UTILITY SOFTWARE

The Utility Software is system software that helps to maintain the proper and smooth functioning of a Computer System. It assists the Operating System to manage, organize, maintain, and optimize the functioning of the computer system.

Utility Software performs certain tasks like :

Virus detection

Installation & uninstallation

Data backup

Deletion of unwanted files

ADVANTAGES of UTILITIES

Computers rely heavily on utility software to manage the operations of their various programs and functions. Some benefits of having this type of software installed on your computer include :

☞ 1. FILE & DATA MANAGEMENT

Proper storage and management of a computer's files & data allows users to find and access the files they need.

☞ 2. STORAGE SPACE MANAGEMENT

Managing the amount of storage space available ensures that the computer can continue to run its existing programs and have new programs installed on it. This functionality of the utility software also removes useless or rarely accessed files.

☞ 3. ENHANCED SECURITY

Certain functions of the utility software protect the computer from malicious software and threats, improving its security.

☞ 4. CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

You can use specific utility programs to customize the interface and desktop of the computer. This option makes it easier to find and access your files and applications quickly.

☞ 5. FILE RECOVERY

In the event of a data loss, the file recovery software can help a user get access to files and applications that they believed to be lost.

TYPES of UTILITIES

Although a basic set of utility programs is usually distributed with an operating system, and this first party utility software is often considered part of the operating system, users often install replacements or additional utilities. Those utilities may provide additional facilities to carry out tasks that are beyond the capabilities of the operating system.
Some of the most common types of utility software found on computers include :

☞ 1. SYSTEM UTILITIES

ANTI-VIRUS

Also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware.

CLIPBOARD MANAGER

A clipboard manager is a computer program that stores data copied to the clipboard in a way that permits extended use of the data

COMPUTER ACCESS CONTROL

In computer security, general access control includes identification, authorization, authentication, access approval, and audit

DEBUGGER

A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs [the "target" program]

DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM

A diagnostic program [also known as a Test Mode] is an automatic computer program sequence that determines the operational status within the software, hardware, or any combination thereof in a component, a system, or a network of systems

NETWORK UTILITY

Network utilities are software utilities designed to analyze the computer's network connectivity, configure network settings, check data transfer or log events

PACKAGE MANAGER

Package managers is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer in a consistent manner

REGISTRY CLEANER

A registry cleaner is designed for the Microsoft Windows operating system, whose purpose is to remove redundant items from the Windows Registry

SYSTEM MONITOR

A system monitor is a hardware or software component used to monitor system resources and performance in a computer system

SYSTEM PROFILER

A system profiler is a program that can provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to a computer

☞ 2. STORAGE DEVICE MANAGEMENT UTILITIES

BACKUP SOFTWARE

Backup software are computer programs used to perform a backup; they create supplementary exact copies of files, databases or entire computers to restore the original contents in the event of data loss

DISK CHECKERS

A disk checker is a utility program which can scan a hard disk to find files or areas that are corrupted in some way, or were not correctly saved, and eliminate them for a more efficiently operating hard drive

DISK COMPRESSION

Disk compression utilities transparently compress/uncompress the contents of a disk, increasing the capacity of the disk

Visualization of fragmentation and then of defragmentation

DISK DEFRAGMENTERS

Disk defragmenters detect computer files whose contents are scattered across several locations on the hard disk and collect the fragments into one contiguous area

DISK FORMATTERS

Disk formatters prepare a data storage device such as a hard disk, solid-state drive, floppy disk or USB flash drive for initial use. These are often used to permanently erase an entire device

DISK PARTITION EDITORS

Disk partition editors or disk slicers divide an individual drive into multiple logical drives, each with its own file system which can be mounted by the operating system and treated as an individual drive

DISK SPACE ANALYZERS

Disk space analyzers provide a visualization of disk space usage by getting the size for each folder [including sub folders] and files in folder or drive for showing the distribution of the used space

TAPE INITIALIZERS

Tape initializers write a label to a magnetic tape or other magnetic medium. Initializers for DECtape formatted the tape into blocks

☞ 3. FILE MANAGEMENT UTILITIES

FILE ARCHIVER

Archivers output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory or a set of files. Archive suites may include compression and encryption capabilities. Some archive utilities have a separate un-archive utility for the reverse operation. One nearly universal type of archive file format is the zip file

CRYPTOGRAPHIC UTILITIES

Cryptographic utilities encrypt and decrypt streams and files

DATA COMPRESSION UTILITIES

Data compression utilities output a shorter stream or a smaller file when provided with a stream or file

DATA CONVERSION UTILITIES

Data conversion utilities transform data from a source file to some other format, such as from a text file to a PDF document

DATA RECOVERY UTILITIES

Data recovery utilities are used to rescue good data from corrupted files

DATA SYNCHRONIZATION UTILITIES

File synchronization utilities maintain consistency between two sources. They may be used to create redundancy or backup copies but are also used to help users carry their digital music, photos and video in their mobile devices
Revision control utilities can recreate a coherent structure where multiple users simultaneously modify the same file

DISK CLEANERS

Disk cleaners are computer programs that find and delete potentially unnecessary or potentially unwanted files from a computer

FILE COMPARISON UTILITIES

In computing, file comparison is the calculation and display of the differences and similarities between data objects, typically text files such as source code

FILE MANAGERS

File managers provide a convenient method of performing routine data management, email recovery and management tasks, such as deleting, renaming, cataloging, uncataloging, moving, copying, merging, setting write protection status, setting file access permissions, generating and modifying folders and data sets