UNIT 2 SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT
ASSIGNMENT 2.
CHRIS BOARDLEY.
P3 - EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF DIFFERENT
SOFTWARE UTILITIES.
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE.
Antivirus software is designed to detect and destroy
computer viruses. The software detects viruses by
checking files on the system it is installed on against a
database of known viruses, and if a match is found
the antivirus software will act according to it’s user
set preferences and the risk level of the virus. You can
quarantine the file so that you can check it yourself,
or you can remove the file straight away.
Most modern antivirus software will include a
spyware check that will search for things such as key
loggers (which can record the infected systems user
keystrokes and collect passwords etc.) and inform the
user and/or remove the key logger.
Keeping your antivirus software up to date is
essential. Different viruses are created, discovered
and added to the database every day, so updating
your antivirus software will allow it to recognise these
newer viruses and act accordingly.
SYSTEM CLEAN-UP TOOLS.
System clean-up tools include a wide variety of software which
can do many different things.
Some will check for and delete temporary files and cookies
which can free up space, and others may be used to search for
programs that are rarely used, alerting the user so they can
remove the program to save space/memory.
Some (error checking) tools can perform more advanced
operations like searching for registry errors and correcting
them, deleting registries that are no longer in use or those that
have been left behind after a program has been uninstalled.
Disk defragmenters will look for fragmented files and relocate
them so that they can be accessed more efficiently.
These tools are mainly used to free up HDD and memory space
on a system, and to keep the systems running as smoothly and
efficiently as possible.
DRIVE FORMATTING SOFTWARE.
Drive formatting software is used to
format HDD’s, SSD’s etc. The software
can be used to completely wipe a HDD
of all data, meaning that the HDD will
be completely free of data. This is
useful if, for example, you are selling
your HDD (so that there are no
personnel files left on it) or when you
have received a new HDD.
This can also be used to format a drive
into a specific file system (Fat32, NTFS
etc.) depending on what is being
formatted.
P4 - RECOMMEND A COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR
A GIVEN BUSINESS PURPOSE.
Component
Standard
Ideal
Info
Monitor
BenQ GL2023A 19.5”
Widescreen LED, 1600X900,
5ms
BenQ GW2255 21.5” LED
The 19.5” would be an adequate monitor, but the extra
1920X1080, 6ms screen size and larger resolution of the 21.5” make it a more
ergonomic and comfortable choice of monitor.
Processor
Intel Core i3-3240 Processor
(Dual Core @ 3.40GHz, 3MB)
Intel Core i5-3470 Processor Third generation i3 processors would perform adequately for
(Quad Core @ 3.20GHz Turbo,
the given scenario, but the i5 with two more cores would
6MB)
improve the quality and speed of the system noticeably.
Memory
4GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz
8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz
Windows 7 will require at least 4GB of RAM to run
effectively. 8GB would be the absolute maximum required in
a college environment. It would speed up the system
noticeably, but would border on overkill.
HDD
500 GB Serial ATA III (7,200
Rpm)
750GB Serial ATA III (7200 RPM)
The 500 GB would offer enough space for installed
applications as well as some user files to be stored. The 750
MB would obviously offer more, however colleges should
encourage cloud saving or the use of USBs etc. to reduce the
workload of the college systems, therefore the difference in
standard and ideal isn’t substantial.
Optical Disk
Drive
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
16x DVD+/-RW Drive
Video Memory
Integrated Graphics
Integrated Graphics
Operating
Microsoft Windows 7
System Professional (64Bit Windows 8
License, media)
Microsoft Windows 7
Professional (64Bit Windows 8
License, media)
These are pretty standard drives allowing the
reading/writing of data, but wouldn’t really be needed in a
college environment therefore the standard and
recommended are the same.
Integrated graphics would be more than adequate for the
given scenario, so the standard and recommended remain
the same.
Windows 7 remains the main OS at this time, and the
required software in this scenario requires windows.
Windows 7 is presently the most compatible windows OS,
and the new ui present in Windows 8 would not be ideal in
the given scenario. That said, the presence of a license and
the various Microsoft upgrade incentives would allow the
college to upgrade if and when they choose.
Required
Alternative
Info
Windows 7
Windows 8
Included in the previous table.
