220-1102 Question 495
Single answerDisable unused servicesA small business uses several Windows 10 workstations in a finance office. One PC is noticeably slower at startup than the others, and a security review shows that it has several network-facing services enabled that the office does not use. The PC is not used for file sharing, remote administration, or faxing. You need to reduce the system's attack surface and improve performance without affecting normal user tasks such as web access, printing to a network printer, and line-of-business applications. Which action should the technician take FIRST?
- A
Open the Services console, identify unnecessary services such as Remote Registry and Fax, and set those unused services to Disabled after confirming they are not required
- B
Use Task Manager to end all non-Microsoft background processes so the system starts faster on the next boot
- C
Disable the Print Spooler service because the PC prints to a network printer rather than a local printer
- D
Run Disk Cleanup and delete temporary files, because startup delays are primarily caused by cached application data
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The key objective is to disable unused services safely and deliberately. On Windows systems, technicians should review services through the Services console or an equivalent administrative tool, verify what the workstation actually needs, and disable only those services that are unnecessary for the user's role. In this scenario, services related to faxing or remote registry access are good candidates if they are not used. This approach follows the principle of least functionality, a common security best practice: fewer enabled services means fewer potential vulnerabilities and less startup overhead. Microsoft documentation for Windows service management and security baselines consistently emphasizes reducing unnecessary services and validating dependencies before making changes. By contrast, killing processes in Task Manager is temporary, disabling Print Spooler would likely break printing, and Disk Cleanup does not address the security issue of unnecessary active services.
- A. Correct.
This is the best first action. In Windows, the Services console (services.msc) is the standard tool for reviewing and managing services. If the system does not use features like faxing or remote registry management, disabling those unused services can reduce startup load and shrink the attack surface. The scenario specifically says the office does not use file sharing, remote administration, or faxing, so confirming dependencies and then disabling unneeded services is an appropriate best practice.
- B. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Ending processes in Task Manager is temporary and does not properly address services that start automatically at boot. Many background items will restart, and indiscriminately terminating processes can disrupt user applications or system stability. The question is specifically about disabling unused services in a controlled, persistent way.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. The Print Spooler is still typically required for printing, including many network printing scenarios on Windows clients. Disabling it could prevent the user from printing at all. Although reducing attack surface is important, this option risks breaking a stated business requirement.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Disk Cleanup may recover space and remove temporary files, but it does not directly address unnecessary services listening on the network or starting automatically at boot. It may help general maintenance, but it is not the best first step for the stated security and service-management goal.