Utility software Software Category

Utility software is a kind of system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility (abbr. util) or tool.
Utility software should be contrasted with application software, which allows users to do things like creating text documents, playing games, listening to music or surfing the web. Rather than providing these kinds of user-oriented or output-oriented functionality, utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure (including the computer hardware, operating system, application software and data storage) operates. Due to this focus, utilities are often rather technical and targeted at people with an advanced level of computer knowledge.
Most utilities are highly specialized and designed to perform only a single task or a small range of tasks. However, there are also some utility suites that combine several features in one software.
Most major operating systems come with several pre-installed utilities.

Utility software categories

• Disk storage utilities
• Disk defragmenters can detect computer files whose contents are broken across several locations on the hard disk, and move the fragments to one location to increase efficiency.
• Disk checkers can scan the contents of a hard disk to find files or areas that are corrupted in some way, or were not correctly saved, and eliminate them for a more efficiently operating hard drive.
• Disk cleaners can find files that are unnecessary to computer operation, or take up considerable amounts of space. Disk cleaner helps the user to decide what to delete when their hard disk is full.
• Disk space analyzers for the visualization of disk space usage by getting the size for each folder (including sub folders) & files in folder or drive. showing the distribution of the used space.
• Disk partitions can 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.
• Backup utilities can make a copy of all information stored on a disk, and restore either the entire disk (e.g. in an event of disk failure) or selected files (e.g. in an event of accidental deletion).
• Disk compression utilities can transparently compress/uncompress the contents of a disk, increasing the capacity of the disk.
• File managers provide a convenient method of performing routine data management tasks, such as deleting, renaming, cataloging, uncataloging, moving, copying, merging, generating and modifying data sets.
• Archive utilities output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory or a set of files. Archive utilities, unlike archive suites, usually do not include compression or encryption capabilities. Some archive utilities may even have a separate un-archive utility for the reverse operation.
• System profilers provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to the computer.
• Anti-virus utilities scan for computer viruses.
• Hex editors directly modify the text or data of a file. These files could be data or an actual program.
• Data compression utilities output a shorter stream or a smaller file when provided with a stream or file.
• Cryptographic utilities encrypt and decrypt streams and files.
• Launcher applications provide a convenient access point for application software.
• Registry cleaners clean and optimize the Windows registry by removing old registry keys that are no longer in use.
• Network utilities analyze the computer's network connectivity, configure network settings, check data transfer or log events.
• Command line interface (CLI) and Graphical user interface (GUI) Allows the user to contact and make changes to the operating system.