Questions and Answers

Lesson 1 Review

1. List some common measures that you can take to help improve startup performance.

   Eliminate unnecessary actions that are performed by the BIOS when the computer starts up (such as memory testing). Reduce the amount of time Windows waits for you to choose an operating system if multiple operating systems are configured on the computer. Remove unnecessary applications that start with Windows. Remove hardware drivers and other associated software whenever you remove a hardware device from a computer.

2. Which of the following tools can you use to control the Windows startup process?

   1. System Information

   2. System Configuration Utility

   3. Chkdsk

   4. Virtual Memory

   b is the correct answer. You can use the System Configuration Utility (which you can start by typing msconfig in the Run dialog box) to control the startup process. a is not correct because System Information displays configuration information about a computer. c is not correct because Chkdsk scans hard drives for errors. d is not correct because Virtual Memory is not a tool, but a system Windows uses to augment the physical memory on a computer.

Lesson 2 Review

1. Which of the following pieces of information can you view by using Task Manager?

   1. Current CPU usage

   2. The percentage of time that a physical disk is busy

   3. The amount of available physical memory

   4. The percentage of the paging file currently in use

   a and c are the correct answers. Task Manager shows current information on CPU and memory usage. b and d are not correct because you must use the Performance tool to monitor these values.

2. You are using the Performance tool to monitor the performance of a user’s computer. You notice that the processor regularly averages over 80 percent utilization when the computer is used normally. You also notice that the Pages/sec counter for the memory object averages around 4. What does this indicate to you?

   1. The processor is a potential bottleneck.

   2. The physical disk is a potential bottleneck.

   3. The memory is a potential bottleneck.

   4. This value is within the acceptable range for normal computer use.

   a is the correct answer. A sustained processor usage of over 80 percent typically indicates that the processor is a performance bottleneck. b is not correct because this value does not indicate a disk bottleneck. c is not correct because the Pages/sec value indicates that memory is probably not a bottleneck. d is not correct because sustained processor usage values over 80 percent are not in the acceptable range.

Case Scenario Exercises: Scenario 12.1

What is causing the computer performance problem, and how can you resolve it?

The performance statistics that you obtain by using the Performance tool indicate that the computer is experiencing a shortage of memory. The acceptable level of Pages/sec is under 20. At the current average rate of 107 Pages/sec, the operating system is spending a lot of time moving data in and out of physical memory and the paging file. Also, the % Disk Time statistic indicates a potential hard disk performance issue (67 percent, with an acceptable threshold of 50 percent). The hard disk could be a problem, but it is more likely that the increased paging is causing the hard disk to work much harder than it has to. Increasing the amount of memory in the computer decreases the load on the hard disk, which will most likely cause the % Disk Time counter to drop below the acceptable threshold. It is not surprising that the computer began to have performance problems after the operating system was upgraded. Windows XP requires a higher level of resources than Windows 98. Memory that was previously unused by the Windows 98 operating system and that was available for applications is now being used by Windows XP.

Case Scenario Exercises: Scenario 12.2

You receive a call from a user who reports that his computer seems to run more slowly than it used to. Upon further questioning, you suspect that the problem may not be hardware-based, but that the user probably needs to optimize the performance of his hard disk. What three actions would you suggest to the user for optimizing his hard disk before resorting to using the Performance tool to measure the computer’s performance?

First, the user should use the Chkdsk command to scan the hard disk for errors. Next, the user should use Disk Cleanup to scan the hard disk and locate files that he can safely remove. Finally, the user should run Disk Defragmenter to analyze the level of fragmentation on the hard disk and defragment the disk if necessary.