Operating system terms

Updated: 12/26/2023 by Computer Hope

Operating system terms with full definitions and information on each term. Explore this list of over 650 terms like Python, AI, Database, and ChatGPT. Navigate quickly through the list by clicking one of the letters below; for example, click 'D' to find terms like 'digital assistant' in the 'D' section.

Top 10 operating system terms
Operating systems - Software terms
Graphic User Interface My Computer Windows key Windows 10 Operating system Windows Temporary file Start Command key Desktop
Number
/? ./ .. 3D Touch 8.3 format 86-DOS
A
Absolute path Access path ACL Action Center Active desktop Active directory Active Window Add or Remove Programs Add/Remove Programs Administrator rights Aero Aero Peek Aewm AfterStep AIX Allocate Alpine Andrew file system Android Android Auto Android File Transfer Android launcher Android Open Source Project Android TV APK App commands App Launcher Apple DOS Apple menu App switcher Aqua Arch Linux AROS ASR Association Atime Attributes Autoexec.bat Autoplay
B
BackBox Background Balloon Bar Bare metal Batch file Batch job BeOS Bin BlackBerry 10 BlackBerry OS BlackBerry Tablet OS Black Screen of Death Bleachbit Blue Screen of Death Bluetooth and devices BOMB Boot code Boot device Boot manager Bootmgr Boot sector Bootstrap loader Boot to Gecko Boot volume Border Bourne shell Briefcase BSD BSOD Btrfs Builtin Button Bzip2
C
Cab Cacls Caldera Linux Caldera OpenLinux Cascade CD CE CentOS Charms Chdir Chevron Child Chroot Cinnamon Clipboard Close CLSID Cmd Cmdcons Cmdlet Color management Command Command button COMMAND.COM Command interpreter Command key Command line Command-line interpreter Command prompt Component services Computer management Concurrent user Config.sys Control Center Control menu Control panel Cooperative multitasking Copy-on-write Corel Linux CPL Creators update Cron Cross-platform Crunchbang Linux .cshrc CTD Ctime CTTY CUI Current directory Cursor Cygwin
D
Daemon Dark mode DART Date and Time Debian Default user Delpart Desktop Desktop environment Device Manager Device name Df Dialog box Dir Directory Disk Cleanup Disk operating system Dismount Distribution Distro DLL Documents DOS DOS mode Dot slash Double-headed arrow Dpkg Dragonfly BSD Dr. DOS Drive format Drive letter Drop-down menu Drop shadow DSL Dual-boot DWM DYNIX/ptx
E
E Ease of Access EFS Elevated command prompt Embedded Embedded Linux Embedded operating system End process End Task Enhanced Mode Environment Environment variable Epoch ERD ESCD Essential Home Event viewer Executable file ExFAT Explorer Extension External command External icon Eye comfort shield
F
Fatal exception Fedora Linux File File attributes File descriptor File Explorer File extension File fragmentation File handle File layout File maintenance File manager File menu File name File not found Fileset File system Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Find Finder Find Fast Finger Firefox OS Fire OS FNODE Folder Force quit Force Touch Foreground Fork FREAX Free Fstype Fuchsia Fuduntu
G
Game Controllers Garnet OS GDI General Protection Fault Gentoo GEOS GhostBSD GlobalView GNOME GNU Hurd Goobuntu GPF Graphic User Interface GRUB GUI GUID
H
HAL Hard link HCL HFS Hibernate Hidden Hidden files Hierarchical file system HP-UX
I
IBM DOS ICCCM Icon Id Idle time Illegal command Illegal operation Illumos Inactive window INF Infotainment system INIT Initial Program Load Inode Input language Install Internal command Invalid page fault Io IOS iPadOS IPF IPL IRIX IRQ holder for PCI steering IRQL iSCSI Initiator ISIS
J
Jini Journal Journaling file system Jump List Junction
K
KaiOS KDE Kernel Kernel panic Kill Kiosk mode Kondara Linux Korn shell Kubuntu Kvm Kylin
L
Light bar LILO Linpus Linux Linux Linux kernel Linux Mint Linux Standard Base List box LiveCD Live Taskbar Preview Live wallpaper LKGC Load Location information Lock screen Logical device Login script Long file name Longhorn Loop device LSB Lubuntu LXDE Lynx
M
