System Issues Flashcards
(35 cards)
What does the booting process include?
When the booting process begins, which involves loading the operating system into the system’s memory to prepare it for use. Once the computer is powered up and the operating system is loaded, the BIOS or UEFI firmware checks and initializes hardware components. A system will use either UEFI or BIOS, note both, since UEFI is a replacement for BIOS.
What is UEFI?
UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, and modern systems typically use it due to its enhanced capabilities and support for newer technologies.
In UEFI, a preboot environment allows users to manage and modify system configurations.
What is the bootloader phase?
The bootloader phase occurs once the firmware identifies the boot device, the bootloader takes over, loading the OS kernel into memory.
What is the kernel initialization phase?
Within kernel initialization, the kernel sets up the environment for the OS to operate and manages essential services. The kernel acts as a bridge between applications and the physical hardware, ensuring that software instructions are executed efficiently and safely.
What are common boot and startup issues?
Common causes include disk errors, failed updates, and malware attacks. It may be necessary to reinstall or repair the bootloader to address the issue.
How do you repair common boot and startup issues?
To repair the bootloader, you can use tools like Window’s bootrec and commands like bootrec/fixmbr, and bootrec/fixedboot. In Linux, GRUB repair can fix corrupted bootloaders. Next, damaged or incompatible hardware, such as a faulty hard drive, defective RAM or failing motherboard can impede the boot process.
Testing or replacing the hardware components may be required. You should also check hardware connections to ensure that all cables and components are securely connected. Disconnect and reconnect peripheral devices to rule out external issues.
Furthermore, misconfigured boot order or secure boot settings can lead to boot issues. It is essential to ensure that the correct boot device is selected and secure boot is appropriately configured.
Accessing BIOS or UEFI settings allows you to check and adjust the boot order, ensuring the primary boot device is correctly selected. If necessary, you should disable secure boot.
In correct system settings such as invalid registry entries or broken system files can also cause boot failures. You can run diagnostic tools like system file checker and check disk in windows or fsck in Linux to check for and repair file system errors.
Finally, incompatible or corrupt drivers can prevent the system from booting properly. Updating drivers or booting into safe mode to disable problematic drivers can resolve this. When you boot into safe mode, the system boots with minimal drivers and services, helping you to isolate software issues.
If other methods fail, reinstalling the operating system may be required as a last resort. Before proceeding with this process, you should double check that data backups are available.
What are some preventative measures to boot and startup issues?
For example, regular system maintenance, such as performing routine hardware checks can identify potential problems before they become critical. Monitoring tools like SMART, which stands for self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology can alert you to potential hard drive failures and enable timely data backups, and updating firmware and hardware drivers can enhance compatibility and improve system stability.
How can software be managed to correct boot and startup issues?
On the software side, you should keep the operating system and install software up to date to prevent security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues. Regularly create system restore points or disk images to provide a fallback option for unexpected failures.
Implement redundancy through rate setups or backup systems for servers and critical systems to mitigate data loss and ensure continuous operations.
A ray setup or redundant array of independent disks is a storage technology that integrates multiple physical hard drives into one cohesive system.
Finally, using reliable antifier software and avoiding untrusted downloads can protect the system from malicious software that could corrupt essential boot files or disrupt startup operations.
What is safe mode?
Safe Mode is a diagnostic boot mode designed to start the computer with a minimal set of drivers and services required for basic operation. This stripped-down version of the operating system allows users to troubleshoot and diagnose issues that may be affecting system performance. Safe Mode is crucial for isolating and resolving issues, such as malware infections, driver conflicts, or faulty applications, which may not be easily identified during a regular boot.
What are the (4) key characteristics for safe mode?
-Minimal driver load
-No third-party applications:
-Diagnostics
-Safe Mode variants in Windows
What are the (5) uses of safe mode?
-Troubleshooting startup issues
-Malware removal
-Driver problems
-System restore and recovery
-System configuration and settings
what are uses for system recovery options?
-Data backup
-System updates
-Disk errors
(chkdsk (Windows) and Disk Utility (macOS))
(For Linux, fsck is the utility used to check and repair
file systems.)
What is User Account Control (UAC)?
User account control (UAC) is a security feature introduced by Microsoft in Windows Vista and has since been included in subsequent versions of the Windows operating system. Its primary purpose is to mitigate the impact of malware by limiting application permissions and providing users with a mechanism to control changes to their system. UAC is designed to enhance the security of Windows by separating standard user privileges from administrative rights, which helps to prevent unauthorized modifications to the operating system and protects users from potentially malicious software.
What is the functionality of User Account Control (UAC)?
At its core, UAC differentiates between standard and administrative tasks. By default, even administrative users are treated as standard users. This means that when an application requires elevated privileges to perform a task, it must explicitly request permission. The user is then presented with a UAC prompt to allow or deny the requested action.
The UAC prompt appears in two main forms, depending on the privileges of the user:
Consent prompt: For users with administrative privileges, the prompt asks the user to confirm that they wish to proceed with the action. This is a simple Yes/No prompt.
Credential prompt: For users with standard privileges, the prompt requires the user to enter the credentials of an account with administrative privileges.
This layered approach ensures that users are made aware of potentially risky actions. Applications running with standard user privileges can’t silently escalate their privileges or make system-wide changes without the user’s knowledge.
What are the (4) core features of User Access Control (UAC)?
-Elevation requests
-File and registry virtualization
-Secure desktop
-Application compatibility
What is the importance of User Access Control (UAC)?
UAC plays a crucial role in improving the security posture of Windows by enforcing the principle of least privilege. This security principle advocates that users and applications should operate with the minimum privileges required for their tasks.
What are the (4) benefits of User Access Control (UAC)?
-Reduced attack surface
-Improved system stability
-Enhanced user awareness:
-Compatibility and flexibility
What are the (4) User Access Control (UAC) policies and configuration?
-Always notify
-Notify me only when programs try to make changes
to my computer
-Notify me only when programs try to make changes
to my computer (Do Not Dim My Desktop)
-Never notify
How does the User Control Access (UAC) use the integrity and and application impact?
UAC operates by utilizing the Windows integrity mechanism, which categorizes processes into different integrity levels based on their privileges and trustworthiness. This integrity model is essential in defining the level of access granted to processes, ensuring that only authorized actions receive elevated privileges.
What are the (4) integrity levels of User Control Access (UAC)?
-Low integrity
-Medium “
-High “
-System “
What is the role of application compatibility database?
The Windows application compatibility database is crucial in determining how UAC handles legacy applications. This database contains compatibility data for numerous applications, enabling UAC to identify programs that may require elevation, even if they don’t have an explicit manifest file indicating compatibility with newer Windows versions. The database helps prevent older applications from unintentionally requiring administrative privileges due to outdated design practices.
What is the role of application manifest files?
Application manifest files explicitly state the application’s requirements for elevation and compatibility information. A manifest file may contain an asInvoker, highestAvailable, or requireAdministrator attribute, guiding UAC on how to handle the application.
What are the (3) parts of application manifest files?
-asInvoker
-highestAvailable
-requireAdministrator
What are the (3) parts to installing a legacy application?
-UAC checks for manifest and database entry
-Elevation prompt:
-File and registry virtualization
