Management Information System (MIS) Practice Exam

Which type of software utility is used to archive files from hard disks to tapes or other storage devices?

1. Data compression

2. File defragmentation

3. Disk and data recovery

4. Backup

The correct answer is: Backup

The type of software utility used to archive files from hard disks to tapes or other storage devices is backup software. Backup utilities are specifically designed to create copies of data to ensure that it can be restored in case of data loss, corruption, or hardware failure. When archiving files, these utilities typically allow users to select specific files and folders and transfer them to a different medium, such as tape drives, external hard drives, or cloud storage. Backup software often includes features such as scheduled backups, incremental backups (which only back up changes since the last backup), and options for full backups. This ensures that data is consistently saved and can be retrieved effectively when needed. While data compression, file defragmentation, and disk and data recovery are important functions for managing and protecting data, they serve different purposes. Data compression reduces the size of files but does not specifically archive them. File defragmentation improves access speeds and reorganizes fragmented data but doesn't create copies of data for safekeeping. Disk and data recovery refers to methods of reclaiming lost or corrupt data rather than the proactive process of creating backups. Thus, backup utilities are the correct answer when it comes to archiving files for safety and retrieval purposes.