In terms of CPU scheduling, Windows is a ______ operating system.

Concept

Preemptive scheduling lets an operating system interrupt a running task and give the processor to another ready task. A scheduler can do this when a time slice ends or when a higher-priority task becomes ready.

Application

1. Windows schedules threads by priority and processor time slices.

2. When a time slice expires, or a higher-priority thread becomes ready, Windows can suspend the running thread and schedule another one.

3. This behavior is the defining mechanism of preemptive scheduling.

Contrast and cross-check

• Real-time classifies a system by bounded timing or deadline guarantees, not by the interruption rule alone.

• Multi-user classifies a system by support for multiple user sessions or access, which is a different axis.

• Preemptive classifies a scheduler that can interrupt a running task and dispatch another ready task.

• Non-preemptive classifies a scheduler in which a task retains the processor until it finishes, blocks, or yields.

Therefore, on the CPU-scheduling axis used here, Windows is a preemptive operating system.