Utility Software

• Utility programs: software that carries out specific tasks on a computer.
• Anti-virus software

  • Checks files or software for viruses

  • Uses heuristic checking (using trial and error) to identify potential virus.

  • Potential viruses are quarantined and/or deleted by the anti-virus.
• • Disk analysis and repair (scan for fault and fix it)
  • File management and compression
  • Backup software
• Security

  • Manage access control and user's accounts.
  • Links to other utility software like virus checkers or spyware checkers
  • Protects network interface by using firewalls.
  • Uses encryption and decryption to ensure data is meaningless without decryption key.
• Screensavers

  • Loaded when the computer is idling (not in use).
  • Used as extra security by automatically logging the user out of the computer when the screen saver is loaded.
• Defragmentation software

  • Only applicable to hard disk drives (HDD)
  • To sort and store files in contiguous (next to each other) sectors.