In addition to basic troubleshooting steps, modern operating systems provide built- in tools to help users monitor system performance in more detail. These tools give useful information about the computer's current state and help identify problems related to memory, storage, processing power, and system errors.
This section introduces three important diagnostic tools available in Microsoft Windows:
- Task Manager
- Resource Monitor
- Event Viewer
Each of these tools plays a different role in resolving system health and performance- related issues.
2.2.1 Task Manager
Task Manager is a built- in tool in Microsoft Windows that helps users to monitor the performance of their computers. It shows real- time information about how the system's processor (CPU), memory (RAM), and storage (disk) are being used. The Processes tab of the task manager shows all active programs and how much system resources they are using, while the Performance tab displays detailed graphs for CPU, memory, disk, and network usage.
How to Open Task Manager?
There are two simple ways to open Task Manager:
I. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc shortcut key from the keyboard II. Or right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the menu
What You Can Do with Task Manager?
Task Manager is helpful when your computer is slow, or an application stops responding. It allows you to:
- See how much processing power and memory are being used by each program.
- Select a program from the processes tab of task manager and click End Task to close it if it is not working properly (see Figure 2.1).
- View programs running silently in the background.
Diagram image pending upload by Admin.
- The performance tab of the task manager shows real-time graphs and data showing how your computer is performing (see Figure 2.1).