220-1202 Practice Test 12 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is creating a PowerShell script that must be deployed via Group Policy to all workstations. The script should run in the user context and display a message if the user's password is about to expire within 7 days. The script must not show any PowerShell console window. Which scripting technique should be used?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Use a VBScript with a pop-up message box. VBScript's `MsgBox` function creates a pop-up message box that runs in the user context without a console window, making it ideal for displaying password-expiry warnings via Group Policy. PowerShell scripts, even with `-WindowStyle Hidden`, briefly flash a console window unless compiled into an executable, which violates the requirement to show no console window. VBScript natively integrates with Windows Script Host (WSH) to produce a GUI pop-up without any console overhead.

Answer

Use the 'Write-Host' cmdlet to display the message

Answer

Use the '-NoProfile' parameter when starting PowerShell

Answer

Use a scheduled task with 'Run whether user is logged on or not'

Question 2

A company's IT policy requires that all disposed hard drives be physically destroyed to prevent data breaches. Which method has the least environmental impact while ensuring data destruction?

Accepted Answer

Shred the hard drive using an industrial shredder and then recycle the metal fragments.. Industrial shredding physically destroys the platters into small fragments, making data recovery impossible, and the resulting metal fragments can be recycled, minimizing environmental impact. Unlike degaussing or drilling, shredding ensures complete destruction without leaving large e-waste components, and the recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metals reduces raw material extraction.

Answer

Use a degausser to erase the drive and then recycle it.

Answer

Drill holes through the platters and then dispose of the drive in e-waste.

Answer

Overwrite the drive with zeros multiple times and then donate it.

Question 3

A small business owner wants to ensure that only authorized users can access their iMac. They need to set up separate accounts for three employees, each with a username and password, and restrict one employee from installing software. Which macOS feature should they use to create and manage these user accounts?

Accepted Answer

System Settings > Users & Groups.. The 'Users & Groups' pane in System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) is the native graphical interface for creating, editing, and managing local user accounts, including setting passwords and controlling administrative privileges. It allows the owner to create separate accounts for each employee and restrict one from installing software by setting that account as a 'Standard' user rather than an 'Administrator'.

Answer

Terminal with the 'dscl' command.

Answer

System Information > Software > Installations.

Answer

Keychain Access to create user passwords.

Question 4

A technician receives a ticket from a user who says their email is 'broken.' Upon investigation, the technician finds that the user's mailbox is full. The user is known for being confrontational. Which response best demonstrates professionalism?

Accepted Answer

"Your mailbox is full. Delete some emails and empty your trash. Let me know if that fixes it.". It directly addresses the root cause (full mailbox) with a clear, actionable solution (delete emails and empty trash) while maintaining a neutral, professional tone. The technician avoids blaming the user or escalating the situation, which is critical when dealing with a confrontational user. This response focuses on resolving the issue without unnecessary commentary, aligning with CompTIA's emphasis on professionalism and effective communication.

Answer

"This is a common issue when people don't manage their inbox. Please clean it up."

Answer

"I'll increase your mailbox quota so you don't have to delete anything."

Answer

"Your email isn't broken; you just have too many messages."

Question 5

A technician is reviewing a PowerShell script that was used in a ransomware attack. The script contains a line that downloads and executes a payload from a remote server. The script uses a technique to bypass execution policy. Which scripting technique is most likely used to bypass the execution policy?

Accepted Answer

Using the '-ExecutionPolicy Bypass' parameter when launching PowerShell. The '-ExecutionPolicy Bypass' parameter when launching PowerShell tells the PowerShell engine to bypass the execution policy for that session only, allowing any script to run without restriction. This is a common technique used by attackers because it does not require administrative privileges or permanent policy changes, making it stealthy and effective for executing malicious payloads.

Answer

Using the 'Set-ExecutionPolicy' cmdlet to change the policy to Unrestricted

Answer

Using the 'powershell.exe -Command' syntax with an encoded command

Answer

Signing the script with a self-signed certificate

Question 6

A technician is writing a PowerShell script to retrieve the IP configuration of all computers in a domain and output the results to a CSV file. The script must run on a management workstation and target remote machines. Which cmdlet should the technician use to execute commands on remote computers?

Accepted Answer

Invoke-Command. Invoke-Command is the correct cmdlet because it is designed to execute PowerShell commands or script blocks on one or more remote computers and return the results to the local session. This allows the technician to run the IP configuration retrieval script against all domain computers from the management workstation and then pipe the output to Export-Csv.

Answer

Enter-PSSession

Answer

Get-WmiObject

Answer

Out-File

Question 7

A user reports that their Windows 10 PC is running slowly and the hard drive light is constantly active. You suspect the indexing service is consuming resources. Which Control Panel applet allows you to modify which folders are indexed, or to rebuild the index?

Accepted Answer

Indexing Options. The Indexing Options applet (C) is the correct Control Panel tool for managing the Windows Search index. It allows you to add or remove folders from the index and provides a button to rebuild the index, which can resolve performance issues caused by a corrupted or overly broad index. The constantly active hard drive light indicates the indexing service is actively processing files, and modifying or rebuilding the index directly addresses this resource consumption.

Answer

File Explorer Options

Answer

System > Advanced system settings > Performance

Answer

Administrative Tools > Services

Question 8

A user's Windows 11 PC displays a 'Critical Process Died' blue screen error after a recent Windows Update. The system boots into a recovery loop. Which advanced startup option should be used to remove the problematic update?

