Functions Of Operating System

The main functions of OS are:
• starting a computer
• providing a user interface
• managing data & program
• managing memory
• configuring devices

1. Starting The Computer

The first function of an operating
system is to start the computer.
When we start a computer, it loads
the operating system into the
computer's memory. This process
is called booting. Booting means to
load and initialize the operating
system on a computer machine.
It can happen in two ways warm
boot or cold boot.

ii. Providing A User Interface
From the user's perspective, the most important function of an operating system, is
providing the user interface. This function controls how the user enters data and instruction and how information is displayed.
The user interface typically enables users:
• to start an application program
• to manage disks and files such as formatting, copying and renaming
• to shut down the computer safely by following the correct procedures

The three type of user interface are Command-Line, Menu-Driven and Graphical User
Interface(GUI).

iii. Managing Data And Programs
The next function of an operating system is to manage data and
programs. When we start an application, the CPU loads the application
from storage into memory. In the early days of personal computing, singletasking
operating systems could run only one application at a time.
Multitasking operating systems enable users to work with two or more
application programs at the same time.

iv. Managing Memory

The computer's operating system is responsible for managing memory
such as:
• optimizing the use of random access memory (RAM)
• allocating data and instruction to an area of memory while
being processed
• monitoring the contents of memory
• releasing data and instructions from being monitored in memory
when the process is done.