Operating System Tools & Utilities

Structuring data in secondary storage and cloud storage:

• Management of the desktop — organising icons, shortcuts, taskbar/dock for quick access.
• Management of files and folders — using a logical folder hierarchy, meaningful naming conventions, and sharing/permissions to control who can view or edit specific files (especially important on shared or cloud storage).
• Archive — combining multiple files/folders into a single file for long-term storage or easier transfer (e.g. a .zip archive), which does not necessarily reduce size.
• Backup — creating a separate copy of data so it can be restored if the original is lost, corrupted, or damaged.
• Compress/decompress files — reducing (compressing) file size for storage/transfer efficiency, and restoring (decompressing) them to their original, usable form.

System management tasks:

• Installing/uninstalling software — including choosing a custom installation (select specific components) vs a full installation (install everything), and using product keys/activation codes to prove a legitimate license.
• Adding devices and device drivers — connecting new hardware and installing the software needed for the OS to communicate with it.
• Scheduling/updating — setting the OS or software to automatically check for and install updates at set times, often to patch security vulnerabilities.

Security features:

• Firewall — monitors and controls incoming/outgoing network traffic based on security rules, blocking unauthorised access.
• Anti-malware — software that detects, blocks and removes malicious software (viruses, spyware, ransomware, etc.).