Quiz1

1. What is the reason for technicians to wear special wrist grounding straps?

==> The reason why technicians wear special wrist grounding straps is to Protect sensitive electronic components and computer boards from ESD (electrostatic discharge) damage.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antistatic_wrist_strap

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An antistatic wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet is an antistatic device used to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) by safely grounding a person working on electronic equipment. It consists of a stretchy band of fabric with fine conductive fibers woven into it. The fibers are usually made of carbon or carbon-filled rubber, and the strap is bound with a stainless steel clasp or plate. They are usually used in conjunction with an anti-static mat on the workbench, or a special static-dissipating plastic laminate on the workbench surface.

An antistatic wrist strap with crocodile clip.
The wrist strap is connected to ground through a coiled retractable cable and 1 megaohm resistor, which allows high-voltage charges to leak through but prevents a shock hazard when working with low-voltage parts. Where higher voltages are present, extra resistance (0.75 megaohm per 250V) is added in the path to ground to protect the wearer from excessive currents; this typically takes the form of a 4 megohm resistor in the coiled cable (or, more usually, a 2 megohm resistor at each end). Very cheap wrist straps do not have conductive fabric and instead use the fabric to hold the metal plate against the skin, which can result in reduced ESD protection over time as the metal corrodes.
Wrist straps in industry usually connect to Earth Bonding Points (part of the grounding system) via either a 4 mm plug or 10 mm press stud, whereas personally owned straps are likely to be connected to ground via a crocodile clip.
In addition to wrist straps, ankle and heel straps are used in industry to bleed away accumulated charge from a body. These devices are usually not tethered to earth ground, but instead incorporate high resistance in their construction, and work by dissipating electrical charge to special floor tiles. Such straps are used when workers need to be mobile in a work area and a grounding cable would get in the way, such as in an operating theatre.
Wireless or Dissipative wrist straps are available, but they are widely considered as pseudoscientific hoax products. The claims of the operating principles vary from "Ion Neutralization, Skin Effect, Point Discharge and Corona Discharge Effect" to "Selglard electric halo principles".[1][2]

2. After installing a new computer component why is it important to obtain the most current driver for it?

==> A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of device that is attached to your computer. There are device drivers for printers, displays, CD-ROM readers, diskette drives, and so on. When you buy an operating system, many device drivers are built into the product. However, if you later buy a new type of device that the operating system didn't anticipate, you'll have to install the new device driver. A device driver essentially converts the more general input/output instructions of the operating system to messages that the device type can understand. You need to have a newer version of your device driver because a newer version of a device driver has new features on it.
http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid192_gci211938,00.html

3. What are the steps required to install a peripheral device?

==>Installing a Peripheral

Adding a Peripheral Device to a System

Adding a new peripheral device that is not-pluggable usually involves the following:

1.Shutting down the system

2.Connecting the device to the system

3.Rebooting the systemUse How to Add a Peripheral Device to add the following devices that are not hot-pluggable to a system:CD-ROMSecondary disk driveTape driveSBUS cardIn some cases, you might have to add a third-party device driver to support the new device.

For information on hot-plugging devices, see Chapter 6, Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks).

How to Add a Peripheral DeviceBecome superuser.(Optional) If you need to add a device driver to support the device, complete the procedure How to Add a Device Driver.Create the /reconfigure file.# touch /reconfigureThe /reconfigure file causes the Solaris software to check for the presence of any newly installed devices the next time you turn on or boot your system.Shut down the system.# shutdown -i0 -g30 -y-i0Brings the system to the 0 init state, which is the appropriate state for turning the system power off for adding and removing devices.-g30Shuts the system down in 30 seconds. The default is 60 seconds.-yContinues the system shutdown without user intervention. Otherwise, you are prompted to continue the shutdown process.Select one of the following to turn off power to the system after it is shut down:For SPARC platforms, it is safe to turn off power if the ok prompt is displayed.For x86 platforms, it is safe to turn off power if the type any key to continue prompt is displayed.Turn off power to all peripheral devices.For the location of power switches on any peripheral devices, refer to the hardware installation guides that accompany your peripheral devices.Install the peripheral device, making sure that the device you are adding has a different target number than the other devices on the system.Often, a small switch is located at the back of the disk for selecting the target number.Refer to the hardware installation guide that accompanies the peripheral device for information on installing and connecting the device.Turn on the power to the system.The system boots to multiuser mode, and the login prompt is displayed.Verify that the peripheral device has been added by attempting to access the device.For information on accessing the device, see Accessing Devices.
http://www.answers.com/topic/how-to-install-a-pc-peripheral

