A user reports that their computer is running slowly and the hard drive activity light is constantly on. The technician checks Task Manager and sees that disk usage is at 100%. What is the most likely cause?
Trap 1: Malware infection that is encrypting files in the background
Malware might cause high CPU but not specifically disk usage at 100%.
Trap 2: A failing hard drive that needs to be replaced immediately
A failing drive would typically show errors or bad sectors, not necessarily constant 100% disk usage.
Trap 3: The hard drive is almost full and needs to be defragmented
A full drive does not cause 100% disk time; defragmentation is not the issue.
- A
Malware infection that is encrypting files in the background
Why wrong: Malware might cause high CPU but not specifically disk usage at 100%.
- B
Insufficient RAM causing the system to use the hard drive as virtual memory excessively
High disk usage with constant activity often indicates insufficient RAM causing excessive paging.
- C
A failing hard drive that needs to be replaced immediately
Why wrong: A failing drive would typically show errors or bad sectors, not necessarily constant 100% disk usage.
- D
The hard drive is almost full and needs to be defragmented
Why wrong: A full drive does not cause 100% disk time; defragmentation is not the issue.