easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1202 Practice Question: That their Windows 10 PC is running slowly and…
A user reports that their Windows 10 PC is running slowly and they suspect a background process is consuming too much memory. You need to identify the process and its memory usage without installing any additional tools. Which command-line tool should you use?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse `tasklist` with `ipconfig` or `sfc` because they are all common Windows command-line tools, but only `tasklist` is designed to display process information and memory usage.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
tasklist
B is correct because the `tasklist` command displays a list of all currently running processes on a Windows system, including their memory usage (in kilobytes) under the 'Mem Usage' column. This built-in command-line tool allows you to identify which process is consuming excessive memory without installing any third-party software, directly addressing the user's need to diagnose a slow PC.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ipconfig
Why it's wrong here
The `ipconfig` command-line utility is exclusively used to display and manage the network configuration of a Windows system, including IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and DNS servers. While network connectivity issues can sometimes manifest as perceived system slowness, `ipconfig` provides no information regarding CPU utilization, memory consumption by processes, or disk I/O. Therefore, it is entirely irrelevant for diagnosing a slow PC caused by an application or service consuming excessive system resources.
- ✓
tasklist
Why this is correct
The `tasklist` command-line utility is the correct tool because it provides a detailed list of all running processes on a local or remote Windows system, including their Process ID (PID), session name, and crucial memory usage statistics. This utility is highly effective for identifying which applications or background services are consuming excessive RAM or other resources, directly contributing to a slow or unresponsive PC. By analyzing its output, a technician can quickly pinpoint resource-intensive tasks that may need to be terminated or investigated further.
- ✗
chkdsk
Why it's wrong here
Chkdsk scans the file system for logical and physical errors, not running processes; it cannot report memory consumption by a background task, which requires a tool like Task Manager or `tasklist` that queries the OS process table. It is tempting because chkdsk is a built-in utility often used to diagnose system slowness caused by disk corruption, making it a correct choice when a user suspects hard drive issues rather than memory leaks.
- ✗
sfc /scannow
Why it's wrong here
The `sfc /scannow` command initiates the System File Checker utility, which is specifically designed to scan and repair corrupted or missing protected Windows system files by replacing them with correct versions. While essential for resolving system instability, crashes, or boot issues caused by damaged core operating system components, `sfc /scannow` does not monitor active processes, report their resource usage, or diagnose performance bottlenecks related to high CPU or memory consumption. Thus, it is not suitable for identifying the cause of a generally slow PC due to an application's resource demands.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 495 original 220-1202 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.