4. If a newly installed peripheral device does not function properly what steps can be taken to correct the problem?

==>Check if the product or the hardware you bought has no defect or company defects.
You should also check for driver updates for all your peripheral devices. If you're up to date, and you started having issues around the time you last updated a driver, try backing down to a lower version.
http://www.bautforum.com/archive/index.php/t-62740.html

5. Explain the technique used to help protect data on a hard drive when doing a clean install?

==>One of the techniques available to help protect data is to divide the hard drive into multiple partitions. With a clean install, many technicians prefer to create one partition for data and a separate partition for the OS. This enables an OS to be upgraded without the risk of losing data. It also simplifies backup and recovery of data files.

6. Explain what a software patch is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_(computing)

==>A patch is a small piece of software designed to fix problems with or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing bugs, replacing graphics and improving the usability or performance. Though meant to fix problems, poorly designed patches can sometimes introduce new problems (see software regressions).

SCREENSHOTS

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 ProfessionalFull Install Procedure

NB: If rebuilding an existing, working computer, first:- Backup all user data- Write down all device information (names of cards etc.) and IP settings.
0. CMOS/BIOS SETTINGS (Hit DEL or F2 during startup, according to prompt)Ensure that boot sequence is CD-ROM, Floppy, Hard DriveEnsure that Plug-and-Play (PNP) OS is enabled

1a. If computer is incapable of booting from CDROM, then first prepare four install floppies, using CDROM. Boot from floppy, and it will prompt to load all four into RAM. (This procedure takes about 10 minutes.) Insert Windows 2000 Full Install CDROM.
1b. Otherwise, insert Windows 2000 Full Install CDROM and reboot.
2. Hit ENTER to install Windows 2000.
3. Hit C to continue.
4. Hit the F8 key to agree to license agreement.
5. Hit D to delete any existing disk partitions.
6. Hit C to create new partition.
7. Hit ENTER to accept the default (one big partition.) Note there may be some space left over. That’s OK.
8. ENTER to install windows on this partition.
9. ENTER to format the partition as NTFS.
10. Wait while the drive is formatted, files copied from the CD. The machine will reboot itself.

11. ENTER to accept locale and keyboard settings.
12. Type computer name and school name in the appropriate slots, hit ENTER.
13. Type the computer name. Type the Administrator password TWICE. Password will show as all asterisks. ENTER.

14. Modify the date, time and time zone as needed. ENTER.
15. Click to select “Custom settings”. ENTER.
16. Click to remove the check next to “File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks”. ENTER.

17. Leave “This computer is not on a network or is on a network without a domain” selected (or if a PDC is available, selected the domain option). Type EPAHS in the Workgroup (or Domain) field. ENTER.
18. Remove CD from drive. ENTER. Computer will reboot. ENTER.
19. Select “User must enter a user name and password to use this computer.” ENTER. ENTER again.
20. Log into computer as Administrator, using the password you entered in step 13. ENTER.
21. Disable the WELCOME Screen.
22. Double-click the “Connect to the Internet” icon on the desktop. Select “I want to set up my Internet connection manually, or I want to connect through a local area network (LAN).” OK.
23. Select “I connect through a local area network (LAN).” ENTER. ENTER again.
24. Select NO to setting up email. OK. OK again.

