Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Explanation:
High resource usage along with frequent pop-ups are strong signs of a malware infection. The next logical step is to update anti-malware definitions and run a full scan to detect and remove threats.
* Option A: Network performance is likely not the root cause - local system behavior points to malware.
* Option B: Drivers affect hardware functionality; they don't resolve malware-related slowness.
* Option D: DHCP issues usually cause IP conflicts or no network access, not CPU spikes or pop-ups.
CompTIA A+ Core 1 Exam Objective Reference:
* Objective 4.2: Given a scenario, detect, remove, and prevent malware using appropriate tools and methods.