220-1102 Question 140
Single answerAdministrative ToolsA Windows 10 user reports that an application crashes every morning at about 9:00 a.m. You need to identify whether a scheduled administrative task or a related system event is triggering the problem, using built-in Administrative Tools. Which tool should you open first to investigate the likely cause most efficiently?
- A
Task Scheduler
- B
Services
- C
System Configuration
- D
Disk Cleanup
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
When a problem occurs at a consistent scheduled time, the most efficient first step is to use Task Scheduler, an Administrative Tool designed to manage and review scheduled jobs. In Windows, many maintenance activities, update-related tasks, scripts, and vendor-installed utilities run through Task Scheduler. Reviewing task triggers, last run times, and history can quickly reveal whether an event at 9:00 a.m. is related to the crash. As a best practice, technicians should correlate Task Scheduler findings with Event Viewer logs if further confirmation is needed, but Task Scheduler is the best first tool when the timing strongly suggests scheduled automation. This aligns with standard Microsoft guidance for troubleshooting scheduled tasks and Windows administrative workflows.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Task Scheduler is the best first tool to check when a problem occurs at the same time each day, because it allows you to review scheduled tasks, triggers, run times, and task history. If a maintenance script, update task, or custom scheduled job is launching at 9:00 a.m. and causing the application crash or resource contention, Task Scheduler is the most direct Administrative Tool to identify it.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Services is used to manage background services and their startup types, such as Automatic or Manual. While a service could contribute to application issues, Services does not focus on time-based triggers in the same way Task Scheduler does. A daily failure at a precise time points more strongly to a scheduled task than to a standard service startup issue.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. System Configuration (msconfig) is useful for troubleshooting startup behavior, boot options, and selectively enabling or disabling startup items and services. However, it is not the most efficient first choice for investigating an event that happens at a specific time every day after the system is already running.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk Cleanup is used to free disk space by removing temporary files and other unneeded data. It does not help identify scheduled jobs, task triggers, or timed system events related to application crashes.