Utility software

Utility software

1. Auto updates

   • Checks internet for new versions of software and will download and install it without any user interaction
   • Updates normally include security fixes to keep computer system safe from hackers

2. disk cleanup

   • searches for files and programs which are no longer being used and deletes them to free up disk space on hard drive
   • examples include temporary files, installation files or settings/registry values which are no longer being used

3. firewall

   • Used to control which applications can send or receive data packets from computer or network
   • needed to stop unauthorised users(intruders) from accessing your computer system

4. anti malware

   • scans computer periodically for malware. if malware is found it will quarantine it so that it doesn't corrupt any system files
   • anti malware software needs to be updated regularly in order to keep up to date with latest threats

5. encryption

   • Needed so that data cannot be used if intercepted/stolen by an unauthorised user
   • uses complex algorithms to encode(scramble) data so it cannot be read without the private access keys

6. compression software

   • used to reduce the size of a file. useful so that files take up less storage space and are then quicker to send over the internet
   • ZIP files used to compress multiple files together, making them easier to send to other people

7. disk defragmenter

   • Defragmentation moves files and frees space together in order to make them quicker to access. improves overall performance of computer system
   • needed because files become split up(fragmented) over time due to multiple updates and saves

8. backup utilities

   • Cloud storage(internet) is a common way of a home user backing up data
   • really important so that data can be recovered in the event of data loss. this happens by accidently deleting data or by a hardware failure(device or hard drive breaks

9. disk analysis and repair

   • will scan secondary storage(hard drive) and look for faults that need to be repaired
   • helps prevents data loss due to faulty disk(hard drive)