1.2.2.2 Utilities

Question 1

What are Utilities?

Answer 1

• Utilities are a key piece of system software integral to ensuring the consistent, high
  performance of the operating system.
• Each utility program has a specific function linked to the maintenance of the operating system.

Question 2

What are 5 examples of Utilities ?

Answer 2

• Compression
• Disk Defragmentation
• Antivirus
• Automatic Updating
• Backup

Question 3

What is Compression?

Answer 3

• Operating systems provide utilities that
  enable files to compressed and decompressed.
• This is used when compressing large files to be transmitted across the Internet and is
  commonly used to compress scanned
  files.

Question 4

What is Disk Defragmentation?

Answer 4

• As the hard disk becomes full, read/write times slow down.
• This is because files become fragmented as they are stored in different parts of memory.
• The disk defragmenter utility rearranges the contents of the hard drive so they
  can be accessed faster, thus improving performance.

Question 5

What is Antivirus?

Answer 5

• Antivirus is responsible for detecting potential threats to the computer,
  alerting the user and removing these threats.

Question 6

What is Automatic Updating?

Answer 6

• This utility ensures the operating system is kept up to date, with any updates
  being automatically installed when the computer is restarted.
• Updates tackle bugs or security flaws so this ensures the system is less vulnerable to
  malware and hacking threats.

Question 7

What is a Backup?

Answer 7

• The backup utility automatically creates routine copies of specific files
  selected by the user.
• How often files are backed up is also specified by the user.
• This means that in the event of a power failure, malicious attack or
  other accident, files can be recovered.