How Software Utilities Can Improve Computer Science Essay

All software utilities have been designed and made to improve the performance of computer systems. These software utilities can be an advantage to Sam because he does not know much about computers and is new to this electrical machine. Some functions and features that software utilities perform can be done manually but only by experienced and professional. Most new users cannot carry out such operations, which will improve the performance of his computer system manually. A computer system can maintain upmost computer performance through utilities and are suggested how they maintain computer performance below.

Security (Anti-virus, Anti-Spyware and Firewall):

There are two main areas to security within a personal computer that need to be maintained through the use of a software utility. One is firewall, a software utility which prevents unknown people and viruses from entering your computer. A firewall acts like a wall and a boundary between the computer and the internet. It only allows such connections that have a trusted certificate with them. If a person is not protected from such threats, other people can manipulate his computer or delete everything from his computer. The other security utility that is needed with in the computer is standard software that works in the background and checks for any viruses within the computer. These types of viruses enter a person’s computer from a cd, usb or any other external sources which don’t have access through the internet. You can get a utility software that functions both of these features. This is more convenient, takes less hard drive space, uses less CPU/RAM usage and also costs less.

Anti-spyware software and utilities are needed on every computer especially if one is to use his computer for business work and contains valuable data on his operating system. Sam has the intention of buying a computer for his business work hence he wouldn’t want anyone to take his data. Anti-spyware is a software that is designed and created for the sole purpose to detect and prevent spyware program installations. And if it finds one that is already installed on your pc then it will remove it instantly. Spyware can affect the performance of the computer system because it takes up hard drive space and also runs in the background of the computer (hence uses CPU and RAM memory). Sam can use a software utility such as SUPER AntiSpyWare. This will help Sam keep his information safe and secure.

Malicious computer hackers, data-destroying viruses, and email spam are the main but few different possible threats to your personal security and your operating system. Without protection, hackers can gain control of any information stored on your computer and also disturb computer performance. It could go to the extent that the hacker can wipe out your operating system. By not being protected you can also encounter viruses; these sorts of programs are designed to damage, disable, or do other unwanted actions to your computer. To prevent these undesirable actions you can use a software utility such as Norton 360 or Kaspersky Internet Security Special Ferrari Edition. This software utility is made to protect against Viruses, Malware and also to stop threats from entering your computer. Been protected ensures that your computer performance should run smoothly. Sam needs his computer to be protected because he is going to be using his computer for business. He will have valuable data on their as customer details are should not be lost or stolen.

Defragmentation:

Defragmentation is process done to a hard drive in order to recover some lost disk space and also to improve the computers performance. Defragging is a vital process which needs to take place on your hard drive. If a hard drive is not defragmented, then over time the drive will slowly reduce the available capacity on the drive and begin to create performance issues. When you defrag your hard drive you re-arrange the order in which the data is stored on the drive to ensure that the good files and folders are set first so that the computer doesn’t spend time searching for them. The PC will arrange the data so that data that belongs together and needs to be read together is actually put in the same place on the drive. You can defrag your computer using the software utility called defraggler. This software will guarantee your hard drives clean-up and tidying hence improve your operating systems performance. Sam needs to defragment his computer because if he doesn’t then his computer will clutter and form a load of useless files. This will then cause performance issues.

Clean up & Cookies and Internet History:

Clean-Up is basically a utility that clears out all temporary files that don’t need to be kept within the computer. This includes clearing all temporary files, emptying the Recycle Bin, removing all unwanted user data from sources such as the Internet cache, history and cookies. This can help the performance of a computer because it takes out and removes all of the waste permanently. A utility which carries out these actions is CCleaner. This makes sure that there is no clutter left in your operating system. Sam will have to use this system utility on a regular basis to keep his computer running at a good speed.

