P3 + D1 - Software Utilities

Software utilities include: Security, Disk clean-up and Defragmentation. These utilities help your computer run at its optimal speed and keep it working properly.

Security: An example of security is AVG anti-virus and firewall. An anti-virus keeps your computer working as it protects it against viruses and Trojans that will infect and disrupt your computers programs. Viruses work by getting inside a certain file in your computer, usually through an email, then multiplying themselves. This causes you’re computer to slow down dramatically and the only way to speed it back up is through an anti-virus scan that will sweep your computer then get rid of any viruses it finds. Trojans work the same way but have can be programed to fulfil specific tasks. This means it can hide inside a file in your computer then use it do transfer personal information back to whoever created it for uses like identity theft.

You can also stop them before they reach your computer through file walls. These are security programs built to block out any invading programs that could compromise your computer.

How can this improve the performance of computer systems?
This will improve your computers performance because it stop viruses getting into your computer. This will mean that less processing power is taken up on the viruses and can be used on the work you are doing. This will speed up your computer a lot compared to if you didn't have security on your computer.

When looking for good anti-virus software i recommend you research how good it is and what is included in it. An example when you need to look at how good the software is is Norton. Although this comes free with most computers it doesn't work very well and viruses will continue to infect you PC. You also don't always need to look at the price, if you want the best functioning anti-virus then you should buy it but for casual use you can get free anti-viruses that work just as well. This includes free software like AVG which comes with the features you need as well as a firewall.

Disk Clean-up: Disk clean-up speeds up your computer because it allows you to delete any unused files/programs on your computer. It works by scanning your computer for the unneeded files then giving you a lost showing how much space you could save and which files could be deleted e.g. if you forget to empty the recycling bin. This means that once you have deleted the files your computer has less to search through when locating other files and speeds up the time taken.

You can also get your own Disk cleaner software which will differ from the standard operating system version. A good example of this is C-Cleaner. This is a good choice because it tells you exactly which browsers it can clear as well as being spyware free, this is good because most Disk clean up software cannot clean some browsers so one that cleans most of them is a good choice. Another really good part of this is it is really fast. The disk clean-up takes only a few seconds to complete which means users can use it at their leisure and it won't take up needed processor power. This is a good feature as most disk clean-ups will take time to scan the system and then choose which files to delete, one which can do it all in  few seconds is a good choice.
How can this improve the performance of computer systems?
This would improve your computers performance as your computer would not have to spend so long looking for the files you want to use. This could also help as some of the software on your computer could be something that opens in the background on start-up. This means that if your disk clean-up were to delete it your computer start-up would be faster and while your computer is running the processor won't be doing as much - speeding up your computer.

Defragmentation: When your computer saves information into your file it saves it in layers, putting one on top of the other continuously. This means that to find a specific piece of information your computer has to search through all these mixed up files to find the one you want which takes time. That’s where ‘Defrag’ comes in. By ‘defragging’ your computer it sorts all those individual bits of information into order making it easier to find specific files. For example if you’re looking for a specific web address, instead of looking through tons of different bit of information, it skips straight to the web address part of the memory and starts there speeding up the process.

How can this improve the performance of computer systems?
This helps your computer a lot as less time will be spent looking for the data you want. This would mean that instead of waiting for a program to load, while your computer searches for the different bits of data inside it, it would be much faster. This would also help a lot after the program has started because, as these files are now grouped together, when you want to use something else inside the program you computer will already be in the right place. This would speed up your computer a lot and mean more time can be spend on what you are actually doing.

You can also buy Defragmentation software which is better than the standard operating system software. A good example of this is PerfectDisk Pro. This is a program you can buy for £40.00 online and is the best defragmetnation software you can get. This is because it targets and defragments parts of your computer before they can become a problem. It also has an advanced boot system which defras the specific files that would usually slow down boot up time, this, along with its optiwrite software, means your computecan run smoothly. This mixed with it's auto-optimization settings, which allows the computer to defrag itself when the computer isn't busy, means that all the work is done behind the scenes and you don't need to worry about it.