BTEC IT Unit 02 Lesson 07 Utility Software Mr C Johnston ICT Teacher

Session Objectives Understand different types of utility and why they are needed, Understand the need for routine maintenance and tune up tools, Know a range of tune up tools which can be carried out to speed up computer.

Utility Software Utilities are useful pieces of software which keep our computers running smoothly, Examples of utilities include: Security software, Anti-Virus / Firewall Software to check and maintain our hard disks – cleanup software, Removal of cookies, removal of temporary files, defragmentation, disk formatting, data recovery software, Software which performs repeating tasks easily, Programs that give us information about files and computer status

Utilities Brain Stormed 2015 SecurityAnti-VirusEncryption Utilities FirewallSpyware / Adware / Malware Removal Password ManagementParental Controls Identity protectionSPAM File / Disk Management DefragmentationDisk Cleanup Utility (removes temporary files etc) BackupDisk Formatting / Partitioning Data RecoveryCompression Utility File ManagementBulk File Processing Utilities (Batch Renaming) Disk cloningFile synchronisation InformationSystem MonitoringBench Marking File Information (MP4’s / AVIs)Hardware Information Disk space analyser Hardware Management Device Manager OthersScreen SaverFile format convertor Character MapRegistry cleaner Programme Compliers / InterpretersText editor

BTEC Book – Unit 02 p15-17

Task 3 [P3, D1] You need to produce a table or other suitable evidence which explains different utility software, You need to include as many tools as you can Define each tool, state what its used for, find a real example of each tool, and include how the tool aids performance For D1 you need to prove a range of tools are useful include statistics / evidence when explaining the reason for performance improvement. For P3, a table is an appropriate format for structuring the information. You are required to give one example from each category of software utilities. For D1, you must consider the benefits of computer performance created by using software utilities. In this case, you should give reasons for possible improvements from using a specific utility. P3 - Explain the purpose of different software utilities D1 - explain how software utilities can improve the performance of computer systems P3 - Explain the purpose of different software utilities D1 - explain how software utilities can improve the performance of computer systems - what the tool is for? - what the tool does? - why is it needed? - what are the benefits of using the tool? - what could happen if we didn’t use the tool ? Explain means: Set out in detail the meaning of something, with reasons. It is often helpful to give an example of what you mean. Start with the topic then give the ‘how’ or ‘why’.

More Evidence For D1 For D1 you need to prove that utility software are useful, Running a benchmark test before using a utility then one afterwards should show an improvement to performance, Software utilities and benchmarking software are available on my website and shared area, There are lots of workshop articles on the website to help you out – remember you are proving they make your system better, before and after benchmark tests are needed, An example is available on my website showing a slight improvement to my HDD speed after carrying out a defrag. An example is available on my website

Benchmarking and System Info Benchmarking software reports on a computers performance – it can even compare your system to others, Useful if readings taken before and after to prove that utilities are useful Internet speed tests report on how fast your internet connection is… some useful sites include: Useful if readings are taken before and after using software to tweak your internet System information software reports on system resources including the amount of free hard disk space Useful if readings taken before and after to show that junk removal software has freed up HDD space

Tune-up Tools Common methods of speeding up a slow machine include: Removal of viruses, Removal of old and temporary files, Removal of toolbars and adware, Removal of bloat ware, Defragmentation, Tweaking the registry, Streamlining startup, Killing unwanted processes, Update drivers.