Utilities

Utilities

1. Defragmentation Utilities

   • Files are stored on a hard disk in available spaces
   • As files are moved, deleted and change size, lots of small gaps begin to appear on the disk
   • Defragmentation software reorganises data on the hard drive to put fragmented files back together

2. Backup Utilities

   • A back up is a copy of a computer system's files and settings stored externally
   • A full back up is where a copy is taken of every file on the system. they often use a lot of storage space. a full back up can take along time to create, but is faster to restore from.
   • Incremental backups are where only the files created or edited since the last backup are copied. they use less storage space and are much quicker to create.

3. Compression Software

   • Compression software reduces the size of files so they take up less disk space.
   • It's used loads on the Internet to make files quicker to download. Standard file formats include .zip and .rar. Compressed files need to be extracted before they can be used

4. Encryption Software

   • Encryption software encrypts data to stop third-parties from accessing it. encrypted data can be decrypted using a special "key"

5. Anti-Virus

   • This is referring to software that can detect the presence of a virus within a computer file and warn you there is a problem
   • The anti-virus software may then offer to quarantine the file so it cannot be used to spread the virus
   • Many packages will also try to remove the virus but this is not always successful