Utility Program

What is Utility Program?

► Utility programs is a type of system software that is
used for effective management of computer system.
► Utility Program helps in maintenance or configure
a computer
► Utility Program keeps the computer system running
smoothly

► NOTE: Many of the utility programs are installed at the same as

Operating System but they can also be added afterwards.
► Utility program is a system application that
executes a specific task, generally pertaining to
optimal maintenance or operation of the system
resources.
► Operating systems such as Windows, macOS and Linux come with
their own set of utility programs to maintain and execute different
utility functions such as formatting, compressing, scanning,
exploring and much more.
What are the Functions of Utility
Programs?
Two types of utility programs

► built-in
► (Disk scanner, Disk defragmenter, File viewer)

► stand-alone utility
► (antivirus, Winzip, WinRAR, Google Chrome).
Categories of Utility Programs

► System Utilities
► File Management Utilities
► Storage Device Management
Utilities
► Miscellaneous Utilities
1. System Utilities
► System utility software is required for the
maintenance of computer.
► System utilities are used for supporting
and enhancing the programs and the data in
computer.
► Some system utilities may come
embedded with OS and others may be
added later on.
Some examples of system utilities are :
► Anti-virus utilities scan for computer viruses and block or remove them.
► Clipboard managers expand the clipboard functionality of an operating system.
► Computer access control software grants or denies requests for access to system resources.
► Debuggers typically permit the examination and modification of data and program instructions in
memory and on disk.
► Diagnostic programs determine and report the operational status of computer hardware and
software. Memory testers are one example.
► Network utilities analyze the computer's network connectivity, configure network settings, check
data transfer or log events.
► Package managers are used to configure, install or keep up to date other software on a computer.
► Registry cleaners clean and optimize the Windows Registry by removing old registry keys that are
no longer in use.
► System monitors monitor resources and performance in a computer system.
► System profilers provide detailed information about installed software and hardware.
2. File management utility

► File management utility is responsible in

managing files of the computer system.

► It helps to browse, search, arrange, find

information, and quickly preview the files
of the system.

► We can also call them file manager.

Some examples of File Management
Utilities
► Archivers output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory or a set of files. Archive suites may include
compression and encryption capabilities. Some archive utilities have a separate un-archive utility for the reverse
operation. One nearly universal type of archive file format is the zip file.
► Cryptographic utilities encrypt and decrypt streams and files.
► Data compression utilities output a shorter stream or a smaller file when provided with a stream or file.
► Data conversion utilities transform data from a source file to some other format, such as from a text file to
a PDF document.
► Data recovery utilities are used to rescue good data from corrupted files.
► Data synchronization utilities establish consistency among data from a source to a target data storage and vice
versa. There are several branches of this type of utility:
► File synchronization utilities maintain consistency between two sources. They may be used to create
redundancy or backup copies but are also used to help users carry their digital music, photos and video in
their mobile devices.
► Revision control utilities can recreate a coherent structure where multiple users simultaneously modify the
same file.
► Disk cleaners find files that are unnecessary to computer operation, or take up considerable amounts of space.
► File comparison utilities provide a standalone capability to detect differences between files.
► File managers provide a convenient method of performing routine data management, email recovery and
management tasks, such as deleting, renaming, cataloging, uncataloging, moving, copying, merging, setting write
protection status, setting file access permissions, generating and modifying folders and data sets.
Functions of the File Management
System
► Store, arrange, or accessing files on a disk or other
storage locations.
► Creating new files.
► Displaying the old files.
► Adding and editing the data in files.
► Moving files from one location to another.
► Sorting files according to the given criteria. For example,
file size, file location, modified date, creation date, etc.
Features of the File Management
System
► Arranging the files and folders hierarchically.
► Report generation
► Notes
► Status
► Assigning documents for processing in a queue.
► Add or edit metadata of files.
► Create, modify, delete, or manage other file operations.
► Simple interact to access and manage files.
► Managing different types of files with extensions .xls, .pdf, .doc etc
Windows Explorer: Default File
Management Tool
► Windows Explorer is a file utility program included in windows explorer with the
name file explorer. a file management system which is the default management
tool.
► It allows the user to view, access, manage, or delete files on your system using a simple
window.
Functions and features of windows explore are as follows:
► It can access and manage files of different software namely, excel, word, etc
► Helps to browse files on your hard drive and also, external storage like USB.
► It helps to manage files in a hierarchy in folders.
► Moreover, it also helps to drag and move files among folders.