Back up:

Back-Up is a small saved copy of an operating system. This copy is made for emergency cases, where a person’s computer has a vital breakdown and the only option available for the computer to properly function again is that you use the back up to restore your computer. You can use a utility software/tool such as CCleaner to create a backup for your operating system. Back-ups can be saved on the primary internal hard disk but if anything is to go wrong with the hard disk then you can lose all of the files including the back-ups made. This is why it is better to make back-ups on external devices such as USB’s, CD’s, Floppy Disks and external hard drives. Sam is going to be using his computer for business and needs to back up his work. Business data is valuable and cannot be lost.

Screensaver:

Screen Savers that are downloaded from random websites are normally the ones which affect the computers performance. There are also the flashy and very complex types of screensavers that affect computer performance. This is because the screensaver takes up some of the CPU (Central processing unit) usage and leaves less for the computer to run on then it would without the screensaver. One way of removing this is by getting to this address within the computer (Control PanelAppearance and PersonalizationPersonalization) then clicking on screensaver and applying one of the built in screensavers because these are less complex and also use up less CPU usage. It would be better to completely remove the screen saver and use the hibernating feature within the computer but to suite your needs I would only recommend the built in computer screensavers. If you don’t like the screensavers provided than you should download some from the Microsoft website. Sam doesn’t really need a screensaver; this is because there isn’t much benefit to a screensaver. If Sam wishes to use one then I advise his to use simple one for example the system default ones.

Compression:

Compression is when you reduce the size of files by changing its coding to a more efficient coding. This is done to make up more space on the hard drive. Compression doesn’t remove and free a massive amount of space but every bit of space counts. Hence a computer with loads of files, when compressed can make a big difference and free a lot of space. Sam can save space on his hard drive by compressing his files.

Driver updates:

Updating your drivers is very important; whether it may be software updates or hardware updates. Normally when you buy a printer, the printer comes with a software driver CD. This familiarises people with the fact that software need to be updated but they are not normally familiar with updates for hardware devices, such as Intel devices, graphics cards and chipsets. These need to be updated to improve computer performance. New drivers are made by the company of the product and fix bugs, improve the security of the devices and give better performance. To find out which hardware and software drivers need updating, you could use a utility such as Driver scanner 2013 from Uniblue. This tool will scan all your operating system to tell you what drivers need updating. Having all your drivers updated your operating system should run at optimum speed. Sam needs to update his drivers because this helps to fix bugs and other performance issues.

Operating system diagnostics:

Operating system diagnostics is when you come up across a problem and then your computer gives you the option ”diagnose problem”. The computer will then search for the solution to the problem. Once it finishes diagnosing then it will either give you the solution to the problem or it will tell you that it can’t find the solution. For example when you internet is not connected and you open up your browser then it will give you some advice for why your internet is coming on and it will also give you the diagnose problem message. This will be of good use to Sam because he is new to computers and will not have enough knowledge on solving his computer problems.

Conclusion:

Over time, a computer may accumulate a lot of unnecessary data and a lot of errors. This can easily wear the performance of the computer down and can affect the operating system of the PC. Because of this you should use a computer utility program/or programs that would be able to provide the necessary help that you need in order to help maintain a smooth operating system. The best PC utilities manage and cover a wide range of problems. This is more beneficial, saves money and also hard drive space.

Some recommendations for Sam, to stop his computer from accumulating performance issues.

Security: (Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and Firewall)

-Run daily checks on your computer to viruses.

-Keep your firewall on all the time.

-Try to get a utility that contains all of these software’s in one. (Panda Antivirus Pro 2013)

System Maintenance:

Defragmentation- Defrag your computer every six months.

Clean-Up- Run a clean-up on your computer every two weeks.

Back-Up- back up your computer every two to three days.

Screen Saver- runs a very basic screensaver but you will be better without one.

Compression-compress your files whenever you find a folder full of clutter.

Cookies and Internet History- should be done as part of a clean-up check but you need to clear you cookies and internet history every two weeks.

Diagnostics:

Driver Updates- drivers need to be updated every time a new update is released.

Operating System Diagnostics- is just a problem finder and solution raiser. Use whenever in need of this service.

These recommendations should stop your computer from accumulating performance issues.