25. Right-click on “My Network Places”. Click Properties.Right-click on “Local area network”. Click Properties.Click on “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” so that it turns blue. Click Properties.Select “Use the following IP address”.Type in the IP address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS addresses you wrote down before. Click OK.
26. Change the Resolution (by right clicking on the desktop and selecting Properties:24 bit True Color800 x 600Advanced -> Adapter -> Refresh Rate -> 75 HzYES ... OK ... OK ... OK ... (Joe Pesci mode)Now adjust monitor physical wheels as needed.
27. Set the ScreenSaver to show the computer name:Right-click on desktop, select Properties-> Screensaver Tab-> Text = “PC01 Welcome To EPAHS PC01”-> Speed = Medium-> Location = Random-> Font = Terminal-> Size = 72-> Wait = 10 minutes-> Color = your choiceEnergy Saver: Turn off monitor after 30 minutes

Windows XP

Insert your Windows XP installation CD-ROM and power-on/restart your system:It will show the PC-BIOS startup message, like: memory test, memory installed :

When you get the message to "press any key to boot from CD...", press any key.( this is new on Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP CD's:if you do not press any key, it will NOT boot from CD-ROM,but boot from harddisk, so that people which "forgot" to takeout such bootbable CD-ROM's are not getting confused bythe CD-ROM installation procedure )

Once the boot from CD-ROM has started, it will display at the top of the screen :"Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration. . ."

After a brief delay, the typical Microsoft "blue Installation screen" is displayed, with "Windows Setup" displayed at the top and at the bottom of the screen the information,that "Setup is loading Files" (loading all type of device drivers) :

It will finally state : "Setup is starting Windows" and will display after a short delay the"Windows XP Professional Setup" or "Windows XP Home Setup" screen :

Select "to set up Windows XP now" and press the ENTER-key :

The "Windows XP Licensing Agreement" is displayed, accept it by pressing the F8-key.(as indicated on the botton of the screen).

Setup will now display the partitioning of your disk:

If your system has already an operating system installed, you will see them listed.You have now a simple Disk Manager, allowing you to create and delete partitions. You will need to select either an existing partition or "Unpartitioned space" (if available)to define, on which partition to install Windows XP, then press ENTER.The next screen is asking for the type of disk formatting to be used :

(if you install XP into an already existing partition, you have additional options to leave thecurrent disk formatting intact).Select the type of disk formatting :

FAT or NTFSFAT : possible to access from a DOS-boot floppy, but limited to max. 4 GByte with veryinefficient file-storage (cluster-size of 64 KByte), no Security featuresNTFS : not accessible from a DOS-boot floppy, but NOT limited in size and using an efficientfile-storage with a small cluster-size, able to use File-System Security features.

Windows XP requires a lot of disk-space for itself, you should use at least a 4 GByte partition.I suggest to use NTFS : make your choice (highlight) and select it by pressing ENTER.

Setup will start formatting the disk :

and will then start copying files from the CD-ROM to the disk :

The system will then need to reboot :

( this is a funny screen : the system will restart anyway after 1 seconds, and you have only the choice to press ENTER to shorten the delay, saving max. 15 seconds in the complete installation process of 30-45 minutes )

After the restart, Windows XP starts the first time with the Graphical User Interface ( GUI ) :

Setup will continue to copy files and to install devices :

You can adjust regional settings (for example if you install an English version ofWindows XP in a different country and the keyboard layout/language is not thesame language as your copy of Windows XP, you should use the button "Customize.."and configure the proper keyboard, to make sure that you can enter in the following stepsof the setup/installation properly the information ) :

Personalize your system by entering your name and organization :

Enter your 25 character Product key (as it was delivered with your Windows XP CD-ROM ) :

Define the name for your computer and the password for the Administrator account :

based on the organization (define above), Setup creates a name for your computer,with complex name (to make sure that the name will be unique in a network configuration.Since this name will be used later inside the "Network Neighborhood" / "My Network places",change it to an easy to understand , but UNIQUE name (like : P633VM ).

If you enter a password for the Administrator Account, make sure that you remember it(to be save, write if down ! ).

Check the "Date and Time Settings", allowing to check/define/correct thedate, time and timezone :

If you have a network card in your system, which was detected by Setup, you will be askedto select whether to install a typical configuration (which you can always change later) or if youlike to make now already special settings (like: defining your IP-address ) :

Setup continues with "Finalizing installation " (nothing to do for you ) :

The system will reboot again :

Setup will configure then your screen resolution.

