Utility Software
Application
software that assist OS in carrying out certain specialized tasks are called
utility software. Let us look some of the most popular utility software.
Antivirus
A virus can be defined as a malicious program that attaches
itself to a host program and makes multiple copies of itself, slowing down,
corrupting or destroying the system. A software that assists the OS in
providing virus free environment to the users is called antivirus. An
anti-virus scans the system for any virus and if detected, gets rid of it by
deleting or isolating it. It can detect many types of virus like boot
virus, Trojan, worm, spyware, etc.
When any external storage device like USB drive is attached to
the system, anti-virus software scans it and gives an alert if a virus is
detected. You can set up your system for periodic scans or scan whenever you
feel the need. A combination of both the techniques is advisable to keep your
system virus free.
File management tools
As you know, file management is an important function of
operating systems as all data and instructions are stored in the computer in
form of files. Utility software providing regular file management tasks like
browse, search, update, preview, etc. are called file management tools. Windows
Explorer in Windows OS, Google desktop, Directory Opus, Double Commander,
etc. are examples of such tools.
Compression tools
Storage space is always at a premium in computer systems. So
operating systems are always looking at ways to minimize amount of storage
space taken by files. Compression tools are utilities that assist
operating systems in shortening files so that they take less space. After
compression files are stored in a different format and cannot be read or edited
directly. It needs to be uncompressed before it can be accessed for further
use. Some of the popular compression tools are WinRAR, PeaZip, The
Unarchiver, etc.
Disk Cleanup
Disk cleanup tools assist users in freeing up disk space. The
software scans hard disks to find files that are no longer used and frees up
space by deleting them.
Disk Defragmenter
Disk defragmenter is a disk management utility that
increases file access speeds by rearranging fragmented files on contiguous
locations. Large files are broken down into fragments and may be stores
in non-contiguous locations if contiguous ones are not available.
When such files are accessed by the user, access speed is slow due to
fragmentation. Disk defragmenter utility scans the hard disk and tries to
assemble file fragments so that they may be stored in contiguous locations.
Backup
Backup utility enables backing up of files, folders, databases
or complete disks. Backups are taken so that data may be restored in case of
data loss. Backup is a service provided by all operating systems. In
stand-alone systems backup may be taken in the same or different drive. In case
of networked systems backup may be done on backup servers.
