UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREES OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
APPLIED COMPUTING /SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT/INFORMATION
SECURITY AND FORENSIC
BAC 1105/BISF 1105/BSD 1106: INSTALLATION AND CUSTOMIZATION
FULL TIME/ PART TIME
ORDINARY EXAMINATIONS
DATE: APRIL, 2019 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE [30 MARKS]
a) Identify and explain the two components of a system software. [2 Marks]
b) Discuss any FOUR factors that one should consider before purchasing software [4 Marks]
c) Briefly explain the difference between a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and a Command-Line
Interface-based operating system. [4 Marks]
d) While trying to use MS DOS you encounter the COPY and XCOPY commands. Clearly explain
when the use of these commands is appropriate. [4 Marks]
e) Explain the difference between installing an operating system and installing an Office production
suite such as MS Office. [6 Marks]
f) What do the following shortcuts or combination keys do while working on a Windows-based
system?
i) Ctrl + Shift + Down Arrow Key [2 Marks]
2
ii) Windows Key + L [2 Marks]
iii) Ctrl + Alt + Del [2 Marks]
iv) Alt + F4 [2 Marks]
g) Write a simple batch file that will create INST_CUST as a sub-directory in your Desktop folder,
then create TIZI as sub-directory in INST_CUST. After this, copy word document files from
Documents to TIZI [2 Marks]
QUESTION TWO [20 MARKS]
a) An operating system is loosely defined as a manager of computer resources. List and briefly
explain any three (3) of these computer resources. [6 Marks]
b) The Basic Input Output System (BIOS) is the first place one goes when they want to know some
information about his/her system. Identify any four pieces of information that one can get from
the BIOS. [4 Marks]
c) Differentiate between on-board devices and peripheral devices giving TWO examples for each
case. [4 Marks]
d) Describe the steps that one should follow when troubleshooting a computer hardware problem.
[6 Marks]
QUESTION THREE [20 MARKS]
a) Explain any four (4) factors that one needs to consider when purchasing an Operating Systems.
[8 Marks]
b) In your opinion, which one is a better operating system: Windows-based or Linux? Explain at
least (3) reasons. [4 Marks]
c) Give the following acronyms in full: [4 Marks]
i) VGA
ii) HDMI
iii) DVI
iv) PS/2
d) List and describe the four critical partitions/mount points of a Linux system. [4 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR [20 MARKS]
a) Differentiate between:
i. Formatting and partitioning [2 Marks]
ii. Installation and Customization [2 Marks]
iii. Virus and Worm [2 Marks]
iv. Ransomware and Malware [2 Marks]
b) What are the possible consequences of setting the boot order incorrectly? [4 Marks]
c) Your friend has just bought a new laptop and wishes to install two operating systems making it a
dual bootable laptop.
i. What is the meaning of dual boot? [2 Marks]
ii. Explain how you would help your friend achieve his objective. [6 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE [20 MARKS]
a) Describe the process of a local printer on a Linux (Fedora) workstation. [4 Marks]
b) Give the appropriate Linux commands for carrying out the tasks given below:
i. Create a user student2 [2 Marks]
ii. Give student2 a password [2 Marks]
iii. Compressing all files that start with the letters sh in the /etc directory [2 Marks]
iv. Hide a directory called notes in /home/student2 [2 Marks]
c) One of the tasks in system maintenance is backing up and restoring data after upgrading your
system. Briefly explain how you would back up your files from a Windows-based system to an
external drive clearly stating which folders must be backed up. [6 Marks]
d) Discuss the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors. [2 Marks]
