Software Utilities
Software utilities are computer softwares, they help to maintain the computer. Software Utilities are designed to help the user manage the settings and maintain the computer’s hardware and softwares. Utility softwares comes with the operating system e.g. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X etc. Examples of some of the commonly used utility software may include the following; Disk Defragmentation System Profile/Status Virus Scanners Text Editor Archive.
Virus Protection/Anti-Virus
Virus Protection or Anti-Virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove computer viruses. There are many types of anti-virus software available to computer users, some of the popular ones are e.g. Norton and MacAfee. There is anti-virus software that come with an operating system such as Microsoft security essential comes with versions of Windows operating systems. This software utility has a little but significant effect on the computers performance. It has an effect on the computers performance, as a virus might result in computer losing data. As some viruses don’t affect the computer a lot in the short term but they affect the computer a lot in the long term. There many types of viruses e.g. Trojans and Adware. Examples of Virus Protection software is McAfee.
Firewall
Firewall
Firewall is a very important software utility in the computer. Firewall is a software in the computer that usually comes preinstalled. The purpose of firewall is to secure the network from harmful connection over internet or from other computers. Firewall is designed to block unauthorized connection on the network from accessing the computer. People use Firewall to block hacking as hackers try to access someone computer to carry out illegal activities or access an individual’s data. It gives a choice to the user to let some connections access the user’s computer. Firewall highly affects a computer performance as if someone hacks into a computer they can damage that computer internally. Examples of Firewall software is Windows Firewall Defence.
Disk Clean-up
Disk Clean-Up
Disk Clean-up is s software utility used to maintain the computer. It comes with the operating system for the windows series. The purpose of disk clean-up is to free up space from space on the computer hard drive. Disk Clean-up searches and analyses the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files. It deletes unnecessary files such as internet history, cookies and registry. Registry is a data base that stores setting and configurations for the computer. It stores setting and configurations from all the software and program run on a computer. Disk clean -up has a major effect on the computers performance as when disk clean-up frees up space this makes computer have extra storage, which was otherwise would have been filled. Example of Disk Clean-up e.g. Windows Disk Clean-Up.
Disk Defragmentation
Disk Defragmentation
Defragmentation is software utility that make a computer run more efficiently. When someone deletes a file from the computer, it creates a gap on the hard drive. Then when the filles are saved they fill these gaps randomly. When files are saved in different places, the computer becomes slower in speed. It becomes slower because the access time increases. Defragmentation arranges the files in order and organises them. Defragmentation can be scheduled by the user. This has a major effect on the computers performance as it makes the computer run faster because the access time decreases. Example of disk defragmentation e.g. Windows Disk Defragmentation.
Drive Formatting
Drive Formatting
Disk Formatting is a process that prepares hard drive or from external data storage devices, for saving data on them. Disk Formatting prepared the hard drive or external data storage devices by erasing all the data from them. Disk Formatting can also change the type of the data storage devices e.g. FAT and NTFS. Different types of data storage device have different features e.g. FAT can only transfer 4.3GB of data at a time. This affects the computer a lot as it erases data and creates a different more storage for the computer. The purpose of disk formatting is to clear/delete data from a storage device that storage device can be secondary or tertiary. Examples of Disk Formatting software is Diskeeper 2011.
How utilities improve the performance of the computer?
Disk Defragmentation – Disk Defragmentation improves the performance of the computer in major way, it increases access time on the computer. When the user deletes data on the computer it creates gaps. Then when the data is saved on the hard drive it fills the gaps randomly this makes the hard drive slower by decreasing the access time. Disk Fragmentation rearranges these data in order, so the computer accesses time decreases.
Disk Clean-up – Disk Clean up is another way of improving the performance of the computer and it doesn’t improve the performance as much as disk defragmentation but it improves a bit. Disk clean up erases unnecessary data such as internet history. This not only improves the performance of the computer but also frees up space that otherwise will be taken up by unnecessary data.
Disk Clean-up – Disk Clean up is another way of improving the performance of the computer and it doesn’t improve the performance as much as disk defragmentation but it improves a bit. Disk clean up erases unnecessary data such as internet history. This not only improves the performance of the computer but also frees up space that otherwise will be taken up by unnecessary data.