220-1102 Question 791
Single answerRestarting machinesA technician is remotely supporting a Windows 10 user whose system has become sluggish after several software installations. The user says they usually click Shut down at the end of the day and turn the PC back on in the morning, but the performance issue has persisted for a week. The technician wants to ensure Windows fully reloads the kernel and installed drivers as part of troubleshooting. Which action should the technician instruct the user to take?
- A
Select Restart from the Power menu
- B
Select Shut down from the Power menu
- C
Sign out of the current user session and sign back in
- D
Put the PC into Sleep mode and wake it after 30 seconds
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best answer is to use Restart. In Windows 10 and later, Fast Startup can make Shut down behave differently from a traditional full shutdown by using a hybrid shutdown process. For troubleshooting after software installs, updates, or driver-related problems, Restart is the recommended choice because it performs a full reboot and reloads the operating system state more completely. This aligns with Microsoft guidance that restarting the PC is often necessary to fully apply changes and clear temporary system-state issues. From an A+ Core 2 perspective, candidates should recognize the practical difference between restart, shutdown, sign-out, and sleep when diagnosing user-reported performance or stability problems.
- A. Correct.
Correct. On Windows 10, using Restart performs a full reboot sequence and is the preferred step when troubleshooting system performance, driver changes, updates, and software installations. This ensures the operating system reloads the kernel and drivers. In environments where Fast Startup is enabled, Restart is more reliable than a normal shutdown for forcing a complete reboot.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Many technicians assume Shut down and then powering back on is identical to Restart, but on Windows 10, Fast Startup can cause shutdown to use a hybrid process that does not fully reinitialize the Windows kernel. That can allow certain issues to persist, making this a less effective troubleshooting step when the goal is a complete reload.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Signing out closes the user session and applications for that account, but it does not reboot the operating system. Kernel-level components, system services, and drivers are not fully reloaded, so this would not meet the technician's troubleshooting objective.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Sleep is a low-power state that preserves the current system state in memory so the user can resume quickly. It does not perform a full operating system restart and therefore will not reload the kernel or newly installed drivers in the same way as a true restart.