220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that frequently becomes unresponsive. The user reports that the system slows down dramatically after a few hours of use, and the technician suspects a memory leak or resource exhaustion. The technician opens Task Manager and switches to the Performance tab. Which two counters should the technician monitor to confirm the suspicion? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is selecting counters that show symptoms of memory pressure, such as disk queue length, instead of the counters that directly measure memory consumption and availability.
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
✓
Memory usage percentage
Memory usage percentage and available memory are the two counters that directly reflect physical memory consumption and availability. A memory leak causes memory usage to climb and available memory to shrink over time, matching the reported slowdown. CPU utilization, disk queue length, and GPU usage can be affected indirectly but do not confirm memory exhaustion as directly as the memory-specific counters.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Memory usage percentage
Why this is correct
The Memory usage percentage shows how much of the physical RAM is currently in use. A steady increase over time without a corresponding drop indicates a memory leak or resource exhaustion. Monitoring this counter helps confirm whether the system is running out of available memory, which aligns with the reported slowdown after hours of use. It is a key indicator of memory pressure.
- ✓
Available memory
Why this is correct
Available memory shows the amount of physical RAM immediately available for new processes. A steady decline in available memory over time, especially with no change in workload, strongly suggests a memory leak. This counter directly reflects whether the system is running out of usable memory, which would explain the progressive slowdown. It complements memory usage percentage in confirming the issue.
- ✗
Disk queue length
Why it's wrong here
Disk queue length indicates the number of I/O requests waiting for the disk, which can rise when heavy paging occurs due to low memory. It is a secondary symptom rather than a direct measure of memory exhaustion. The technician needs to confirm the memory leak itself, so disk queue length is less direct than monitoring memory usage and available memory. It may be elevated but does not prove the leak.
- ✗
CPU utilization
Why it's wrong here
CPU utilization shows the percentage of processor capacity being used, which can reveal high load from a runaway process. However, a memory leak may not cause sustained high CPU usage; the system could slow down due to paging while CPU remains moderate. While useful, this counter alone does not confirm memory exhaustion, so it is not one of the two best indicators for the suspected leak.
- ✗
GPU usage
Why it's wrong here
GPU usage measures the load on the graphics processor, which is relevant for graphics-intensive tasks but not for diagnosing a memory leak. A memory leak in a user-mode process would not necessarily increase GPU utilization. Monitoring GPU usage would not provide evidence of system memory exhaustion, so it is not an appropriate counter for this scenario.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Disk Imaging and OS Deployment
Key term
Task Manager
Task Manager is a built-in Windows utility that shows running programs, processes, and system performance, allowing users to monitor and manage computer activity.
Key term
Availability
Availability is the measure of how often a system or service is operational and accessible when needed, typically expressed as a percentage of uptime.
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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
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