220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that their Windows 10 workstation is running very slowly, especially when opening applications. The technician opens Task Manager and notices that the disk usage is consistently at 100%. Which built-in Windows tool should the technician use to diagnose the cause of high disk usage?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Performance Monitor with Resource Monitor, but Performance Monitor requires pre-configured counters and lacks the immediate, process-specific disk I/O detail that Resource Monitor provides for diagnosing a current 100% disk usage issue.
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
✓
Resource Monitor
Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) is the correct tool because it provides a detailed, real-time view of disk activity, including which specific processes are performing read/write operations, the associated file handles, and the disk queue length. This granularity allows the technician to pinpoint the exact process or service causing the sustained 100% disk usage, which Task Manager alone cannot identify.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Resource Monitor
Why this is correct
Resource Monitor (perfmon /res) provides a live, per-process breakdown of disk I/O — read and write rates, response times, and disk queue depth — in its Disk tab. This lets a technician immediately identify the specific process saturating the disk, rather than only seeing a system-wide percentage. No counters or logs need to be configured beforehand.
- ✗
Event Viewer
Why it's wrong here
Event Viewer is a centralized log viewer for system, application, and security events recorded over time. It can show past disk-related errors (e.g., Ntfs, disk warning events) but does not display real-time per-process disk I/O or let you watch which process is currently consuming the disk. It is a historical diagnostic tool, not a live performance monitor.
- ✗
Performance Monitor
Why it's wrong here
Performance Monitor (perfmon.msc) can track disk performance counters such as % Disk Time or Avg. Disk Queue Length, but you must manually add the desired counters and often start a data collector set or log before the incident worsens. It aggregates counter data across the system or by counter, and does not directly map disk activity to individual processes without enabling process counters like Process\IO Data Bytes/sec — a more cumbersome and less immediate approach.
- ✗
System Configuration
Why it's wrong here
System Configuration (msconfig) is a boot and startup utility used to adjust boot options, enable/disable startup programs and services, and switch to Diagnostic Startup. It does not display real-time disk activity or any performance metrics. While disabling startup items might indirectly reduce disk churn after a reboot, it cannot help diagnose which currently running process is causing the slowdown.
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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
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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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.