Accepted Answer

Boot into Safe Mode from the recovery environment and uninstall the latest update.. Booting into Safe Mode from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) allows you to access the desktop with minimal drivers and services, then use Settings > Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall updates to remove the problematic cumulative update. This directly addresses the 'Critical Process Died' bugcheck (0x000000EF), which often results from a corrupted system file or driver conflict introduced by a recent update, and Safe Mode bypasses the crash loop to enable the uninstall.

Answer

Use System Restore to revert to a point before the update.

Answer

Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to check for RAM issues.

Answer

Perform a clean installation of Windows 11 using the recovery USB.

Question 9

During a software deployment, a user reports that a stranger in a delivery uniform asked to use their computer to 'check a shipment status' and then quickly left. Later, the user notices unusual network activity. What should the technician investigate first?

Accepted Answer

Scan the workstation for malware and review recent system changes.. The scenario describes a classic social engineering attack where an unauthorized individual gains physical access to a workstation under a pretext. The immediate technical priority is to scan the workstation for malware and review recent system changes because the attacker may have installed a backdoor, keylogger, or remote access trojan (RAT) that explains the unusual network activity. This aligns with incident response best practices: isolate and analyze the affected system first to contain potential data exfiltration or lateral movement.

Answer

Check the user's email for phishing messages.

Answer

Verify the delivery person's identity with the shipping company.

Answer

Disable the user's network access permanently.

Question 10

A user on a Windows 10 computer is unable to install a new application because they receive an error that 'Windows cannot verify the publisher of this driver software.' The application is from a trusted vendor. Which tool should you use to temporarily disable driver signature enforcement to complete the installation?

Accepted Answer

Advanced Startup Options (Disable driver signature enforcement). The error 'Windows cannot verify the publisher of this driver software' indicates that the driver lacks a valid digital signature, which is required by default on 64-bit Windows 10. The Advanced Startup Options menu provides a direct way to boot with 'Disable driver signature enforcement' temporarily, allowing the unsigned driver to load for the current session without permanently altering the system's security policy.

Answer

Device Manager

Answer

System Configuration (msconfig)

Answer

Command Prompt with bcdedit /set testsigning on

Question 11

A user is unable to print to a network printer after a Windows update. Other users on the same network can print successfully. Which Windows tool should you use to view detailed error messages related to the print spooler service?

Accepted Answer

Event Viewer. Event Viewer (C) is the correct tool because it logs detailed error messages from the print spooler service (spoolsv.exe) under 'Windows Logs > System' or 'Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > PrintService'. When a Windows update breaks printing for a single user, Event Viewer captures spooler errors such as access denied, driver conflicts, or RPC failures that are not shown in other tools.

Answer

Device Manager

Answer

Services.msc

Answer

Performance Monitor

Question 12

A customer reports that their workstation is running slowly after a recent group policy update. The change log indicates the update added new security settings. What is the most appropriate documentation step for the technician to take after resolving the issue?

Accepted Answer

Note the resolution in the change log and close the ticket.. After resolving the issue, the technician must document the resolution in the change log to maintain an accurate audit trail of changes and their outcomes. This aligns with change management best practices, ensuring that future technicians can see what was done to fix the problem and avoid repeating the same troubleshooting steps. Closing the ticket after documenting the resolution completes the incident management lifecycle.

Answer

Delete the change log entry to avoid confusion.

Answer

Send an email to the user explaining the fix.

Answer

Create a new change request to revert the group policy.

Question 13

A technician is replacing a damaged power supply in a desktop PC. After removing the old unit, the technician notices a large capacitor on the motherboard is bulging. What should the technician do to safely handle this situation?

Accepted Answer

Wear insulated gloves and carefully remove the motherboard for replacement.. A bulging capacitor indicates a failed or failing component that can leak electrolyte, cause further damage, or even burst. The safest course is to wear insulated gloves to avoid electric shock or chemical exposure and replace the entire motherboard, as the capacitor cannot be safely repaired in the field. Ignoring it or attempting makeshift fixes risks short circuits, fire, or injury.

Answer

Proceed with installing the new power supply and ignore the bulging capacitor.

Answer

Use a screwdriver to short the capacitor leads to discharge it.

Answer

Apply electrical tape over the bulging capacitor to contain it.

Question 14

A customer reports that their laptop battery drains quickly and the device gets very hot. They want to know the safest way to dispose of the old battery after replacement. What should you advise?

Accepted Answer

Take the battery to a certified e-waste recycling center.. Lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries contain hazardous materials that can leak and cause environmental damage if disposed of improperly. Certified e-waste recycling centers have the specialized equipment and processes to safely extract and recycle these materials, preventing toxic exposure and complying with environmental regulations like the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Answer

Throw the battery in the regular trash bin.

Answer

Burn the battery in an open area to neutralize it.

Answer

Store the battery in a metal container until it stops holding a charge.

Question 15

A technician needs to create a bootable USB drive that can run Windows PE to deploy a custom Windows 10 image to multiple laptops. Which Windows tool should they use to create this bootable media?

Accepted Answer

Windows ADK (Assessment and Deployment Kit). The Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) includes the Deployment Tools, which contain the necessary utilities (such as `copype.cmd` and `MakeWinPEMedia`) to create a bootable Windows PE USB drive. This is the correct tool for building custom WinPE media to deploy a Windows 10 image to multiple laptops, as it provides the full environment for customizing and generating the bootable image.

Answer

Windows Media Creation Tool

Answer

Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM)

Answer

Disk Management