220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that after installing a new video editing application, their Windows 10 computer crashes with a blue screen shortly after boot. The technician can boot the system into Safe Mode without issues. Which tool should the technician use FIRST to help isolate the problematic driver or service?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often choose Event Viewer because they think reviewing crash logs is the first step, but the question asks for the tool to 'isolate' the problematic driver or service, not just to view the error—msconfig allows active isolation through selective startup.
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
✓
System Configuration (msconfig)
System Configuration (msconfig) allows you to perform a 'diagnostic startup' or selectively disable startup services and drivers. Since the crash occurs after installing a new video editing application, the most likely cause is a third-party service or driver loaded during normal boot but not in Safe Mode. Using msconfig to enable 'Boot logging' or to disable non-Microsoft services one by one can isolate the problematic component.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Event Viewer
Why it's wrong here
Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) records Application and System logs, including stop errors, WHEA events, and the faulting module that crashed. It can reveal which driver is implicated, but it is a read-only diagnostic log; it cannot disable services or drivers to perform isolation testing. This makes it useful for confirming a suspect after the fact, not for controlling the next boot.
- ✗
Task Manager
Why it's wrong here
Task Manager provides a live snapshot of running processes, CPU/memory usage, and a Startup tab for user-mode startup apps. However, it does not manage kernel-mode drivers or Windows services that load during boot, and its 'Disable' action only affects currently loaded apps/processes, not the persistent startup configuration required for hardware/driver isolation. Therefore it cannot enable one service at a time to find an offending driver.
- ✓
System Configuration (msconfig)
Why this is correct
System Configuration (msconfig) has a Services tab and a Selective Startup mode that can hide all Microsoft services and disable third-party services, while the Boot tab permits Safe Boot or disabling required boot features. A technician can disable suspected drivers/services, reboot, and re-enable one item at a time to reproduce the fault. This is the correct tool for cleanly isolating driver-caused instability after software installation.
- ✗
Performance Monitor
Why it's wrong here
Performance Monitor (perfmon.msc) tracks counters and data collector sets over time, such as disk queue length, CPU utilization, or memory pages/sec, to analyze a performance trend. It has no control over what drivers or services are loaded and cannot modify startup behavior. Using it to diagnose a boot-time driver conflict would only yield delayed evidence, not an isolation mechanism.
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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
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 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 220-1102 exam.