Utility Software

Utility Software

1. malware/ viruses

   • any software that does something you don't want
     • e.g. stealing your information or sending spam without your consent
       • modern viruses/ malware are designed to be very hard to spot
         • if your computer is infected, you're very unlikely to know about it

2. antivirus

   • needed to detect and remove hard to spot malware
     • contains a database of malware "signatures" that it looks for in files and applications on your computer
       • when malware is discovered, its signature is added to the database, and an update is sent out to the antivirus software
         • new malware is being created every day, so antivirus software must be kept up to date to be useful. Antivirus software that has expired/ not up to date is completely useless

3. cryptographic utilities

   • programs to encrypt data
     • encrypted data is data that can't be read b anyone without the information required to decrypt it
       • there are many encryption systems, some of which require biometric data (fingerprints etc.) to decrypt

4. data recovery

   • sometimes data is lost by accident - a file may be deleted or overwritten by mistake
     • sometimes data is lost to physical damage - a hard disk may become faulty
       • data recovery software will attempt to recover deleted or damaged data

5. disk formatting

   • when we load a file from disk (magnetic or SSD), how does the computer know what part of the disk contains the relevant 1s and 0s?
     • there are various systems for organising files involving index tables and sectors to ensure the file can be found quickly
       • disk formatting software sets the disk up to use a particular format by creating the index tables and sectors

6. fragmentation

   • magnetic disks are prone to file fragmentation
     • this is where data that makes up a file is stored on different parts of the disk
       • part of the file may be in the middle of the disk, another may be on the outside
         • this causes slowdown because the read head has to move across the disk to find the different parts

7. disk defragmenting

   • re-arranges all the data on a disk to place all the data from a single file in the same part of the disk, reducing the read time
     • un-necessary for SSDs, as they have no moving parts

8. file compression

   • using mathematical algorithms to store data using less space
     • aaaaabbbbbbcccccc == 5a6b6c
     • if you can compress your files by 50%, then you can fit twice as much data on your drive before it fills up

9. disk partitions

   • partitions show up in the operating system as separate disks, even though they're on the same physical device
     • e.g. you could create a separate partition for your files and the operating system - this way you could erase and re-install the operating system without affecting your files on the other partition

10. clipboard manager

    • the area of memory where date is stored that has been copied, so it can be pasted later
      • clipboard managers keep c​opies of items that have been previously put there to allow you to paste from multiple copies

11. system profiles

    • settings and configurations of an operating system that a particular user likes
      • by creating a saving a profile, it means their setup can be transferred to a new computer
        • it also means that other users can have their own profiles, and the system will switch between them depending on who is using the system

12. file managers

    • allow the user to copy, move, create and delete files and folders
      • some also include options to encrypt or compress the files

13. archives

    • when data or files are no longer in regular use, they can be archived
      • archiving is making a copy of files on a different system to free up space on the main system
        • software exists to manage archiving of old software to ensure primary systems don't get clogged