List five warnings about the use of support utilities that support specialists should be aware of.

What will be an ideal response?

Any five of the following:
Information about specific utilities, including features, costs, download instructions, and documentation, often changes from version to version; check online software specifications and reviews for changes and suitability before downloading or purchasing any utility.

Open source, freeware, and shareware utilities may not include all the functionality and features of their better-known, commercial counterparts.

Some vendors who offer a trial or demonstration version of a software utility disable some features or enforce other limitations, including use limited to a specific time period; for example, a "free" utility that scans a PC for problems may repair the problems only in a paid version.

Some vendors who offer free versions may limit their use to noncommercial, personal use. Use by nonprofit organizations, corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies may fall under a commercial license for which there is a fee.

Vendors who offer both free and commercial versions of utilities encourage users to buy their commercial versions in a variety of obvious and less-than-obvious ways, including advertisements on their websites or during the operation of a utility and sometimes misleading links to download commercial versions.

Websites that advertise "free download" do not necessarily mean use of the software is free (only that it doesn't cost anything to download the software).

While most utility software vendors are reputable and up-front about their use of registration information, some use various methods, including opt-in checks boxes to allow them to accumulate and sell registration information to third parties; often the details of these methods are buried in privacy policies and end-user license agreements (EULAs).

Not all software utilities run on every version of an operating system. Check the system requirements for hardware and software prerequisites for each utility.

Utilities that modify the setting or contents of a PC (such as performance-enhancement settings or Registry and disk cleaners) should be used with caution and only after backing up the parts of a system that will be modified so that settings or content can be recovered in case of a malfunction.

Some organizations, agencies, and educational institutions do not permit unauthorized software to be downloaded, installed, and used in a network environment in which security and support issues are common. Learn about restrictions on the use of utility software in your environment.