The system will try to connect via the Internet to the Microsoft website, you can savelyselect to "Skip" that step.You will be prompted to enter the first Usernames (which will be defined as Administrators)and you will get the new XP Welcome screen :

(note : if only one user was defined during setup and no password was defined, the system will skip theWelcome screen and continue to display immediately the new Windows XP desktop ).
You are now ready to use the"colorful" Windows XP :You can adjust the the system to lookand work more

You are now ready to use the"colorful" Windows XP :You can adjust the the system to lookand work more

Windows Vista

Performing the installation
Once you have your second partition or second hard disk operational, just insert your Windows Vista DVD, restart the system, and boot from the DVD. Once the system boots from the DVD, Windows Vista’s Setup will begin loading and will display the screen shown in Figure A.

Figure A:

Windows Vista’s Setup will take a few moments to load files before the installation actually commences.
In a few moments, you’ll see the screen that prompts you to choose the regional and language options, as shown in Figure B. As you can see, the default settings are for U.S. and English and if that’s you, you can just click Next to move on.

Figure B:

The default settings on the regional and language screen are for the U.S. and English.
On the next screen, you’ll be prompted to begin the installation procedure, as shown in Figure C. To begin, just click the Install Now button

Figure C:

In the next screen, you’ll be prompted to type in your product key for activation, as shown in Figure D. By default, the Automatically Activate Windows When I’m online check box is selected; however, you’ll notice that I’ve cleared it. The main reason that I’ve done so here is that while writing this article, I’ve experimented over and over with this installation procedure and want to conserve on the number of times that I can legitimately activate this copy of Windows Vista before Microsoft locks it down and requires me to call in and manually request a new product key.
Figure D:

Now, if you just want to temporarily install Vista in a dual-boot configuration while you experiment, but plan on installing it as your main operating system once you’re satisfied with the way that Vista behaves with your hardware and software, you too may want to disable the automatic activation routine. Even though you’ve disabled the automatic activation routine, you can still install Windows Vista and use it as you normally would for 30 days.
If you want to keep Vista in a dual-boot configuration, you can activate your license online anytime you want. If you decide to make Vista your main operating system, you can repartition your hard disk, reinstall Vista on the main partition and activate the new installation in the process.
If you decide to disable the automatic activation routine, you’ll see a confirmation dialog box, as shown in Figure E, which contains a harsh warning and prompts you to reconsider. You can just click No to continue.
Figure E:

Because, I didn’t enter in a product key, Setup doesn’t know what edition I’ve purchased and prompts me to select one of the seven editions on this disk, as shown in Figure F. Since, I'm working with the Ultimate edition, I selected that edition, checked the box, and clicked Next.

Figure F:

On the next page (Figure G), you’ll see the Microsoft Software License Terms and are prompted to read through them. However, unless you’re very curious you can just select the I Accept The License Terms check box and click Next.

Figure G:

If you’re booting from the DVD, when you get to the Which Type Of Installation Do You Want page, the only option is Custom (advanced) as shown in Figure H. To move on, just click the Custom icon.

Figure H:

When you arrive at the Where Do You Want To Install Windows? page, you’ll see your second partition or second drive. I created a second partition on which to install Windows Vista, so my page looked like the one in Figure I.
Figure I:

Once the select a partition or disk and click Next, the rest of the installation will continue as it normally would. As such, I won’t follow the installation procedure any further in this article.
Windows Boot Manager
Once the installation is complete, you'll see the Windows Boot Manager screen, as shown in Figure K. As you can see, booting either Windows XP (listed as an Earlier Version of Windows) or Windows Vista is a simple menu choice. This menu will appear on the screen for 30 seconds before Windows Boot Manager launches the default operating system, which is Windows Vista.

Figure J:

The Activation countdown
Since I described installing Windows Vista without activating it for testing purposes, I wanted to point out that the Windows Vista will indeed keep track of your 30 day trial on the System screen, as shown in Figure K. In addition, it will regularly display.

Figure K:

Configuring Windows Boot Manager
As I mentioned, the Windows Boot Manager menu will appear on the screen for 30 seconds before Windows Boot Manager launches the default operating system -- Windows Vista. However, if you wish to adjust the countdown or change the default operating system, you can do so from within Windows Vista.
Once you've booted into Windows Vista, press [Windows]+[Break] to access the System page. Next, click the Advance System Setting link in the Tasks pane and confirm though the UAC prompt. When you see the System Properties dialog box, click Settings in the Startup and Recovery panel. You’ll then see the Startup and Recovery dialog box, as shown in Figure L.

