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220-1102 Practice Question: A user on Windows 11 reports that their computer…
A user on Windows 11 reports that their computer frequently freezes for 5–10 seconds at a time, especially when opening multiple browser tabs. The system has 8 GB of RAM and a mechanical hard drive. Which performance monitor counter should you check first to confirm the likely bottleneck?
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
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Avg. Disk Queue Length
Frequent freezing when multitasking on a system with a mechanical hard drive and limited RAM often points to excessive disk usage due to paging. The 'Avg. Disk Queue Length' counter in Performance Monitor indicates how many requests are waiting for the disk; a sustained value over 2 suggests the disk is the bottleneck, likely from swapping memory to the page file.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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% Processor Time
Why it's wrong here
High % Processor Time indicates that the CPU is actively executing instructions. While sustained high CPU utilization can lead to overall system sluggishness and slow application responsiveness, it typically does not manifest as short, periodic freezes where the system becomes completely unresponsive for brief moments. These intermittent freezes are more characteristic of a bottleneck in a different subsystem, such as disk I/O, where the system is waiting for data.
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Available Mbytes
Why it's wrong here
Available Mbytes measures the amount of physical memory currently unused and available for new allocations. While critically low available memory is often the root cause of performance issues, it directly leads to increased paging activity as the operating system moves data between RAM and the page file on disk. The symptom of periodic freezes arises when the disk subsystem struggles to keep up with this excessive paging, making disk performance counters a more direct indicator of the immediate bottleneck causing the freezes.
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Avg. Disk Queue Length
Why this is correct
A high average disk queue length indicates that the disk is overwhelmed with requests, which is a classic symptom of excessive paging on a system with insufficient RAM and a slow HDD. This is the best counter to confirm the bottleneck.
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Pages/sec
Why it's wrong here
Pages/sec tracks the number of hard page faults per second, indicating how frequently the system needs to retrieve data from or write data to the page file on disk because it is not in physical RAM. While a high Pages/sec value confirms excessive memory swapping, it describes the *demand* placed on the disk, not necessarily the disk's *ability* to handle that demand. The actual periodic freezes are caused by the disk becoming a bottleneck and failing to process these requests promptly, which is more directly measured by the disk's queue length.
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Related to this question
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Windows Editions and Features
Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
Key term
Dual In-line Memory Module
A Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) is a small circuit board that holds memory chips and plugs into a computer's motherboard to provide Random Access Memory (RAM).
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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