There are many operating systems to choose from, each with features that should be considered when consulting with a customer. When selecting an operating system for a customer, you should select hardware that meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for equipment called for by the operating system.
In this chapter, Windows XP Professional is used to describe the functions of an operating system. At some point during your career, you most likely will upgrade or repair a computer with a Windows operating system.An operating system is the interface between the user and the computer. Without an operating system, the user would not be able to interact with the hardware or software on the computer. An operating system provides the following operational and organizational capabilities:Network operating systems provide several protocols designed to perform network functions. These protocols are controlled by code on the network servers. Protocols used by network operating systems provide services such as web browsing, file transfer, e-mail, name resolution, and automatic IP addressing. Figure 1 shows more information.Most operating systems are easy to install. After the computer starts, the Windows XP Professional installation CD displays a wizard to guide you through the installation process with a series of questions. Once the answers to the questions are provided, the installation wizard completes the installation automatically. In this section, you will perform a custom installation of Windows XP Professional.