220-1201 Storage Devices Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their computer with a 256GB SSD and a 1TB HDD is running out of space on the C: drive (SSD). The user wants to move the 'Users' folder to the HDD to free space. What is the best method to accomplish this without data loss?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Location' tab in the Users folder properties to change the target path to the HDD.. This question tests advanced storage management skills. Moving system folders like 'Users' requires using symbolic links (junctions) or the built-in 'Location' tab in folder properties to redirect the path without breaking system functionality.

Answer

Cut and paste the Users folder to the HDD, then create a shortcut on the SSD.

Answer

Format the HDD as a dynamic disk and extend the C: partition onto it.

Answer

Delete the pagefile on the SSD to free space.

Question 2

A user wants to upgrade their laptop from a 500GB 5400 RPM HDD to a faster storage solution without increasing power consumption. Which drive type should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

A SATA solid-state drive (SSD). This question assesses understanding of storage drive characteristics. SSDs are faster, more durable, and consume less power than HDDs, making them ideal for laptop upgrades.

Answer

Another 5400 RPM HDD with a larger cache

Answer

A 10,000 RPM HDD

Answer

An external USB flash drive

Question 3

A user complains that their external hard drive is not showing up in File Explorer, but it appears in Device Manager as a connected device. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The drive does not have a drive letter assigned.. This question tests troubleshooting storage recognition issues. When a device appears in Device Manager but not File Explorer, it often means the drive lacks a drive letter or has a partition issue.

Answer

The USB port is faulty.

Answer

The drive needs a new driver.

Answer

The file system is corrupted.

Question 4

A technician is building a new workstation for video editing and needs to choose a storage configuration that offers the best read performance for large media files. Which setup should they select?

Accepted Answer

Two SSDs in RAID 0 (striping). This question tests RAID level knowledge for performance. RAID 0 stripes data across multiple drives, improving read/write speeds, which is ideal for large file access in video editing.

Answer

A single 2TB 7200 RPM HDD

Answer

Two SSDs in RAID 1 (mirroring)

Answer

A single NVMe SSD

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a server that uses a RAID 5 array with three 1TB HDDs. One drive fails, and the technician replaces it with a new 1TB HDD. After rebuilding, the array reports only 1.8TB of usable space. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The replacement drive has a slightly smaller actual capacity than the original drives.. This question tests advanced RAID understanding. RAID 5 uses one drive's worth of capacity for parity, so three 1TB drives yield 2TB usable. The loss of 0.2TB suggests the replacement drive has slightly less capacity due to manufacturer differences or sector mapping.

Answer

The new drive has a different sector size (4K vs 512e).

Answer

The RAID controller is using some space for metadata.

Answer

The RAID 5 array is degraded and needs a second drive to be replaced.

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that will not boot from a brand new M.2 NVMe SSD. The drive is detected in the BIOS/UEFI, but the system skips it and tries to boot from other devices. The technician has already verified that the drive is properly seated and the BIOS is up to date. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Check if the boot mode is set to UEFI and the drive is partitioned with GPT.. This question tests advanced knowledge of UEFI boot settings. When an NVMe drive is detected but not bootable, the issue is often that the drive is not partitioned with a GUID Partition Table (GPT) or that the system is in legacy BIOS (CSM) mode. NVMe drives require UEFI boot mode and a GPT partition table to boot.

Answer

Check if the SATA controller is set to AHCI mode.

Answer

Check if the M.2 slot is configured to use SATA or PCIe lanes in the BIOS.

Answer

Check if the drive has been initialized with a Master Boot Record (MBR).

Question 7

A technician is building a high-performance workstation for video editing. The user needs fast read/write speeds for large 4K video files and wants the OS and applications on the same drive. The motherboard has one M.2 slot (PCIe 4.0 x4) and four SATA III ports. Which storage configuration should the technician recommend?

Accepted Answer

Install one M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD for both OS and video files.. This question tests understanding of NVMe versus SATA performance. For video editing, extremely fast sequential read/write speeds are critical. An M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 drive offers speeds up to 7,000 MB/s, far exceeding SATA SSDs (about 550 MB/s). The correct answer is to use the M.2 slot for a single fast drive.

Answer

Install one SATA III SSD for the OS and one SATA III HDD for video files.

Answer

Install two SATA III SSDs in a RAID 0 array for the OS and video files.

Answer

Install one M.2 SATA SSD for the OS and one SATA III HDD for video files.

Question 8

A user reports that their laptop's 1TB hard drive is making a clicking sound and the system is running very slowly. The technician runs a diagnostic and finds multiple bad sectors. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Back up all important data to an external drive or cloud storage.. This question tests understanding of hard drive failure symptoms and proper troubleshooting steps. A clicking sound (often called the 'click of death') and bad sectors indicate imminent mechanical failure. The priority is to back up data immediately before the drive fails completely. Replacing the drive is necessary, but data backup comes first.

Answer

Run a surface scan to mark bad sectors and continue using the drive.

Answer

Replace the hard drive immediately and reinstall the operating system.

Answer

Update the hard drive firmware to fix the clicking noise.

