Windows is one of the most popular Operating Systems. Questions from this topic can be found in various exams.
A window system needs to support transferring data from one application to another, for example cutting text from an editing window and pasting it into another. This process is typically carried out through a
System Overview
Windows is an operating system developed, sold and marketed by Microsoft. It offers a variety of features, including a graphical user interface, plug-and-play support, and multitasking capability. It also provides security measures, such as anti-malware and ransomware protection and a firewall.
Windows systems typically define a window as a software structure that consists of at least the position and size of a rectangle in the display area and a pointer to memory for drawing information. These structures are used to connect user actions to screen appearances and to keep track of windows whose contents may overlap.
In X and MS Windows the structures that respond to events are called event handlers or window processes. When an interrupt reaches one of these the system passes it on through a series of
Graphics Interface
The windows system is a graphical operating system that uses icons and windows. It allows multiple applications to be run at the same time through cooperative multitasking. It also provides support for high resolution displays and supports 256 colors. It has a built-in security system to protect against viruses and malware and an integrated file management system for easy access to your files.
Windows incorporates a software virtual memory scheme to allow programs to execute in memory even if their code and data exceed available memory. It does this by transferring data and program segments in and out of memory as needed.
All window systems have a function that copies a rectangular area of one piece of memory to another (for MS Windows it is called BitBlt, for X it is XCopyArea). Most modern application programs do not directly call this function; instead they set up windows and initialize various structures and then suspend execution until an event occurs that causes them to be invoked.
Input/Output
The Windows operating system began as a GUI for Microsoft’s disk operating system, MS-DOS. Subsequent versions introduced more functionality, such as graphical “windows” that let users navigate electronic files and folders by clicking on them instead of typing commands or directory paths at a text prompt.
A window system must support a variety of user actions on the display such as moving, resizing, and minimizing windows. It must also keep track of the order of windows, since they may overlap.
A window has parameters such as frame (position and size), title, and type. It also has an identifier called a handle. This parameter has different meanings in X, Be Kit, and MS Windows; for example, it corresponds to the resource script for the window in a C source file. The identifier is an integer that specifies the handle of a window object, and it has two attributes: resizing mode and flags. The latter attribute is similar to a callback function in event-driven programs, but it does not necessarily execute at the same time as an interrupt.
Event Handling
The windows system is capable of recognizing different types of events and dispatching them to event handlers that are programmed for handling these specific events. These event handlers may perform actions to fix the problems if the events are critical or just inform users of a certain issue if the events are not critical.
The system logs contain a detailed record of hardware and software actions on the windows operating systems that administrators can use to troubleshoot issues. The system log includes application logs, security logs (including failed and valid login attempts), set up logs and forwarded events logs.
This granular data helps engineers stay updated on errors, unauthorized activity, external threats and other internal issues. BeyondTrust solutions leverage these capabilities for continuous monitoring of UAC events, application rules and requested elevations to ensure true least privilege. They provide centralized log collection, real-time event correlation and remediation, file integrity monitoring, threat detection and more. Learn more by watching our on-demand webinar: How to Monitor and Control Privileged Access with Windows Events.