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Difficulty: MediumTroubleshooting Windows Performance and Application Crashes

A technician is troubleshooting a Windows workstation where a local database reporting application consistently causes system slowdowns. Task Manager indicates that memory utilization increases steadily to 95% whenever the application is active, while handle counts rise continuously until the application crashes. The technician suspects a background third-party service is conflicting with the application. Which of the following procedures should the technician perform to isolate the issue by initiating a clean boot?

  1. Open System Configuration (msconfig.exe), navigate to the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services, and select Disable all.Answer
  2. B
    Open the Services console (services.msc), select all non-running services, and change their Startup type setting to Disabled.
  3. C
    Open Task Manager, navigate to the Startup Apps tab, right-click each process, and select End Task to stop active memory consumption.
  4. D
    Run the sfc /scannow command from an elevated Command Prompt to restore default startup service configurations.

Answer

Open System Configuration (msconfig.exe), navigate to the Services tab, select Hide all Microsoft services, and select Disable all.
Performing a clean boot using System Configuration (msconfig.exe) by hiding all Microsoft services and disabling the remaining third-party services allows Windows to start with a minimal driver and service profile. This isolates background software conflicts causing high memory utilization and handle leaks without risking operating system functionality.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze symptoms and diagnostic metrics.
High memory utilization (95%) and rising handle counts indicate a resource issue or memory leak potentially triggered or exacerbated by conflicting background services.
Isolating whether third-party background software causes the instability requires disabling non-essential services.
2
Select the appropriate Windows diagnostic tool for clean boot configuration.
System Configuration (msconfig.exe) provides options to disable third-party services while preserving core Microsoft OS services.
Hiding core Microsoft services ensures system stability while allowing third-party items to be systematically disabled.
3
Execute the clean boot procedure.
Navigating to the Services tab in msconfig.exe, checking 'Hide all Microsoft services', and clicking 'Disable all' sets up the environment for isolation testing upon restart.
If the issue disappears after restarting, the technician can re-enable services in small groups to pinpoint the conflicting background process.

Key Concept

Clean Boot Diagnostic Procedure for Windows Performance Troubleshooting
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Troubleshooting Windows Performance and Application Crashes

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