Final answer:
Joyce's laptop slowdown when running multiple applications is more likely a RAM issue rather than storage capacity. Increasing the laptop's RAM capacity would be the most effective solution to enhance multi-tasking performance. Options such as deleting unnecessary files or switching to an SSD may improve overall system performance but won't directly address the multi-tasking slowdown.
Step-by-step explanation:
The issue Joyce is experiencing with her laptop slowing down when multiple applications are running simultaneously is not directly related to the capacity of her hard disk drive, which can store up to 500 GB of data. This slowdown is more likely related to her laptop's RAM (Random Access Memory), which is responsible for supporting the operation of active applications. While optimizing storage can improve overall performance, to specifically address the issue of her laptop being slow when running several applications, the best solution would be D) Increase RAM capacity.
To optimize her laptop's performance when multi-tasking, increasing the RAM would allow more data to be processed at once, which should improve response times when several applications are open. Option B) Delete unnecessary files and applications can also help to a lesser extent by freeing up system resources, but it's the RAM upgrade that will have the most impact on multi-tasking performance. As for options A) Upgrade to a larger hard drive and C) Switch to a solid-state drive (SSD), they could improve overall system performance and boot times, with the SSD option likely providing a more noticeable speed boost for opening applications and data transfer, but they will not by themselves solve the issue of slow performance when using multiple applications.