Figure L:

NOS CERTIFICATION and JOBS

Network Operating System(s) covered: REDHAT

Certification Title: RHCT - Red Hat® Certified Technician

Courses/Training required for Certification: RH033 Red Hat Linux Essentials


Network Operating System(s) covered: MICROSOFT

Certification Title: MCSE: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Courses/Training required for Certification: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Network Operating System(s) covered: IBM

Certification Title: IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert - System Storage 2008

Courses/Training required for Certification: Minimum two years experience providing technical support for IBM storage products

DIAGNOSTIC SOFTWARE

Manufacturer : SAMSUNG

Software Name : ES-Tool (The Drive Diagnostic Utility)
File name : estool_FDD.zip
File size : 729 KB
Version : v2.11t
Pulish Date : (01.14.2009)
Description : ES Tool (The Drive Diagnostic Utility) is made with the aim of testing a Samsung hard disk drive while it is installed inside a PC, regardless of the status of user's operating system. In fact of the drives returned to Samsung, a large percentage are NTF("No Trouble Found") after testing. So it is strongly recommended to test the drive if it is truly defective by a few fundamental troubleshooting of ES Tool first, to avoid user's unnecessary effort and inconvenience of replacing a good drive.

Manufacturer : Maxtor Corporation

Software Name : Maxtor PowerMax
File name : PwrMxEn.exe
File size : 1.03 MB
Version : v4.23
Pulish Date : (07.27.2006)
Description : The PowerMax utility is designed to perform diagnostic read/write verifications on Maxtor and Quantum hard drives. These tests will determine hard drive integrity. The PowerMax utility is effective on all ATA (IDE) hard drives with a capacity greater than or equal to 500 MB. Maxtor recommends the use of this utility for troubleshooting potential hard drive problems.

HARDWARE LATEST PROCESSOR

PROCESSOR 1.1


Intel® Core™ i7 Processor




Brilliantly fast:

With faster, intelligent, multi-core technology that applies processing power where it's needed most, new Intel® Core™ i7 processors deliver an incredible breakthrough in PC performance. They are the best desktop processors on the planet.¹
You'll multitask applications faster and unleash incredible digital media creation. And you'll experience maximum performance for everything you do, thanks to the combination of Intel® Turbo Boost technology² and Intel® Hyper-Threading technology (Intel® HT technology)³, which maximizes performance to match your workload.

Product information:

- 2.93 GHz and 2.66 GHz core speed
- 8 processing threads with Intel® HT technology
- 8 MB of Intel® Smart Cache
- 3 Channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory


Server 1.2


Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series

Extending today's lead in virtualization performance with built-in hardware assisted features and breakthrough gains in performance and energy efficiency²
Built for data-demanding enterprise applications with up to 6 cores and a large shared 16MB L3 cache per processor, enabling more transactions per server
More headroom, improved reliability, and the highest scalability available for large scale server consolidation and business-critical virtualization



Notebook/Laptop 1.3

Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology for Laptop Computers

The best notebooks have Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology insideΔ1
Intel’s NEWEST and BEST performing notebook technology includes: • Up to 50% faster performance when multitasking‡1 • Optimized for wireless - up to 2X greater range and up to 5X better Wi-Fi performance, with optional built-in WiMAX to equip your notebook for the future of metro-wide broadband wirelessΔ2 Δ3 • Designed for the longest possible battery life • Up to 90% faster performance on intensive multimedia applications like HD video encodingΔ

Expansion Slots 1.4

PCI Express : Expansion Backplanes
PCIe-417 x16 PCI Express Expansion Backplane

Features :
x16 Upstream Port
x16 PCI Express Cable Interface from Host
One or Three Meter Cable from Host
Four PCIe Expansion Slots
x16 PCI Express Slot (Double Width)
x8 PCI Express Slot (Double Width - x16 Connector)
x4 PCI Express Slot (Single Width - x8 Connector)
x4 PCI Express Slot (Singel Width - x8 Connector)
One 48 Lane PCI Express Switches supporting:
Non-Transparent Bridging for Peer-to-Peer Communications
Non-Blocking Switch Fabric
Data Integrity
Quality of Service
ATX Form Factor

