Domain 1 of 4 · Chapter 2 of 3

Windows Management Tools

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Included in this chapter:

  • Sort the toolset by the job it does
  • Task Manager and the live-monitoring ladder
  • MMC snap-ins: one console per subsystem
  • Command-line network diagnostics
  • Command-line repair and maintenance
  • Disk Management and diskpart
  • Control Panel and Settings: where an item lives
  • MSConfig runs a clean boot
  • How the exam frames tool questions

Live-monitoring tools: from a quick glance to deep counters

AspectTask ManagerResource MonitorPerformance MonitorEvent Viewer
Primary questionWhat is using CPU, RAM, or disk right now?Which process holds this file, handle, or port?How does a counter trend over time?What did the system log about this error?
Data windowLive snapshotLive, per-process detailLive plus logged historyHistorical event records
DepthQuick triagePer-process handles, disk I/O, and networkHundreds of counters and data collector setsTimestamped logs sorted by severity
LaunchCtrl+Shift+Esc or taskmgrresmonperfmoneventvwr.msc
Typical useKill a hung app, disable a startup itemFind what locks a file or uses a portBaseline load and long-term diagnosisTrace a crash, service, or boot failure

Decision tree

Live performance or hung app?A logged error or crash to read?A disk or volume to lay out?A device, service, user, or task?Need file, handle, or port?Task ManagerResource MonitorEvent ViewerDisk Management or diskpartMMC snap-in (Device Manager, Services)Command Prompt / PowerShellNoNoNoYesNoYesYesYesYesNo
Cheat sheet

Cheat sheet

  • Open Task Manager first for a live performance or hung-app symptom
  • On Windows 10 and 11, startup apps live in Task Manager, not MSConfig
  • Use Resource Monitor to find what locks a file or holds a port
  • Performance Monitor logs counters over time; Task Manager is only live
  • Event Viewer holds the timestamped logs of crashes and failures
  • sfc /scannow repairs protected system files from the component store
  • If sfc cannot repair, run DISM /RestoreHealth then sfc again
  • chkdsk /r includes /f and adds a bad-sector scan
  • chkdsk on the in-use system drive schedules itself for the next restart
  • ipconfig /release then /renew gets a fresh DHCP lease; /flushdns clears names
  • A 169.254.x.x address means APIPA took over because no DHCP answered
  • ping 127.0.0.1 tests the local TCP/IP stack before anything else
  • Use pathping, not a single tracert, to find an intermittent lossy hop
  • netstat -a -b -o lists listening ports with the owning program and PID
  • gpupdate /force reapplies every policy; gpresult /r shows what applied
  • Set a service's startup type in services.msc; Disabled is the durable stop
  • Device Manager reads device faults and rolls back a bad driver
  • Task Scheduler runs a program on a time or event trigger
  • Extend Volume needs unallocated space right after it, NTFS or ReFS only
  • A disk larger than 2 TB must be initialized as GPT
  • diskpart clean wipes all partitioning; convert switches MBR and GPT
  • MSConfig clean boot: hide Microsoft services, then disable the rest
  • The Registry Editor has no undo, so export the key before you change it
  • Control Panel and Settings both configure Windows; know which holds the applet
  • Computer Management bundles the admin snap-ins under System Tools and Storage
  • In Disk Management the disk's status word names the fix
  • Spanned, striped, and mirrored volumes require dynamic disks
  • MSConfig's General tab: Diagnostic startup loads only basic Microsoft services
  • Shrink Volume stops at the last unmovable file, not at the free space

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References

  1. CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) Certification Exam Objectives (V15, Document Version 3.0)
  2. ipconfig command reference
  3. ping command reference
  4. tracert command reference
  5. pathping command reference
  6. nslookup command reference
  7. netstat command reference
  8. Repair a Windows image with DISM
  9. chkdsk command reference
  10. gpupdate command reference
  11. gpresult command reference
  12. tasklist command reference
  13. taskkill command reference
  14. shutdown command reference
  15. Disk Management overview
  16. Extend a basic volume
  17. diskpart command reference