The operating system is a piece of software that controls all the hardware components in a computer. It divides the amount of time each application gets to utilize the CPU and allocates disk storage space and protects the data from unauthorized access. It also offers an interface between the applications and the hardware. This allows the software to communicate with a variety of hardware devices such as printers, WiFi adapters and hard disk drives.

A OS also allows for multiple software processes to run concurrently on one processor. This is known as multitasking. It also allows users to interact directly with the computer via a GUI interface (graphical) or command line interface. The operating system could be a standalone application that runs in memory, or a collection of programs and libraries on the hard drive that are loaded into memory when required.

Error detection is another important feature of an operating system. The system continually monitors all input and output to spot errors and prevent them from causing additional problems. It is also responsible to monitor network connections and establish security protocols in order to safeguard against unauthorised access.

The OS also stores drivers of devices in a standard file format to make identification easier. It can also install and configure new drivers if hardware modifications occur. Additionally to that, the OS can translate a user-generated program from high-level language to machine code by using a compiler and loader. It can even move data on a disc when it detects bad sectors.

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