by legacy programs.

116 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference

 

Table 6-8 MSCONFIG Tabs

Tab	Purpose
General	Specify Normal, Diagnostic, or Selective startup
Boot	Specify default operating system and advanced startup options
Services	Enable or disable Microsoft and third-party services
Startup	Enable or disable startup items
Tools	Access to troubleshooting, system reporting, and management tools

 

 

Windows includes a Task Manager feature (Table 6-9) to provide real-time information about com-puter activity. To start Task Manager in Windows XP, press Ctrl+Alt+Del. In Windows Vista and 7, press Ctrl+Alt+Del to display a menu that includes a Start Task Manager option.

 

Table 6-9 Task Manager Tabs

Tab	Purpose
Applications	Open programs and status
Processes	Displays processes, memory usage, and description
Services(Vista, 7 only;	Displays services, status, group, and process identifier (PID)
see Figure 6-7)
Performance	CPU, memory, and system performance metrics
Networking	Network connection usage
Users	Current users connected to this computer

 

 

Windows Disk Management (see Figure 6-8) is a subnode of the Storage node in Computer Management. It is used to perform the following tasks:

 

Drive status —Lists the status for hard disks, solid-state disks (SSD), and flash drives con-nected to the computer. (Windows XP’s Disk Management also lists optical drives and removable-media drives if removable storage management is enabled.)

 

Assigning drive letters —Assign one or more drive letters to a drive.

 

Drive mount paths —Mounting a drive for access via an empty NTFS folder. Creating partitions —Create and format disk partitions.

 

Split partitions —Shrink an existing partition and assign the empty space to a new volume(drive letter).

 

Adding array —Create disk array from two or more selected drives.

 

Convert to dynamic disk —Dynamic disks can be expanded and can be added to arrays.

Chapter 6: Operating Systems 117

 

Figure 6-7 The Services tab of Windows 7’s Task Manager.

 

Figure 6-8 Windows 7’s Disk Management.

 

 

Windows includes various run line programs used for system management. Table 6-10 provides a quick reference.

118 CompTIA A+ Quick Reference