Many users of modern computers very often encounter system programs, although in some cases they do not even suspect that they are dealing with them. Some people even try not to get into the jungle, so as not to disrupt the operation of the OS. Perhaps it’s worthwhile to understand what system programs are, what types of system programs are known today. Along the way, the question of what they are in terms of functionality will be considered. But first things first.
System programs - what is it?
So, now we will not particularly go into the intricacies of the operation of system applications. The average user does not need this. Consider the main issues associated with understanding which system programs are found in general. In addition, you can learn a little about their classification.
In simple terms, system programs are designed to communicate between the installed operating system, the hardware components of the computer terminal, applications, and the user himself. And here is the user? Yes, just the connection of the same OS with the user is carried out through a graphical interface with which he can get access to certain functions embedded in the system itself.
Classes of system programs
Today, there are many classifications of system software. However, basically they can be conditionally divided into several classes or groups. First of all, these are system management programs, data processing tools, basic minimum sets for operating the OS, and service utilities.
Needless to say, each class can be shared more and more. So, for example, operating system programs, in fact, are the most common OS, which today can count dozens. The same thing is observed, say, in service software, where a huge number of all kinds of utilities are presented for a variety of purposes (working with hard drives, editing the registry, removing computer "garbage", uninstalling applications, etc.)
Drivers
One of the most important components in any computer system are drivers, which are also system programs. These are small special applications that are responsible for the correct functioning of any "iron" device. Who did not come across the concept of a video card driver or sound card?
It is the drivers, so to speak, that help the system correctly configure the operation of any component. As a rule, even when buying a computer or laptop, a special driver disk is always supplied. This is due to the fact that, depending on the manufacturer, the same Windows operating systems do not always correctly recognize a device, despite the extensive catalog present in their distributions.
In some cases, Windows may install the most suitable driver, but the device does not work. This is where the installation of the original “native” drivers provided by the manufacturer of the “iron” equipment comes to the rescue.
Standard Windows system programs
As expected, Windows has its own system programs. These are, as a rule, utilities that are available to the user in the Start menu in the sections "All Programs" / "Administration", "Maintenance" and "Standard", and some in the "Control Panel". In standard programs, in addition to system utilities, there is also a minimal set of applications necessary for work.
Unfortunately, in terms of system programs, Windows OSs are not particularly different. Most processes are hidden from the user's eyes. This is understandable, because the completion of a process or the removal of a system service can have disastrous consequences for the entire system.
Some curious users often wonder about how to remove a system program. The answer is simple: no way! Built-in system utilities in Windows are not deleted. Of course, you can delete entries and keys in the registry, but the system will restore the default values when re-loading. In addition, after removal, it is possible that the OS will not work at all, so it’s better not to risk it.
System and data recovery
An important role today is played by the ability to restore the system, or, as they say, rollback to the previous state, determined by the control point. In versions of Windows, such an opportunity appeared, starting with the version of Windows Millennium. True, there the user did not have direct access to recovery tools. Later, such an opportunity became available in the form of a "Center for backup and recovery."
By the way, using these tools you can create not only a recovery point, but also the entire system image, disk or partition image for subsequent recovery and performance.
Work with images
Windows provides not the best tools for working with images, which is obvious. But third-party developers have gone much further in this regard.
Utilities such as UltraISO, Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120%, etc., have much more features than standard Windows tools.
Antiviruses
Perhaps, for Windows, anti-virus packages are the most popular part of system programs, because it is the family of Windows operating systems that is most exposed to viruses. There are so many holes in the system that it is not surprising that Microsoft is constantly releasing some kind of updates, most often related to patching security holes.
In this case, it is best to turn to professionals. Here are various products of Kaspersky Lab, Eset, Norton, free antiviruses such as AVG, Avira, Panda, etc.
Testers
What system programs are provided for testing? Basically, these are utilities for verifying the health of the OS itself and its "iron" components. In some cases, such applications may combine optimization functions or even work as a means to overclock processors or video cards.
These programs can be divided into information applications and utilities that can correct errors or restore the functionality of a component. Utilities like CPU-Z or Everest can be classified as purely informational, and Victoria or HDD Regenerator can be regarded as restoring .
Optimizers
Optimizers are designed to speed up the OS by correcting errors, removing unnecessary computer “garbage”, defragmenting disks , etc. Windows, of course, has its own tools in the form of the same defragmenter to speed up access to data and launch applications or a disk cleaning system .
However, as practice shows, they are inferior to specialized utilities such as Advanced System Care, CCleaner, Glary Utillities, Windows 7 Manager and many others.
Archivers
Work with archives is an integral part of any system. Windows has a built-in WinZIP archiver. I must say that this is not Microsoft's own development. It was created specifically on the basis of the good old ZIP archiver.
WinRAR, WinZIP, 7-Zip and many others are recognized as the best in this field. Each utility has its own specifics, but in general they work on almost the same principle.
Additional funds
There are many more additional categories that include system programs. This is including ActiveX controls. The most striking example - Adobe Flash Player - a program for playing streaming video on the Internet. As already understood, there is nothing of the kind in Windows themselves.
No less important component can be called all kinds of sets of codecs and decoders, without which it will be impossible to either watch video or play audio. Here the leading position belongs to the K-Lite Codec Pack.
Tools for working with PDF documents or Internet resources containing such data are very popular. Here programs like Adobe Reader come to the rescue. Moreover, such utilities during the installation process can even integrate into the system itself and into Internet browsers.
This includes many system programs that are responsible for Internet access or creating local networks, without which the modern world is impossible to imagine.
Conclusion
In principle, we considered only the general concepts of system programs. In fact, if you dig deeper, you can list them ad infinitum. It is clear, after all, that the development of computer technology does not stand still. That is why new classes of system programs arise, which are already responsible for completely different directions in work. So you can only guess what system applications will become when quantum computers arise ...