Mach kernel macOS macOS X MacPup Mageia Linux Main MakuluLinux Manager Mandrake Linux Mandriva Linux MATE MAXFUNIX Maximize Menu Menu bar Menu-driven Microkernel Microsoft diagnostics Microsoft Signature Edition PC Microsoft store Minimize MINIX Mint Linux Mnemonic Mobilinux Modal window MorphOS Motif Mount Mountain Lion Mouse pointer Mouse Properties Msconfig MS-DOS Msinfo32 Mtime MUI Multics Multitask Multitasking Multithreading Multi-user system MVS My Computer My Documents My Pictures
N
NEXTSTEP Night mode Night Shift *NIX Non-preemptive multitasking Non-windows application NOS Notification Notification area NTLDR
O
Object-oriented interface Ok OLE One UI Open Apple key Openbox OpenBSD OpenZFS Operating environment Operating system OS/2 OSF OSR2 OSRI OxygenOS
P
Pacman Page fault Palm OS Parent PC-DOS PCLinuxOS Peek Permission PicPick PID Pisetup PlayOnLinux Play To Plop Plumbing PM PNP Pop-up menu Port POSIX PowerShell PowerToys Power user tasks menu Powerwash Preemptive multitasking Prefetch PrefetchW Presentation manager Program and Features Program files Program group Program manager Prompt Properties ProteanOS Puppy Linux Push-button Pwd
Q
QNX Quick launch
R
Raspbian ReactOS ReadyBoost Real-time operating system Recent apps Recovery console Recovery Drive Recycle Bin Red Hat Linux ReFS Region Registry Regular file Reinstall Reserved words Resize Restore down Restore point RTM Runlevel Runtime error
S
Sad Mac Safe mode Samsung Knox SCOM SCO UNIX Screen Time Scroll SE Second edition Send to Separator Server virtualization Service Pack Sh Shake Shared directory Shelf Shell Shift Shortcut Shut down Sidebar Single Unix Specification Sizing handle Skeuomorphism Slackware Linux Slipstreaming Snap Snowlinux Solaris SP SparkyLinux Special file Speed bump Spin box SSP Start Start menu Startup Startup application Startup folder Startup group Startup program Stderr Stdout Stock Android Subdirectory Submenu SUID SuperFetch SUS SUSE Linux Swap file Symbian OS Symbolic link Symlink Sysedit Sysgen System System 7 System32 System call System component System file System folder System information System.ini System Properties System V Systray SysV
T
Tab Tablet mode Task Taskbar Task list Task manager Task switching Task view Tcsh Temp directory Temporary directory Temporary file Three dots Three-finger salute Tile Tiling Time Machine Time slice Title bar Toolbar Tooltip TOPS TOS Trash Trisquel Tru64 TSR Turbolinux Tux TweakUI
U
Ubuntu Ubuntu Kylin Ubuntu Touch UI ULTRIX UNetbootin Unformatting Uninstall Unix Unix Domain Socket Unix-like UnixWare Unmount Unusable file User User interface User profile %USERPROFILE% User Space User State Migration Tool USMT Usr UUID
V
Variant VBR VcXsrv VectorLinux Verbose mode Virtual assistant Virtual desktop Virtual keyboard Virtual machine Vista VMS
W
WAIK Wallpaper Warm boot Wayland Wear OS WebOS WEI Wfw WGA Widget WIMP Win3x Win9x Win32 Win.com Windoid Window Windowed mode Windows Windows 2 k Windows 3.0 Windows 3.1 Windows 3.11 Windows 3.x Windows 7 Windows 8 Windows 9x Windows 10 Windows 10 April 2018 Update Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Windows 11 Windows 95 Windows 95B Windows 98 Windows 365 Windows 2000 Windows Accessories Windows Aero Windows Azure Windows-based program Windows CE Windows desktop gadgets Windows DOS session Windows Embedded Windows event viewer Windows Explorer Windows Features Windows for Workgroups Windows for Workgroups 3.1 Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Windows insider Windows key Windows Me Windows minidump Windows Mobility Center Windows NT Windows PE Windows Recovery Environment Windows Registry Windows Remote Assistance Windows RT Windows Search box Windows Server 2008 Windows Sidebar Windows store Windows System Information Windows Terminal Windows Theme Windows Update Windows Vista Windows XP Wine WinHTTP Win.ini Winoldap Winpopup WinSE WinSxS Workplace shell WOW WSL WSUS WTMP Wubi
X
XENIX Xfce Xinetd XP XP2 XPM XQuartz XUbuntu X Window System
Y
Yosemite
Z
ZFS Zorin z/OS

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