Windows OS Troubleshooting

What appears in MS Windows when the system encounters a critical error it cannot recover from without risking further instability? It displays technical details that may help advanced users diagnose the underlying cause of the error.

The BSoD (Blue Screen of Death)

What tool can be used to identify resource-intensive applications that cause degraded performance in MS Windows

Task Manager

What actions do you take to resolve a Windows boot issue caused by the system attepmting to start from an incorrect device

• Update the boot order in BIOS

• Disconnect any removable drives

What WinRE tool is specifically designed to automatically recover from OS boot failures

Startup repair

What command-line tool should a technician run to troubleshoot a “Windows Boot Configuration Data file is missing some required information” error

bootrec /rebuildbcd

What should a technician use to troubleshoot a Windows system that powers off unexpectedly after a GPU driver ipdate

Device Manager

What Windows system utility can a technician use to review detailed system logs and determine the cause of several restarts without displaying a BSoD

Event Viewer

What built-in Windows command-line tool should be run to verify and repair corrupted system files

sfc /scannow

What should a technician do to isolate the cause of a Windows desktop powering off randomly when non-MS services are loaded but doesn’t happen when in Safe Mode

Perform a clean boot

Which Windows diagnostic tool provides a timeline of system events and failures, including unexpected shutdowns

Reliability Monitor

What option in Windows is specifically used to prevent a computer from immediately rebooting after a blue screen error, allowing time to view the stop error code and other critical information needed for troubleshooting

Disable automatic restart on system failure

What is s MS Windows system applet used for managing background applications and proceses and can be accessed by pressing Windows logo + R or typing services.msc in the Run dialog box

Services

What system utility in MS Windows is the primary source for viewing detailed information regarding application crashes

Event Viewer

What Windows utility provides access to reinstall an application

Programs and Features

In MS Windows, a reserved portion of the storage drive used for data that cannot be stored in RAM due to insufficient memory space is called what

Paging file

What Windows utilities can be used to identify processes consuming the most memory

• Task Manager

• Resource Monitor

What methods are recomended for resolving or preventing low memory warnings on a Windows based system

• Upgrade system memory

• Close unnecessary background apps

• Increase the size of the paging file

What are some ways in MS Windows to troubleshoot solutions to USB controller resource warnings such as USB devices exceeding the number of available endpoints (a.k.a. data buffers) or drawing too much power

• Unplugging USB devices that are not in use

• Move devices to ports linked to a different USB controller

What are ways to troubleshoot Windows system instability commonly caused by hardware failures, driver conflicts, corrupted system files, overheating, insufficient power, or incompatible software

• Isolate faulty components

• Verify system integrity

• Restore stability through updates, diagnostics, and repairs

What are some tools to troubleshoot Windows system instability

• Event Viewer for error analysis

• Safe Mode for driver and startup isolation

• Windows Memory Diagnostic for testing RAM

• SFC utility for repairing corrupted system files

Assuming the physical storage drive is functional, what are some most likely causes of an OS detection failure

• Incorrect BIOS/UEFI boot order

• Corrupted boot records/files

What is a common solution for a Windows domain user experiencing long delays during login, and the profile taking several minutes to load

Rebuilding Windows profiles

What are valid causes of time drift in Windows

• Disabled Windows Time (W32Time) service

• CMOS battery failure

• Unreachable or misconfigured NTP server

Where can time synch settings be accessed in Windows

Windows Control panel > Clock and Region > Set the time and date > Internet Time tab > Change settings