Sage 50 Payroll
RTI Payroll Software
See (http://www.sage.co.uk/sage-instantpayroll) for prices.
See (http://www.moneysoft.co.uk/payrollsoftware/payroll-manager.htm) for prices.
Office 2000
Office 2013
Can be picked up for relatively cheap on
various online marketplaces.
See (http://www.microsoft.com/engb/business/products/office-2013) for versions and
prices.
Sage 50 is widely used in the industry so
would be a good choice, however
alternatives such as RTI Payroll Software
for example can offer similar
functionality for less money, which can
make them a more desirable choice.
Office 2000 is clearly very outdated and
so would be a rather poor choice of
office software. Office 2013 is currently
the most up to date version, thus making
is a wise choice. Using Microsoft office as
opposed to others is advisable as it is
well supported and is the industry
standard. However, if money was a major
concern, software such as Open Office
(http://www.openoffice.org/) is
absolutely free.
M2 - JUSTIFY CHOICE OF COMPUTER SYSTEM TO
MEET A GIVEN BUSINESS PURPOSE.
JUSTIFICATION.
Each component in the previous table has been explained and justified slightly in the info tab.
As a whole, the previous systems were chosen as they were all in one choices which could be purchased
from one company. A limited saving could probably be made if each component was sources separately
and then assembled by the college themselves, however in most scenarios this would not be practical.
Purchasing them all from a company isn’t only the easiest option, but it could also present savings of it’s
own, as in a discount due to the amount of machines being purchased at once.
Purchasing from a company also means that there is a warranty that can be used if anything happens
with the systems during the warranty period. This provides security and ensured that help will be
available if and when any problems arise.
On the subject of help, purchasing ready built machines is beneficial as these machines will have user
reviews, FAQ’s and troubleshooting online. This is useful as any problems with the machines will be well
documented and solutions will be readily available to the college. This can be more practical than having
to review each component individually.
Finally, the company chosen has a good reputation for system reliability and has a good customer
services reputation, the benefits of which are clear.
D1 - EXPLAIN HOW SOFTWARE UTILITIES CAN
IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF COMPUTER
SYSTEMS.
DIFFERENT SOFTWARE UTILITIES CAN IMPROVE SYSTEM
PERFORMANCE FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
REASONS. BELOW ARE SOME EXAMPLES.
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE.
Antivirus software can improve system performance by;
• Preventing viruses which could impede system speed from attacking the
system. Stopping viruses from entering a system is preferable to having to
find and then remove one that is already present on the system. Defence is
the best form of defence.
• Actively scanning for viruses in the background, reducing the need for long
virus scans. This anti virus evolution negates the need for lengthy scans which
used to be the norm, and which also used to significantly slow down a system
when running. Whilst full scans can still be performed (and are recommended
to be run at least once a week) constantly scanning for viruses in the
background improves the security of the system, and in a knock-on way the
speed of it.
• Maintaining firewalls which will prevent things like Trojans (which are
specifically designed to slow down systems) from entering your system.
SYSTEM CLEAN UP TOOLS.
System clean up tools can improve system performance by;
•
Removing unnecessary files (temp files for example) which can free up space and improve
HDD (thus system) speed.
•
Removing cookies gathered via internet browsers, which after a while can bog down the HDD,
not due to their size (typically very small) but because of the amount that can be gathered
after time, and the HDDs search time.
•
Searching for fragmented files and moving them to a more optimised place for accessing the
data.
•
Scanning for, identifying and repairing registry errors. As the registry is the central
configuration utility for programs and system components, errors can slow down a systems
performance and produce errors such as BSODs, all of which will dramatically slow down a
system, and stop it from performing as efficiently as possible.
DRIVE FORMATTING SOFTWARE.
Drive formatting software can improve system performance by;
• Formatting a drive into a specific file system which may be more optimised for
your system, depending on disk size, OS etc. Having the correct file system for
a given need allows the drives, thus the system to run as efficiently as
possible.
• Erasing 100% of data on a drive, which will enable the user to rewrite data
onto the disk when it has the maximum of it’s space free. Having less data on
a disk means that the reader arm has less distance to travel, so will improve
the read and write speeds dramatically.