1.5.1

Types of System Software

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System Software

System software controls the hardware of the computer and provides an environment for applications to run.

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Operating systems

  • Operating systems (OSs) are one type of system software.
  • OSs manage access to the hardware in the computer.
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Device drivers

  • Device drivers are one type of system software.
  • Device drivers are small programs which tell the operating system how to use a piece of hardware.
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Utility software

  • Utility software is one type of system software.
  • Utility software performs maintenance tasks to make sure the operation of the system continues.

Utility Software

Utility software is a subset of system software. Utility software programs perform specific tasks to help maintain the system. There are four main types of utility software:

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Defragmentation

  • This process involves improving hard disk performance by applying an algorithm to reorganise data.
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Encryption

  • This process is designed to prevent unauthorised access to files by applying an algorithm to "scramble" data.
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Backup

  • This process involves making copies of data that can be restored in the event of a data loss.
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Compression

  • This process involves applying an algorithm to reduce the space needed to represent a file or its contents.

Jump to other topics

1Computer Systems

1.1Systems Architecture

1.2Memory & Storage

1.3Computer Networks, Connections & Protocols

1.4Network Security

1.5Systems Software

1.6Ethical, Legal, Cultural & Environmental Concern

2Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming

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