The correct answer is B. Task Manager, because Task Manager allows technicians to view, manage, and terminate running processes, including those that are frozen or unresponsive. If an application process is already running but not responding, launching it again will fail until the existing process is stopped.
According to the Quentin Docter – CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide, Task Manager is the primary Windows tool for troubleshooting application hangs, excessive resource usage, and nonresponsive programs. Technicians can end the task and relaunch the application cleanly.
The Travis Everett & Andrew Hutz – All-in-One Exam Guide explains that Resource Monitor provides detailed performance metrics but is not optimized for quickly terminating frozen applications. Event Viewer logs errors but does not resolve active process issues.
The Mike Meyers / Mark Soper Lab Manual reinforces that Registry Editor should never be used for live application troubleshooting due to the risk of system instability.
Because the issue involves an unresponsive background process, Task Manager is the fastest and safest tool to resolve the problem, making B the correct answer.
