Utilities

Utilities

1. Computer Security

   • Antivirus Software
     • It comes with two modes of operation
       • Interactive
         • In this mode, the program lurks in the background and monitors the computer’s activity.
       • Scan
         • Enter text here
         • In this mode, the antivirus program probes all parts of the computer’s memory and storage system, looking for signs of infection.
   • Spyware Protection
     • Spyware - a variety of harmful programs that secretly install themselves on a computer without the user's consent. Once installed, this spyware software gathers information about the user, everything from personal data to his Internet browsing habits.
     • There are 3 different techniques to find these spyware softwares
       • Hard Disk Scan
         • Using a database of known spyware, in a hard disk scan your protection program searches all the files in your computer's hard drive for matches.
       • Registry and Memory Scans
         • In a registry scan, another technique, the anti-spyware software searches for modifications made by the spyware to Windows configuration files. A memory scan involves the software checking processes that are running on the computer for signs of spyware activity.
       • Monitoring URLs
         • It keeps track of websites visited and monitoring cookies against a database of known spyware
   • Firewalls
     • A firewall is simply a program or hardware device that filters the information coming through the Internet connection into your private network or computer system. If an incoming packet of information is flagged by the filters, it is not allowed through.
     • Firewalls use one or more of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network
       • • Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded.
       • Proxy Server
         • Information from the Internet is retrieved by the firewall and then sent to the requesting system and vice versa.
       • Stateful Inspection
         • A newer method that doesn't examine the contents of each packet but instead compares certain key parts of the packet to a database of trusted information

2. Disk Organisation

   • Formatting
     • Formatting a disk means permanently deleting everything from it and making ready to have new files saved to it. This process is managed by the operating system itself is deleted if it is on the disk being formatted.
       • Reasons for formatting a disk
         • It guarantees that viruses and other malware are removed
         • If a disk is going to be disposed of, it ensures all personal data is deleted
         • Sometimes a disk is formatted as part of the process of installing a new OS
   • File Transfer
     • The operating system is also responsible for moving files, both physically on the disk and conceptually within a directory structure. An operating system will also be capable of moving a file form one device to another
       • Eg: Moving a file form the internal hard drive to a USB flash drive
   • Defragmentation
     • When a disk has been written and re-written many times files may be jumbled up and not stored as efficiently
       • Files can be split across the disk increasing the disk access time
     • Defragmentation moves file segments physically form one disk location to another so that all the files are stored in the same location. This makes disk access speed faster.

3. System Maintenance

   • System information and diagnosis
     • Utilities provide information to the user and any other software about the computer.
       • Information diagnosed
         • Hard disk capacity
         • Processor speed
         • Name of the OS
       • This can be used to diagnose a problems when something isn't working properly and find the source of the problem.
   • System cleanup tools
     • They are essential
     • It keeps a computer operating efficiently
     • It can delete files that are no longer needed
       • Eg ; Browser add-ons
     • Can advise the user to change system settings
   • Automatic updating
     • Ensures that a computer has the most up to date version of a program available.
       • Newer versions run quicker, have more features, bugs removed, better security

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