Types of Software
Software · 4 question types
Exam Frequency Analysis
Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)
This topic accounts for approximately 3% of your exam marks.
OS functions and utility software appear occasionally as short definition/example questions.
System software is the software a computer relies on to boot, look after its own hardware, and give a stable environment to run in.
It is essential. Without system software, the hardware just sits there. The two main kinds of system software are:
- The (OS), the program that coordinates everything.
- Utility programs, small specialised tools that maintain and protect the system.
Utility programs
Utility programs are small pieces of system software that maintain, enhance, or repair a computer.
Common utilities you should be able to name:
| Utility | What it does |
|---|---|
| Defragmentation | Reorganises files on a magnetic hard disk so each file's blocks are stored together, reducing seek time and improving read speed |
| Compression | Reduces the size of files (e.g. zipping a folder for sending by email) |
| Encryption | Scrambles a file or disk so that only someone with the correct key can read it |
| Backup | Makes copies of files to a safe location, so they can be restored if the original is lost |
| Antivirus / anti-malware | Scans the computer for known malware and removes any that is found |
| Firewall | Filters network traffic, blocking suspicious or unauthorised connections |
| Task manager | Shows the running programs, how much CPU and RAM each is using, and lets the user end an unresponsive program |
| Disk-cleanup | Removes temporary files, browser caches, and other unwanted data to free up disk space |
Most operating systems include a basic set of utility programs out of the box; others can be downloaded as separate applications.
Utility software
Identifying a utility program comes up (often the one that finds and removes malware), so you need to know the common utilities — anti-malware, defragmentation, compression, backup — and that they are system software, not applications (a spreadsheet is an application; anti-virus is a utility).