► The default file management tool in mac devices is Finder.

Examples of File Management Tool

► eFileCabinet
► Microsoft OneDrive
► Dropbox
► Apple iCloud
► Google Drive
3. Storage Device Management Utilities
► Storage device management utility programs
provide solutions for enhancing disk capacity, such
as disk clean-up, partition management, formatting,
disk space allocation, defragmentation, etc. With
the help of this utility program, users can classify
systems and external drives for efficient
management of programs and files that are stored
within.
Storage device management utilities
► Backup software makes copies of all information stored on a disk and restores either the entire
disk (aka Disk cloning) in an event of disk failure or selected files that are accidentally deleted or
corrupted. Undeletion utilities are sometimes more convenient.
► Disk checkers scan an operating hard drive and check for logical (filesystem) or physical errors.
► Disk compression utilities transparently compress/uncompress the contents of a disk, increasing
the capacity of the disk.
► Disk defragmenters detect computer files whose contents are scattered across several locations on
the hard disk and collect the fragments into one contiguous area.
► Disk formatters prepare a data storage device such as a hard disk, solid-state drive, floppy disk or
USB flash drive for initial use. These are often used to permanently erase an entire device.
► Disk partition editors divide an individual drive into multiple logical drives, each with its own file
system which can be mounted by the operating system and treated as an individual drive.
► Disk space analyzers provide a visualization of disk space usage by getting the size for each folder
(including sub folders) and files in folder or drive. showing the distribution of the used space.
► Tape initializers write a label to a magnetic tape or other magnetic medium. Initializers
for DECtape formatted the tape into blocks.
Miscellaneous Utilities

► there are various other programs that

help in managing business operations.
► Some of these programs include data
generators, HTML checkers and hex
editors, to name a few.
► Data generators (e.g. IEBDG) create a file of test data according to specified
patterns.
► Hex editors directly modify the text or data of a file without regard to file
format. These files can be data or programs.
► HTML checkers validate HTML code and check links.
► Installation or setup utilities are used to initialize or configure programs, usually
applications programs, for use in a specific computer environment. There are
also Uninstallers.
► Patching utilities perform alterations of files, especially object programs when
program source is unavailable.
► Screensavers prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors.
► Sort/Merge programs arrange records (lines) of a file into a specified sequence.
► Standalone macro recorders permit use of keyboard macros in programs that do
not natively support such a feature.
Common Tasks Performed by Utility
Programs

► Disk Defragmentation
► Disk Clean-up
► File Management
► Compression
► Disk Management
► Antivirus and Firewall
Disk Defragmentation

► Defragmentation is a process which helps reduce the

amount of fragmentation in file systems.
► Utility programs function by organizing the disk
content and storing the pieces of each file together.
► It also helps create large amount of free space using
compaction to delay the return of fragmentation.
► This happens when any operating system is unable to
allocate space for storage as single unit.
Disk Clean-up

► With the help of utility program, users can remove the unnecessary files that
are taking up the space in their system.
► The program assists users to choose the drives, folders or files that need to be
scanned and cleaned-up.
► By removing unused files, the system will be able to increase the storage
space and optimize the overall speed of the system. 
File Management

► With the help of file management program, users can

perform various functions related to the files saved in the
system, such as searching, renaming, opening, renaming
deleting and grouping.
► These functions can be executed with the help of file
management program such as Windows Explorer. In
addition, Widows also help in keeping a track of the root
and the path of a file.
Compression

► One of the biggest concerns of any computer

system is its storage space.
► With time, the limited storage space in the hard
disk starts getting smaller. Therefore, with the
help of compression program such as WinZip
and WinRAR, important yet unused files can be
compressed, stored and easily extracted when
required.
Disk Management

► Disk Management is one of the most vital programs

that an operating system like Windows provides.
► With the help of the utility program, users can
seamlessly manage various drives such as hard drives,
optical drives, flash drives, etc.
► It helps users in partitioning drives, allocating spaces,
format drives, and much more.
Antivirus and Firewall
► Antivirus and firewall programs such as Windows Defender
help users protect their computers by getting infected with
viruses, adware and malware.
► Firewalls prevent harmful programs and files from entering
the system via internet or any external hardware. On the
other hand, antivirus helps in removing malicious programs
and files that have infected the system.
Summary

► Most of the utility programs come as a part of the

operating system’s package, however, users can
download third-party software solutions for specific
functions. 
► Utility software programs such as disk cleaners and
antiviruses are available with extra features are sold
separately.