220-1202 Operating Systems Practice Question
A user reports that their Windows 11 laptop takes several minutes to reach the desktop after signing in, and the desktop icons and taskbar appear one by one. No error messages are displayed. You open Task Manager and see that disk usage is at 100% for several minutes after logon. Which Windows tool should you use first to identify the specific startup program causing the delay?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Event Viewer will pinpoint the slow startup app because it logs system events, when in fact it does not enumerate startup programs or their performance impact.
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
✓
Task Manager > Startup tab
Task Manager's Startup tab is the built-in tool that specifically lists programs set to run at logon and provides an impact rating based on resource usage. Since the symptom is slow logon with high disk usage, checking this tab lets you quickly identify and disable the offending startup app. Other tools are either too broad or focus on the wrong object.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
System Configuration (msconfig) > Services tab
Why it's wrong here
The Services tab in msconfig shows Windows services, not user-level startup programs. Many startup apps are not services and would be missed. While it can help with service-related delays, it is not the first tool to identify a specific startup application causing high disk usage after sign-in.
- ✓
Task Manager > Startup tab
Why this is correct
The Startup tab in Task Manager lists all programs configured to launch at user logon and shows an impact rating for each. Disabling or investigating high-impact entries directly addresses the slow post-logon behavior. It is the quickest built-in tool to identify which startup app is saturating disk I/O during sign-in.
- ✗
Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application
Why it's wrong here
The Application log may show errors from crashing apps, but the scenario reports no error messages. It does not enumerate startup programs or show which one is consuming disk during logon. Searching this log first would likely yield no actionable entries and delay resolution.
- ✗
Performance Monitor with a Data Collector Set
Why it's wrong here
Performance Monitor can capture detailed disk and CPU counters, but it does not list startup programs or their impact ratings. Using it first would require you to manually correlate hundreds of counters to a specific app, which is inefficient when Task Manager already surfaces startup impact. It is better for ongoing baseline monitoring, not quick startup triage.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.