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3. B. If you do not complete the activation process for Windows XP, Vista, or 7, the computer will work fine for 30 days and then Windows will be disabled.

4. D. If Windows locks up during the installation, you should unplug the computer and restart the installation process.

5. B. You can upgrade directly to Windows 2000 from Windows 95.

6. C. The Windows XP CD-ROM contains the Windows Catalog and the Upgrade Advisor for checking hardware and software compatibility.

7. C. A service pack is a combination of many updates and fixes.

8. B. The BOOTMGR has many functions, but its main job is to use Boot Configuration Data files to figure out which OS to load, and then to hand off the boot process to WINLOADER.EXE.

9. A. If you are experiencing problems with any OS, a clean installation is preferred so you don’t simply migrate the trouble to the new OS.

10. C. Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to move all her personal files and familiar settings, like her desktop, to the new computer.

CHAPTER 15

Working with the Command-Line Interface

In this chapter, you will learn how to

Explain the operation of the command-line interface

Execute fundamental commands from the command line

Manipulate files from the command line

Whenever I teach a class of new techs and we get to the section on working with the command line, I’m invariably met with a chorus of moans and a barrage of questions and statements. “Why do we need to learn this old stuff?” “We’re running Windows Vista, not Windows 3.1!” “Is this ritualistic hazing appropriate in an IT class?”

For techs who master the interface, the command line provides a powerful, quick, and elegant tool for working on a PC. Learning that interface and understanding how to make it work is not only useful, but also necessary for all techs who want to go beyond baby-tech status. You simply cannot work on all PCs without knowing the command line! I’m not the only one who thinks this way. The CompTIA A+ certification exams test you on a variety of command-line commands for doing everything from renaming a file to rebuilding a system file.

If you’re interested in moving beyond Windows and into other operating systems such as Linux, you’ll find that pretty much all of the serious work is done at a command prompt. Even the Apple Macintosh operating system (OS), for years a purely graphical operating system, now supports a command prompt. Why is the command prompt so popular? Well, for three reasons: First, if you know what you’re doing, you can do most jobs more quickly by typing a text command than by clicking through a graphical user interface (GUI). Second, a command-line interface doesn’t take much operating system firepower, so it’s the natural choice for jobs where you don’t need or don’t want (or can’t get to, in the case of Linux) a full-blown GUI for your OS. Third, text commands take very little bandwidth when sent across the network to another system.

So, are you sold on the idea of the command prompt? Good! This chapter gives you a tour of the Windows command-line interface, explaining how it works and what’s happening behind the scenes. You’ll learn the concepts and master essential commands, and then you’ll work with files and folders throughout your drives. The chapter wraps up with a brief section on encryption and file compression in the “Beyond A+” section. A good tactic for absorbing the material in this chapter is to try out each command or bit of information as it is presented. If you have some experience working with a command prompt, many of these commands should be familiar to you. If the command line is completely new to you, please take the red pill and join me as we step into the matrix.

Historical/Conceptual

Operating systems existed long before PCs were invented. Ancient, massive computers called mainframes and minicomputers employed sophisticated operating systems. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that IBM went looking for an OS for a new microcomputer—the official name for the PC—the company