220-1102 Question 417
Single answerTools and methodsA help desk technician is troubleshooting a Windows 11 laptop that is taking several minutes to boot after a user installed multiple third-party utilities. The technician needs to identify which applications and services are launching at startup and temporarily prevent nonessential items from loading for testing, without uninstalling software or editing the registry directly. Which tool should the technician use first?
- A
System Configuration (msconfig)
- B
Disk Management
- C
Device Manager
- D
Performance Monitor
- E
Services.msc
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is System Configuration (msconfig) because the scenario specifically calls for identifying and temporarily preventing nonessential startup items from loading as part of troubleshooting. This aligns with the Windows clean boot method commonly recommended by Microsoft support documentation for isolating software conflicts caused by startup applications and non-Microsoft services. In current Windows versions, Task Manager is used for many startup app controls, but msconfig is still the classic tool associated with selective startup and diagnostic boot configuration in A+ Core 2 objectives. Disk Management and Device Manager are unrelated to startup software control, Performance Monitor is more appropriate for measuring behavior than isolating startup conflicts, and Services.msc covers only services rather than the broader startup troubleshooting method.
- A. Correct.
Correct. System Configuration (msconfig) is a standard Windows troubleshooting tool used to control startup behavior for diagnostic purposes. It allows a technician to perform selective startup and manage which services load during boot. In modern Windows versions, startup app management is integrated with Task Manager, but msconfig remains the appropriate first tool for a clean-boot style test because it is specifically designed to help isolate startup-related issues without uninstalling applications or manually changing registry entries.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk Management is used to view and manage disks, partitions, volumes, drive letters, and some storage configuration tasks. It does not help identify or disable startup programs or services that are slowing boot time.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Device Manager is used to view and manage hardware devices and drivers. Although driver problems can affect startup, Device Manager is not the primary tool for reviewing third-party startup applications and nonessential services installed by utilities.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Performance Monitor is useful for collecting and analyzing system performance data over time, such as CPU, memory, disk, and network counters. While it can help confirm that boot performance is poor, it is not the most efficient first tool to selectively disable startup items for troubleshooting.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Services.msc can be used to review and manage Windows services, including disabling individual services, but it does not provide a complete startup troubleshooting workflow for both services and startup applications. It is narrower than msconfig for this scenario and could lead to more trial-and-error if used first.