220-1102 Question 160
Single answerSystemA technician is troubleshooting a Windows 11 laptop that takes several minutes to become usable after sign-in. The user reports the issue started after installing several utilities for a project. In Task Manager, CPU and disk usage remain high for a long time after startup, and the technician wants to identify which nonessential applications are launching automatically so they can be disabled without uninstalling them. Which tool should the technician use FIRST?
- A
Task Manager's Startup tab
- B
Device Manager
- C
Disk Management
- D
Services.msc
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best first tool is Task Manager's Startup tab because it is designed to show and control applications that run automatically at user logon. This matches the scenario: the performance issue appears after sign-in, began after utility installation, and the technician wants to disable nonessential startup apps without uninstalling them. In current versions of Windows, Task Manager provides startup status and impact ratings, which helps identify likely contributors to slow logon performance. Microsoft documents Task Manager as a built-in utility for managing startup applications, while services are managed separately through the Services console and hardware through Device Manager. Following best practice, a technician should review startup apps first, disable only nonessential items, and then retest before making broader system changes.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Windows 10 and Windows 11, Task Manager's Startup tab is the primary built-in tool for viewing and managing user-level startup applications. It shows which apps launch automatically at sign-in and provides startup impact information, making it the best first step when performance problems occur after login due to newly installed utilities.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Device Manager is used to view and manage hardware devices, drivers, and device status. It would be appropriate for troubleshooting missing drivers or hardware conflicts, but it does not provide the main interface for reviewing normal startup applications that launch after user sign-in.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk Management is used to manage partitions, volumes, drive letters, and disk initialization. Although high disk usage may be observed during startup, Disk Management does not identify which applications are configured to launch automatically.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Services.msc can be used to manage background services, including startup types such as Automatic or Manual. However, the scenario specifically mentions utilities installed by a user and applications launching automatically after sign-in. Startup apps should be checked first in Task Manager before modifying services, because disabling services unnecessarily can affect system functionality.