SOFTWARE

OPERATING SYSTEM OF MICROSOFT:

The pre-beta version of Windows 7 that Microsoft handed out at two major conferences this fall was uploaded to BitTorrent sites almost immediately — enabling almost anyone with a little tech savvy to begin kicking the tires early.
Now, it's happened again, despite Microsoft's vaunted tight-lipped policies regarding unreleased products.
Last week, at a Microsoft conference in Beijing, someone swiped a Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) image of build number 6956 of Windows 7 — the coming replacement for Windows Vista. The build has since been posted worldwide, according to reports by enthusiast site Windows 7 Center.
The build given out at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference (PDC) and Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), both held in Los Angeles earlier this fall, had been numbered 6801, and sometimes referred to as "M3" for "Milestone 3" in the pre-beta development process. Similarly, the VHD image of the later 6956 build appears to have been purloined during WinHEC China, Windows 7 Center reported.
"Over 2000 leechers are already downloading ... just 3 hours after its upload," a statement posted on Windows 7 Center's site on Saturday, Dec. 6.
It's potentially a black eye for Microsoft ahead of what's expected to be a critical product release for the company. Despite its rhetoric and efforts to the contrary, the company's current OS, Windows Vista, faced criticism since its launch nearly two years ago. In response, Windows 7 aims to be much more stable, reliable, provide better performance, and require less of a memory footprint on users' PCs. Some wags have dubbed it "Vista done right."
Still, what damage there may be from the most recent leaked release is likely to be limited. Many people who download operating system betas and pre-betas off BitTorrent sites are enthusiasts willing to suffer a few bugs as long as they have bragging rights to be running the very latest version of the code, industry watchers said.
And, they'll be getting a look at the product ahead of many legal users. Public beta testing of Windows 7 is currently slated to begin Jan. 13, according to Microsoft blog postings last week.
Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies, points out that while he doesn't quite understand the fascination of users who want to feel like they're running the very latest code, the constant leaks of Windows 7 code do illustrate an interesting phenomenon.
"The fact that there are so many pre-beta copies out there is a testament to how stable Windows 7 is already," said Kay, who got his own copy of the M3 pre-beta from Microsoft at the PDC in Los Angeles.

OPERATING SYSTEM OF SUN MICROSYSTEMS:

Sun Solaris

onShore has been an Authorized Sun Microsystems VAR since 1998. We recommend, build and maintain Sun Microsystems hardware and software. Sun Solaris, Sun Microsystems Operating System which is based on UNIX, is at the core of our Sun solutions. We firmly believe that Sun Microsystems provides THE best hardware solutions for data centers and the enterprise market. Sun hardware coupled with Solaris 9 OE is quite possibly the best combination of hardware and OS on the market today. This is true, as Sun builds its own hardware and OS, thereby highly integrating them to provide reliability, scalability and remote accessbility.

Sun Solaris 9 OE is the latest release of the Sun Operating System. Solaris is designed along with the Sun philosophy: providing an Operating Environment which is truly scalable, provides investment protection, provides a wide choice of applications and extensive Remote Access Services. In fact, Solaris 9 OE operates from entry level workstations to the largest enterprise class servers from Sun. This is a super powerful tool, as Systems Administrators have a much smaller learning curve as they administer higher-end equipment from Sun. This reduces internal IT costs while at the same time increasing the reliability of servers as the people running them can scale as well.
Quoting from the Sun website… Platform does matter—because the OE you use directly impacts: * The quality of services you can deliver * Your total cost of IT operations * The choice of applications that are available to you
The Solaris 9 OE, due to its integration of middleware, is one of the most advanced operating environments on the market, to help enable services delivery. It is one of the most widely adopted UNIX operating systems by ISVs, and it offers unique investment protection through binary compatibility (and common IT skill requirements from the low to high-end). The Solaris OE outpaces the industry in scalability and RAS features, enabling you to deliver more predictable service levels. Contrast this to the alternatives, such as IBM's AIX 5L, which offers no integrated application or directory server, limited binary compatibility, more constrained application availability, inexperience providing mainframe features on UNIX systems, and a complex model of maintaining and upgrading your systems over time.

