Windows Utilities

Windows Utilities

“Utilities” are specialized programs designed to make computing easier. There are various utility programs such as:

a)“Troubleshooting” or “diagnostic programs” that recognize and correct problems before they become serious.

b)“Antivirus programs” that guard against programs that can damage your computer system. c)“Uninstall programs” that allow you to safely remove programs that you do not need from your hard disk.

d)“Backup programs” that make copies of files to be used in the event of the originals being lost.

e)“File compression programs” that reduce the size of files for easy storage and transfer over the Internet.

Windows 7 has maintenance utilities such as “Disk Cleanup” and “Disk Defragmenter”. Disk Cleanup is used to remove unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster, and Disk Defragmenter is used to rearrange your files so that they are not broken up.

“Backup” is a utility program included with Windows 7 that makes a copy of all or selected files that have been saved onto a disk. It helps to protect you from the effects of a disk failure. Click the “Start” button and select “Control Panel”. Under “System and Maintenance”, click “Back up your computer”.  You may backup your entire computer by clicking “Back up computer”. To backup specific files, you may use the “Back up files” button.

To enter settings regarding where the backup is to be stored and which files are to be backed up, click “Change settings”. The “Backup Status and Configuration” window is displayed.

Click “Change backup settings”. Click “Continue” in the “User Account Control” window. Specify the location where you wish to store the backup and click “Next”.

In the displayed window, specify the file types that you wish to backup and click “Next”. Specify how often and when you wish to take a backup. Now click “Save settings and start backup” to begin the backup process.

When you surf the Web, many nonessential files are saved on your hard disk. “Disk Cleanup” is a utility that eliminates such files and frees up valuable disk space and improves system performance.  Click the “Start” button and select “All Programs → Accessories → System Tools → Disk Cleanup”. In the displayed window specify whether all files or only your files are to be cleaned up. Then select the drive you want to clean up and click “OK”.

The space that will be made free by the cleanup is calculated and the files suggested for cleanup are displayed. Verify the files and click “OK”. In the displayed window, click “Delete Files”.

The disk cleanup process begins and the selected files are removed.

Files are stored and organized on a disk according to “tracks” and “sectors”. A track is a concentric ring. Each track is divided into wedge-shaped sections called sectors.

The operating system tries to save a file on a single track across contiguous sectors i.e. sectors that are adjacent to each other. However, this is not always possible and the file has to be broken up or fragmented, into small parts that are stored wherever space is available.

Whenever a file is retrieved, it is reconstructed from the fragments. After a period of time, the hard disk becomes highly fragmented and results in slower operations.

“Disk Defragmenter” is a utility program that eliminates unnecessary fragments and rearranges files and unused disk space to optimize operations. It runs automatically at a scheduled time by default. Click the “Start” button and select “All Programs → Accessories → System Tools → Disk Defragmenter”. Click “Continue” in the “User Account Control” window. You may modify the scheduled time for defragmentation by clicking “Modify schedule”.

To specify which partitions of your hard disk you wish to defragment, click “Select volumes”. To start the defragmentation process, click “Defragment now” and click “OK” in the displayed window.

A “Utility Program” performs a specific task. When several utility programs that are combined into a single package, it is known as a “Utility Suite”. Buying the package is less expensive than buying the programs separately. Three popular utility suites are McAfee Office, Norton SystemWorks and V Communications.

These suites also include programs that protect your system from dangerous programs called computer “viruses”. Viruses enter your computer in various ways such as opening e-mail attachments and downloading from the Internet. Virus protection programs set up a barrier to viruses attempting to enter a computer system. These protection programs are loaded into memory and run continually in the

“Norton AntiVirus” is a collection of antivirus programs that can protect your system from different viruses. Existing viruses are removed and the virus list is automatically updated so that your system is checked for the newest viruses.

“Norton CleanSweep” is a collection of programs that help you to safely remove programs that you do not need. They also compress and make backups of programs, as well as clean up your hard disk. They protect existing files from damage when new programs are installed.

“Web CleanUp” is a collection of programs that remove unnecessary files from your computer such as temporary files, history files and cookies.

“GoBack Personal Edition” can be used to restore system configurations, locate lost files and repair damaged files.

“Norton Utilities” is a collection of separate troubleshooting utilities that can be used to prevent and fix problems and improve system performance. “One Button Checkup” integrates several of the separate utilities. It is a quick evaluation that looks for typical PC problems and alerts you accordingly.

 “Device drivers” are specialized programs designed to allow particular input or output devices to communicate with the rest of the computer system. When a new device such as a mouse or a printer is added to a computer system, a new device driver must be installed before it can be used. Each time the computer system is started, the operating system loads all device drivers into memory.

Windows supplies many device drivers which are automatically installed when a new device is connected. If a particular device driver is not included with the Windows systems software, it is supplied by the manufacturer of the product. When a device driver needs to be manually installed, wizards provided by Window assist you in the process. For example, the “Add Printer” wizard provides step-by-step guidance for installing a driver for a printer.

Click the “Start” button and select “Control Panel”. Under “Hardware and Sound”, click “Printer”.  Click the “Add a printer” button on the toolbar to display the “Add Printer” wizard. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver.

Sometimes, when your computer behaves unpredictably, you could try reinstalling or updating your device drivers. Windows makes it easy to update your drivers using “Windows Update”. Click the “Start” button and select “All Programs → Windows Update”. In the left pane, click “Check for updates”.

To see if updated drivers are available, click “View available updates”. Windows Update will list any updated drivers that are available for devices installed in your computer. If updates are available, click the driver that you want to install, and then click “Install”.

Some of the security and safety features of Windows 7 are as follows:

Windows Defender: This is a software product which is a part of Windows 7. It is designed to prevent and remove spyware. Spyware on your computer could result in information being transmitted from your computer without your knowledge.

This helps in guarding your computer against many types of malicious software.

This is an infrastructure that requires user consent before allowing any action that requires administrative privileges such as installing new software or changing system settings.

An administrator can apply parental control restrictions to other users on the computer. Facilities include web content blocking, restrictions on what kind of games may be played and what programs may be executed.