During system preparation, which actions should a computer forensic examiner take?

During system preparation, turning off unnecessary services is crucial for a computer forensic examiner. This action minimizes the potential for external interference, ensuring that the integrity of the evidence remains intact and reducing the system's attack surface. Disabling services that are not needed can limit the number of areas where unauthorized access or tampering might occur during the forensic examination process.

Moreover, it aids in maintaining a controlled environment for the forensic investigation. By reducing potential background processes that might alter or overwrite data, the examiner can focus on the relevant information without distractions or additional variables that could compromise the findings.

In contrast, while the other options may have their own relevance in specific contexts, they don't directly contribute to maintaining the integrity and reliability of the forensic investigation as significantly as turning off unnecessary services. For instance, disabling screen savers and not synchronizing the system clock may have implications for evidence collection, but they do not have the same immediate impact on preserving the operational integrity of the system during an examination. Leaving power management features in place could even risk entering low-power states, possibly affecting data accessibility.