LATEST Operating SYSTEM from LINUX

Ubuntu is a community developed operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. Whether you use it at home, at school or at work Ubuntu contains all the applications you'll ever need, from word processing and email applications, to web server software and programming tools.

Ubuntu is and always will be free of charge. You do not pay any licensing fees. You can download, use and share Ubuntu with your friends, family, school or business for absolutely nothing.
We issue a new desktop and server release every six months. That means you'll always have the latest and greatest applications that the open source world has to offer.
Ubuntu is designed with security in mind. You get free security updates for at least 18 months on the desktop and server. With the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get three years support on the desktop, and five years on the server. There is no extra fee for the LTS version, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same free terms. Upgrades to new versions of Ubuntu are and always will be free of charge.
Everything you need comes on one CD, providing a complete working environment. Additional software is available online.

INTALLATION PROCEDURE OF WINDOWS XP:

In case you have to make a new installation of Windows XP ( Home or Professional), youcan use this as a guideline to make yourself familiar with the process , when installing a retailversion (full version or upgrade), this procedure is NOT valid for installation of Windows XPvia a "Recovery CD-ROM".I am also assuming, that your system is able to boot from a CD-ROM, like the Windows XPinstallation CD-ROMs (which should be no issue, because if your system is NOT able to bootfrom a CD-ROM, it is most probably already a few years old and NOT powerful enough torun Windows XP (however : if your system is NOT able to boot from CD-ROM and you insist on installing Windows XP, you can download from the Microsoft Website boot-floppies, allowing to start from a floppy-disk reboot ).

When you get the message to "press any key to boot from CD...", press any key.( this is new on Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP CD's:if you do not press any key, it will NOT boot from CD-ROM,but boot from harddisk, so that people which "forgot" to takeout such bootbable CD-ROM's are not getting confused bythe CD-ROM installation procedure )

Once the boot from CD-ROM has started, it will display at the top of the screen :"Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration. . ."


After a brief delay, the typical Microsoft "blue Installation screen" is displayed, with "Windows Setup" displayed at the top and at the bottom of the screen the information,that "Setup is loading Files" (loading all type of device drivers) :


It will finally state : "Setup is starting Windows" and will display after a short delay the"Windows XP Professional Setup" or "Windows XP Home Setup" screen :

Select "to set up Windows XP now" and press the ENTER-key :

The "Windows XP Licensing Agreement" is displayed, accept it by pressing the F8-key.(as indicated on the botton of the screen).

Setup will now display the partitioning of your disk:

If your system has already an operating system installed, you will see them listed.You have now a simple Disk Manager, allowing you to create and delete partitions. You will need to select either an existing partition or "Unpartitioned space" (if available)to define, on which partition to install Windows XP, then press ENTER.

The next screen is asking for the type of disk formatting to be used :

(if you install XP into an already existing partition, you have additional options to leave thecurrent disk formatting intact).Select the type of disk formatting : FAT or NTFS


FAT : possible to access from a DOS-boot floppy, but limited to max. 4 GByte with veryinefficient file-storage (cluster-size of 64 KByte), no Security featuresNTFS : not accessible from a DOS-boot floppy, but NOT limited in size and using an efficientfile-storage with a small cluster-size, able to use File-System Security features.


Windows XP requires a lot of disk-space for itself, you should use at least a 4 GByte partition.I suggest to use NTFS : make your choice (highlight) and select it by pressing ENTER.


Setup will start formatting the disk :






and will then start copying files from the CD-ROM to the disk :



The system will then need to reboot :



( this is a funny screen : the system will restart anyway after 1 seconds, and you have only the choice to press ENTER to shorten the delay, saving max. 15 seconds in the complete installation process of 30-45 minutes )



After the restart, Windows XP starts the first time with the Graphical User Interface ( GUI ) :






Setup will continue to copy files and to install devices :

















You can adjust regional settings (for example if you install an English version ofWindows XP in a different country and the keyboard layout/language is not thesame language as your copy of Windows XP, you should use the button "Customize.."and configure the proper keyboard, to make sure that you can enter in the following stepsof the setup/installation properly the information ) :

REFERENCES MICROSOFT HOMEPAGE SUN MICROSYSTEMS: