Rebooting the system in safe mode will limit the number of programs and processes running, allowing the antivirus system to more effectively identify and remove the malware. Rescanning the system will allow the antivirus system to identify and remove the malware while preserving the user's files.

When a computer is running slower than usual and experiences long startup times, the first tool to use is:
Task Manager: This utility provides real-time data on the processes and applications consuming system resources like CPU, memory, and disk usage. By identifying resource-heavy processes, a technician can take steps to optimize performance or identify malicious software.

Turning off inheritance on the specific folder requested by the manager and setting the requested permissions, followed by turning on inheritance under the child folders, ensures that only the immediate team has access to the confidential material while maintaining the broader permissions structure for other folders and files. This action isolates the folder's permissions from the top-level inheritance, providing a focused security measure for sensitive content.

The Ease of Access feature in Windows that allows a user to press keyboard shortcuts one key at a time is called "Sticky Keys." Sticky Keys is designed to assist users with disabilities who have difficulty pressing multiple keys simultaneously. To enable Sticky Keys:
* Press the Shift key five times in a row:This is the quickest method to activate Sticky Keys. When you press the Shift key five times, a dialog box appears, asking if you want to turn on Sticky Keys. This method is widely documented as the default shortcut for enabling this feature.
* Confirmation dialog:A confirmation dialog will appear asking if you want to turn on Sticky Keys.
Click "Yes" to enable it.
* Control Panel or Settings:Alternatively, you can enable Sticky Keys through the Control Panel or the Settings app. Go to "Ease of Access" settings, find the "Keyboard" section, and turn on Sticky Keys from there.
Reference:
CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Exam Objectives, Section 1.4: Given a scenario, use the appropriate Microsoft Windows 10 Control Panel utility.
Windows Ease of Access documentation.

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts files on a computer, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid. In this case, the user was able to access the files before without issue, and no changes have been made within the company, so it is likely that the computer was infected with ransomware.