Question 9

A technician is configuring a RAID array in a server that requires both high performance and fault tolerance. The server has four identical 2TB SATA HDDs. The RAID controller supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. Which RAID level should the technician choose to meet both requirements?

Accepted Answer

RAID 10. This question tests understanding of RAID levels and their trade-offs. RAID 10 (striping + mirroring) provides both performance (striping) and fault tolerance (mirroring), but requires at least 4 drives. RAID 5 offers fault tolerance with parity but has slower write performance. RAID 0 has no fault tolerance, and RAID 1 only provides fault tolerance with no performance gain.

Answer

RAID 0

Answer

RAID 1

Answer

RAID 5

Question 10

A customer reports that their external USB 3.0 hard drive is only achieving transfer speeds of about 35 MB/s, far below the expected 5 Gbps. The drive is connected to a USB 3.0 port on the front of the computer case. What is the most likely cause of this performance issue?

Accepted Answer

The front-panel USB port is internally connected to a USB 2.0 header on the motherboard.. This question tests understanding of USB standards and cable/connector compatibility. USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) requires a cable with 9 pins, but if the case's front-panel header or cable is wired for USB 2.0 only (4 pins), the device will fall back to USB 2.0 speeds (480 Mbps, ~35 MB/s). The correct answer is that the front-panel USB port is internally connected to a USB 2.0 header.

Answer

The drive is formatted with FAT32 instead of NTFS.

Answer

The hard drive is failing and needs to be replaced.

Answer

The USB 3.0 driver is not installed in the operating system.

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that has a 256GB SATA SSD (C:) and a 1TB SATA HDD (D:). The user reports that the system is running very slowly, and the C: drive is nearly full. The technician runs a disk cleanup and removes temporary files, but the C: drive still has only 5GB free. What should the technician do to resolve the performance issue without replacing the SSD?

Accepted Answer

Move the user's Documents, Pictures, and other personal folders to the D: drive.. This question tests understanding of SSD performance degradation due to low free space. SSDs need free space for wear leveling and garbage collection. When an SSD is nearly full, performance drops significantly. The best solution is to move user data and large files to the D: drive to free up space on the C: drive.

Answer

Enable write caching on the SSD in Device Manager.

Answer

Defragment the C: drive to consolidate free space.

Answer

Disable the page file on the C: drive.

Question 12

A customer complains that their external USB hard drive is not recognized when plugged into any port on their laptop. The drive spins up and its LED lights up. The drive works fine on another computer. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop is missing or has corrupted USB mass storage drivers.. This question tests basic USB troubleshooting. The drive spins up and lights up, indicating power is reaching it, but it is not recognized. This often points to a driver issue on the laptop. The other options are less likely because the drive works on another computer and the LED is on.

Answer

The USB port is physically damaged.

Answer

The external drive's enclosure has a faulty controller board.

Answer

The USB cable is defective.

Question 13

A small business owner wants to add a second internal hard drive to a desktop computer for nightly backups. The existing drive is a 2.5-inch SATA SSD. The motherboard has one free SATA port and one free power connector from the PSU. Which type of drive should the technician install to maximize compatibility and reliability?

Accepted Answer

A 3.5-inch SATA HDD. This question tests basic knowledge of SATA interfaces and form factor compatibility. A 3.5-inch SATA HDD is the standard choice for bulk storage in a desktop, and it uses the same SATA data and power connectors as the existing SSD. The other options either have incompatible connectors or are not standard internal drives.

Answer

A 2.5-inch SATA HDD

Answer

An M.2 SATA SSD

Answer

A 2.5-inch PATA (IDE) HDD

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop that fails to boot after the user installed a new M.2 NVMe SSD. The computer powers on, but the screen remains black and no BIOS splash screen appears. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's BIOS is outdated and does not support NVMe boot.. This question tests understanding of M.2 installation and BIOS/UEFI configuration. Many motherboards require a specific UEFI setting (CSM disabled, UEFI boot enabled) or a BIOS update to support NVMe as a boot device. The most common issue is that the motherboard's firmware does not recognize the NVMe drive without a BIOS update.

Answer

The M.2 drive is not fully seated in the slot.

Answer

The M.2 drive is a SATA type but the slot only supports NVMe.

Answer

The power supply unit is insufficient to power the new drive.

Question 15

A technician is tasked with upgrading a desktop computer that has a 500GB SATA SSD and a 2TB SATA HDD. The motherboard has one M.2 slot (PCIe 3.0 x4) and four SATA III ports. The user wants faster boot times and application loading. Which upgrade will provide the most noticeable performance improvement?

Accepted Answer

Install an M.2 NVMe SSD and migrate the OS and applications to it.. This question tests understanding of storage performance hierarchy. The existing SATA SSD is already fast for boot and applications, but an M.2 NVMe SSD is significantly faster (3-5x). Replacing the HDD with another SSD would not improve boot times as much, and adding RAM does not directly affect storage speed.

Answer

Replace the 2TB HDD with a 2TB SATA SSD.

Answer

Add more RAM to the system.

Answer

Replace the 500GB SATA SSD with a larger SATA SSD.