The first edition of this book was well-received by instructors and students. This second edition was designed to update the material, but we did much more than that. Every chapter has been carefully revised as needed, with more illustrations and hands-on opportunities. We have added content to the entire book (over 100 additional pages) so it now covers all of the CompTIA A+ Operating System Technologies Examination Objectives. To include all these objectives, and to respond to feedback we received from instructors, we added three new chapters: Chapter 7, Managing Local Security in Windows; Chapter 8, A Look under the Hood; and Chapter 10, The Client Side of Networking.The former Chapter 5, Windows 98, has been removed from the book, but if you still need to learn about this venerable operating system, you can find it as an updated bonus chapter on the book's web site: www.mhhe.com/holcombe2e.

In this book, you will learn what OSs are and why they are necessary and so very important to study early in your career. You'll learn about how operating systems work, and perhaps most important for your future peace of mind, you'll learn how to make them behave and do just what you want them to do. You'll learn how different OSs, and different versions of OSs, tackle the same problems. You'll learn where they are similar and where they are different. Best of all, you'll learn to be comfortable with almost any OS. Then when you sit down at a computer in the school library, at the local Internet cafe, or at a friend's house and find that the OS is one you're unfamiliar with, you'll know how to use it, and you won't be afraid to try it!

So exactly which OSs will you explore in this book? After a brief overview and some history of microcomputer OSs, you will get hands-on experience with several desktop OSs-from installation through configuration and file management to troubleshooting. These OSs include DOS, several versions of Microsoft Windows, the latest Macintosh OS, and Linux, presented in 12 chapters, plus a bonus Chapter 13 found on our web site (www.mhhe.com/holcombe2e).

• Chapter 1, Introduction to Operating Systems, will provide an overview of microcomputer hardware and introduce you to the basic functions common to all operating systems, while introducing the operating systems you will study in this book.
• Chapter 2, Disk Operating System (DOS), may convince you that this venerable operating system is not yet dead! You will learn how to install MS-DOS, create a startup floppy disk, describe the boot up process, use the command-line interface, enter commands, manage files, and troubleshoot common DOS problems.
• Chapter 3, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, is included because this operating system is still used in many organizations. This chapter will engage you in the installation, configuration, and basic management of Windows NT 4.0, as well as in troubleshooting common problems you may encounter.
• Chapter 4, Windows 2000 Professional, will give you hands-on experience with the OS that first combined the consumer-oriented user interface of Windows 98 with the robust nature of Windows NT. In this chapter, you will acquire the skills needed to install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot Windows 2000.
• Chapter 5, Windows XP Professional, will give you the opportunity to install, configure, manage, and troubleshoot this popular desktop operating system.
• Chapter 6, Making the Windows GUI Work for You, focuses on the Windows GUI and how to navigate, configure, and customize it, manage files, launch applications, and troubleshoot common problems.
• Chapter 7, Managing Local Security in Windows, is a new chapter in this edition. This chapter will help you to recognize security threats and vulnerabilities to desktop PCs and users while presenting methods and technologies you can use to protect against these threats to a Windows computer. You will learn to work with local user accounts; assign permissions to files, folders, and printers; and troubleshoot common security problems in Windows.
• Chapter 8, A Look under the Hood, another new chapter in this edition, goes beyond the normal scope of a survey course in order to give even a new Windows user an understanding of some of the inner workings of the Windows operating system. You don't need to be a computer professional to understand the role of the Windows registry and to acquire the simple skills to back up the registry. Even the casual home user needs to install and configure device drivers, and understanding the Windows startup process is key to troubleshooting startup problems. You will also learn very valuable skills to keep your computer up-to-date and to troubleshoot a variety of problems.
• Chapter 9, Introduction to Network Server Operating Systems, begins with a brief overview of networking concepts to give you the context in which networks exist, and then provides basic server concepts including the client/server relationship established between client software on your computer and server software on network servers. You will then practice skills to share and protect network resources similar to those required to manage a server.
• Chapter 10, The Client Side of Networking, a third new chapter, will give you practice with skills required to configure a computer to work on a network. You will begin with an overview of the TCP/IP protocol suite, and then you will work with the file and print client in your Windows OS to connect to shares, learn about methods for connecting to the Internet, identify and configure Internet clients, and troubleshoot common client connection problems.
• Chapter 11, Linux on the Desktop, has been greatly revised and improved since the first edition. In this chapter, you will install Linux, practice skills for working at the Linux command prompt, as well as within a GUI, and troubleshoot common Linux problems.
• Chapter 12, Macintosh OS X, will guide you through installing and configuring Mac OS X, and then provide practice using the features of the Mac desktop and workspace. Finally, you will troubleshoot common Mac OS problems.
• Chapter 13, Windows 98 (available on the McGraw-Hill Higher Education web site: www.mhhe.com/holcombe2), takes you from installing and configuring this OS through the tasks required to customize and manage Windows 98, including updating, creating new users, and managing files and printers. You'll also learn the solutions to common problems encountered in Windows 98.

We don't want to simply give you an encyclopedia of information, because we don't want you to feel like you're standing in front of an information fire hose! We've been there ourselves many times in the past 20-some years, too often with no choice but to use any source available to get the information we needed, even if it was only a technical manual written with no awareness at all of the human audience. Rather, we're going to present just the key points about operating systems and guide you in your own exploration of the specifics of the technology. While there is a ton of good information in this book, one book simply can't give you everything you need to know about operating systems. We do hope to empower you, though, and to increase your ability to use widely available tools and resources to figure out the answers to your questions. Such tools as the Internet and the help program in your OS are aids you should turn to when you need to learn more about a topic and when you want to enhance your skills in working with each of these operating systems-and with computers in general.

Each chapter uses many techniques to help you learn. Each starts with a list of learning objectives followed by lucid explanations of each topic, supported by real-world, on-the-job scenarios and a liberal use of graphics and tables. To give you hands-on experience and to help you "walk the walk," each chapter contains detailed Step-by-Step tutorials and short Try This! exercises to reinforce the concepts. To build vocabulary to help you "talk the talk," each chapter contains definitions of computer terms, summarized in a Key Terms list and compiled into a Glossary at the end of the book. Be ready for a Key Term Quiz at the end of each chapter!

We've also included Inside Information sidebars, which provide insight into some of the subtleties of life with computers. Cross checks help you understand how OSs are similar and how they differ. Notes and Tips are sprinkled throughout the chapters, and Warnings help prevent mishaps (or an emotional meltdown). At the end of each chapter, a Key Term Quiz, Multiple-Choice Quiz, and Essay Quiz help you measure what you've learned and hone your ability to present information on paper. The Lab Projects challenge you to independently complete tasks related to what you've just learned.