Difference Between System Software and Utility Programs

Summary: Difference Between System Software and Utility Programs is that System software serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the computer’s hardware. A utility program is a type of system software that assists users with controlling or maintaining the operation of a computer, its devices, or its software.

System Software

System software serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the computer’s hardware. To use application software, such as a word processing program, your computer must be running system software — specifically, an operating system. Three popular personal computer operating systems are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Each time you start a computer, the operating system is loaded (copied) from the computer’s hard disk into memory. Once the operating system is loaded, it coordinates all the activities of the computer. This includes starting application software and transferring data among input and output devices and memory. While the computer is running, the operating system remains in memory.

Utility Programs

A utility program is a type of system software that assists users with controlling or maintaining the operation of a computer, its devices, or its software. Utility programs typically offer features that provide an environment conducive to successful use of application software. For example, utility programs protect a computer against malicious software and unauthorized intrusions, manage files and disks, compress files, play media files, and burn optical discs. One of the more important utility programs protects a computer against malicious software, or  malware, which is a program that acts without a user’s knowledge and deliberately alters the computer’s operations. A computer virus is a type of malicious software.

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