220-1102 Question 800
Single answerBrowser or system crashes due to mishandling of resourcesA user reports that their Windows 11 laptop becomes very slow after several hours of work, and the web browser eventually crashes. You observe in Task Manager that the browser's memory usage keeps increasing even when the user closes tabs, and available system memory becomes critically low. Other applications begin to freeze until the browser is ended. Which action is the BEST next step to identify the cause of the crashes?
- A
Disable or remove recently installed browser extensions and test whether memory usage continues to grow
- B
Increase the screen resolution so the browser uses hardware acceleration more efficiently
- C
Run CHKDSK to repair file system errors that are causing the browser to consume RAM
- D
Reinstall the network adapter driver because packet loss can cause memory exhaustion in browsers
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The symptoms point to a memory leak or other resource-handling problem within the browser environment. In A+ Core 2 troubleshooting, when a browser or system crash occurs due to mishandling of resources, the technician should first isolate the most likely software cause, especially recent changes such as extensions, add-ons, plugins, or browser updates. Task Manager showing memory usage continually rising even after tabs are closed is a strong indicator that a component is not releasing memory properly. Best practice is to disable extensions, test in a clean browser session or private mode, and compare behavior. Microsoft support guidance and common vendor troubleshooting practices for Edge, Chrome, and Firefox all emphasize isolating extensions/add-ons when diagnosing excessive memory use, hangs, and crashes.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A browser process whose memory usage continues to grow after tabs are closed suggests a resource leak, commonly caused by a faulty extension, add-on, or browser component. Disabling recently added extensions is a practical, low-impact troubleshooting step that helps isolate whether the crash is due to mishandling of memory or another browser resource. This aligns with standard troubleshooting practice: identify recent changes, isolate variables, and test.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Screen resolution does not address a pattern where memory usage steadily increases over time. While hardware acceleration can affect browser stability in some cases, changing resolution is not an appropriate next step for diagnosing a likely memory leak or resource-handling issue.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. CHKDSK is used to check disk and file system integrity. Although storage corruption can cause application issues in some scenarios, it would not typically explain steadily increasing RAM consumption after tabs are closed. This option reflects the misconception that any crash must be tied to disk errors.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Network adapter driver issues can cause connectivity problems, slow browsing, or dropped sessions, but they are not a likely root cause of persistent browser memory growth leading to low available RAM and system freezes. This distractor targets the misconception that all browser problems are network-related.