Exam 220-1101 topic 1 question 63 discussion

No this one does make sense, I think. Because they’re asking what you should do FIRST. So it would make sense to try increasing the swap partition before you go in and start replacing hardware.

I am a 20-year IT pro here to help others: The quickest and cheapest way to increase available memory is to increase the swap memory. The confusion here is use of "partition." Increasing the amount of memory "swapped" to a hard drive is achieved in Windows 10 using the following instructions: https://recoverhdd.com/blog/swap-file-in-windows.html

RAM is the primary memory: Excel and other applications store data and instructions in RAM (Random Access Memory) for quick access. When RAM is insufficient, the system relies on slower storage (swap partition or hard drive), leading to performance bottlenecks.

RAM has everything to do with speed and performance when opening multiple files.

While A might be helpful but still wouldn’t give the performance that user need because swap space is much slower than physical RAM, it’s not an ideal first solution.

I think the answer is D, HERE IS WHY: Swap partition (virtual memory) is used when the system runs out of physical RAM. It temporarily moves data to the hard drive or SSD. However, accessing swap space is significantly slower than physical RAM, even on fast SSDs.

D Ram Opening multiple large Excel files simultaneously can demand significant memory resources. If the workstation does not have sufficient RAM, performance will suffer as the system relies on slower disk-based virtual memory (swap space). Upgrading the RAM will allow the system to handle more data in memory, improving performance significantly for this workload.

IS D, swap partition is linux.

Excel files work in windows, not in Linux (you need a VM or a special software to use Excel in Linux).. .A talks about a swap partition which is the name of the virtual memory or swap file in Linux, not in windows. Therefore the answer should absolutely be .D since it makes more sense here.

There is a key point everyone is ignoring, "Technician has to fix the problem not the user" The user acquired a new workstation but was disappointed by its performance, prompting the technician to be called in for remedial action instead of the user taking initial steps. If it were the user's first response, option "A" would have been a logical choice. However, since the technician is tasked with permanently resolving the issue, option "D" is the preferred course of action.

In this situation a user has opened very large Excel files simultaniously because of that the user is not getting expected performance meaning the large files has taken up alot of space and the system needs to work harder to maintain that speed so the first step could be to increase the swap partition which means its a swap file where in which Windows writes data from Ram when it becomes insufficent for the operating system to work correctly.

FIRST option = A BEST option = D Since the question asks for FIRST, it's A.

I hate that CompTIA loves to use vague situations and keywords like FIRST, BEST, and whatever. This makes these questions unnecessarily divisive. In the real world, you'll still do things out of order but resolve the problem in the end. The long-lasting solution is clearly D. A is basically a workaround that fits the keyword what to do "FIRST". The question didn't specify what OS the user is using so swap file is viable as a "FIRST" solution/workaround, as the others pointed here, if you're on a Linux system.

D - Best option here. A - maybe there is not enough space in the first place B - not cost effective C - doesn't apply here

ChatGPT In this scenario, where the user is attempting to open multiple large Excel files simultaneously and is not experiencing the expected performance, the most appropriate FIRST step would be: D. Upgrade the RAM in the workstation. Opening large Excel files can be memory-intensive, and if the workstation does not have enough RAM to handle the simultaneous processing of these files, it can lead to slow performance. Upgrading the RAM will provide the system with more memory to efficiently manage the data and processes, potentially improving overall performance. Increasing the swap partition (Option A) may help with virtual memory, but upgrading physical RAM is generally more effective for improving performance in scenarios like this. Upgrading the CPU (Option B) and power supply (Option C) may not have a direct impact on the handling of large Excel files and may not be the most cost-effective solutions for the specific issue described.

Keyword is first

Is the correct answer.