2. Things that utility programs can do

Here are some very common tasks that are carried out by various utility programs

Utility Program Purpose
File sorting Sort files by date, type, size etc
File renaming Rename existing files
File conversion e.g. convert a sound file to MP3
File transfer move, copy, delete files
Diagnostic tools Test the system to see if any problems
Defragmentation Reorder the files on the hard disk to make them contiguous (next to one another)
Disk formatting preparing the disk to store files
System information a record of all the hardware and details of operating system
Anti virus Checks files before opening for viruses. Performs scans of system
Backup Performs data backups at regular times
System cleanup tools Removes old installation details, temporary files and dead shortcuts

Note that a utility program only does one of these tasks.

The picture below shows some very handy utility programs you can download from the internet.

 

Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you

Click on this link: Utility Programs