A Windows 10 laptop becomes very sluggish whenever several applications are open at the same time. The hard-drive activity light stays lit continuously, Task Manager shows that physical memory is nearly maxed out, and the page-file (virtual memory) is in heavy use. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this sluggish response time?
Incorrect screen-resolution setting
Insufficient physical RAM, forcing the system to page to disk
When RAM runs out, Windows must move memory pages to and from the much-slower page file on disk. The constant swapping (thrashing) results in continuous disk activity and poor responsiveness. Overheating can also slow a system through thermal throttling, but it would not by itself cause the specific symptom of heavy page-file usage shown in Task Manager. Loose cables or an incorrect screen resolution do not typically create sustained disk activity or high memory utilization.
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