ICT - Unit 2: P3

Purpose of different software utilities

Software utilities

Software utilities are helping to analyze, maintain, optimize and configure a computer. There is many software utilities for example Anti-virus, Backup software, Data compression, Cryptographic, Disk cleaners, Disk storage, File managers or Memory testers.

Security virus protection and firewalls

Virus protection software protects computer from viruses by scanning a computer system to find threats and protect system against them. Example of such threats could be viruses, worms or trojans. Antivirus is really important in order to secure data and control upon computer because if computer would get virus the hacker that created the virus would be able to control computer and steal from it personal details and other important data. Antivirus should be updated as often as possible because new viruses are being created all the time and if antivirus. Firewall is another software utility and it is used for monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic of the computer that is connected to a network so no threats could get into computer.

Clean up tools for removal of cookies

Clean up tools are computer utilities that are used to keep system in good conditions by taking care that unwanted files will be deleted. Operating systems usually come with their own built in clean up tools, in Windows that would be Disk Cleanup. That can be used for example for removing of cookies because they could slow performance of the computer or for removing unwanted files and cleaning the recycle bin in order to delete items from hard drive of the computer permanently.

Drive formatting

Drive formatting is used in order to create space on hard drive for new data. That is done by deleting the file directory so disk doesn’t know that there are any data on hard drive anymore and new data can be written by rewriting the old data. Data aren’t really deleted until they are rewritten by new data and therefore they can be retrieved.