220-1102 Windows OS Troubleshooting Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that after a recent Windows update, their computer now boots to a blue screen with the error 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE'. They need to get back to work quickly. Which Windows recovery tool should you use first to attempt a repair?

Accepted Answer

Startup Repair. The 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' error often indicates a driver or disk configuration issue caused by an update. The Startup Repair tool in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) can automatically diagnose and fix common boot problems like this. It is the safest and fastest initial step before trying more invasive methods.

Answer

System Restore

Answer

Reset this PC

Answer

Command Prompt (chkdsk /f)

Question 2

After a security incident, a Windows 10 workstation is suspected of having malware that prevents the Task Manager and Command Prompt from opening. You need to run a system scan. Which tool can you use from the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to perform an offline antivirus scan?

Accepted Answer

Microsoft Defender Offline Scan. Windows Defender Offline (now part of Microsoft Defender Antivirus) can be run from the Windows Recovery Environment to scan for malware without booting the infected OS. This bypasses malware that blocks security tools in the normal Windows environment. It is the appropriate tool for this scenario.

Answer

System File Checker (sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows)

Answer

Windows Memory Diagnostic

Answer

Diskpart

Question 3

A user on Windows 11 is trying to install a new application, but receives the error 'Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item.' The user is a local administrator. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The file has been blocked by Windows because it was downloaded from the internet.. Even local administrators can be blocked from running executables that were downloaded from the internet because Windows marks them with a zone identifier. The 'Unblock' button in the file's Properties removes this mark, allowing the file to run. This is a common security feature in Windows to prevent accidental execution of potentially unsafe files.

Answer

The file is corrupted and needs to be re-downloaded.

Answer

User Account Control (UAC) is blocking the installation.

Answer

The user does not have 'Read & Execute' permissions on the file.

Question 4

A user on Windows 11 reports that their computer frequently freezes for 5–10 seconds at a time, especially when opening multiple browser tabs. The system has 8 GB of RAM and a mechanical hard drive. Which performance monitor counter should you check first to confirm the likely bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

Avg. Disk Queue Length. Frequent freezing when multitasking on a system with a mechanical hard drive and limited RAM often points to excessive disk usage due to paging. The 'Avg. Disk Queue Length' counter in Performance Monitor indicates how many requests are waiting for the disk; a sustained value over 2 suggests the disk is the bottleneck, likely from swapping memory to the page file.

Answer

% Processor Time

Answer

Available Mbytes

Answer

Pages/sec

Question 5

While configuring a new Windows 11 workstation, you need to ensure that a legacy application can always run with administrative privileges without prompting the user. The user is a standard user. What is the best way to accomplish this?

Accepted Answer

Create a scheduled task that runs with the highest privileges and launches the application at user logon.. Forcing a legacy app to run as administrator without UAC prompts for a standard user requires creating a scheduled task that runs with elevated privileges. The task can be set to run at user logon or on demand, and the application is launched by the task with the stored admin credentials. This bypasses UAC while maintaining security for the standard user account.

Answer

Set the application's compatibility mode to 'Run this program as an administrator' and grant the user full control over the program's folder.

Answer

Disable User Account Control (UAC) via the Control Panel.

Answer

Add the user to the local Administrators group.

Question 6

A user installs a new application and immediately receives a 'The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b)' error. The application worked on another computer with the same Windows version. Which component is most likely causing this error?

Accepted Answer

The Visual C++ Redistributable package is missing or corrupted.. Error code 0xc000007b is a STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_FORMAT error, typically indicating a mismatch between 32-bit and 64-bit binaries. The most common cause is a missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributable package, which provides essential runtime libraries (e.g., MSVCR120.dll) that the application depends on. Without these libraries, the application cannot load correctly, even if the Windows version matches.

Answer

The application requires a newer version of DirectX.

Answer

The user does not have administrative privileges.

Answer

The hard drive has bad sectors affecting the application files.

Question 7

A user reports that their Windows 10 PC suddenly shows a 'Your IT administrator has limited access' message when trying to change the desktop background. The user has local administrator rights. Which Group Policy or registry setting is most likely misconfigured?

Accepted Answer

The 'Prevent changing desktop background' policy is enabled in Local Group Policy.. The 'Prevent changing desktop background' policy, when enabled in Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization, explicitly blocks background changes regardless of local administrator rights. Since the user has local admin rights but still sees the restriction, this policy is the most likely cause, as it overrides user permissions.

Answer

The user's account is not part of the Administrators group.

Answer

The desktop background file is corrupted.

Answer

The Windows license has expired.

Question 8

A customer reports that their Windows 10 desktop shows a black screen with a movable cursor after logging in. They can press Ctrl+Alt+Del and open Task Manager. Which process should be restarted from Task Manager to restore the desktop and taskbar?

Accepted Answer

Restart the 'Windows Explorer' process in Task Manager.. The black screen with a movable cursor after login, combined with the ability to open Task Manager via Ctrl+Alt+Del, indicates that the Windows shell (explorer.exe) has crashed or is not running. Restarting the 'Windows Explorer' process from Task Manager (File > Run new task > 'explorer.exe') reloads the desktop, taskbar, and File Explorer, restoring the graphical user interface. This is the standard recovery step for a missing shell in Windows 10.

Answer

End the 'svchost.exe' process group.

Answer

Start the 'winlogon.exe' process.

Answer

Run 'msconfig' from the Run dialog to enable normal startup.

Question 9

A user's Windows 10 laptop fails to boot and shows 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' blue screen error. The technician suspects a recent driver update for the storage controller. Which recovery environment command can be used to disable the problematic driver from loading?

Accepted Answer

Run 'bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal' from the recovery command prompt.. The 'INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE' error often occurs after a faulty storage controller driver update. Booting into Safe Mode with minimal drivers can bypass the problematic driver. The command 'bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal' configures the boot loader to start Windows in Safe Mode on the next restart, loading only essential drivers and services, which allows the technician to roll back or uninstall the offending driver.

Answer

Run 'diskpart' and then 'clean' to wipe the disk.

Answer

Run 'chkdsk /f' to fix file system errors.

Answer

Run 'bootrec /fixboot' to repair the boot sector.

Question 10

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.. Option A is correct because 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 11

After a power outage, a Windows 10 computer boots to a black screen with the message 'Bootmgr is missing'. The technician has a Windows installation USB. Which repair command should be used to rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD)?

Accepted Answer

Run 'bootrec /rebuildbcd'.. The 'Bootmgr is missing' error indicates that the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store is corrupted or missing. The 'bootrec /rebuildbcd' command scans all disks for Windows installations and prompts you to add them to a new BCD store, directly rebuilding the BCD. This is the correct repair for a missing or corrupt BCD, which is the specific cause of this error.

Answer

From the recovery command prompt, run 'bootrec /fixmbr'.

Answer

Run 'bootrec /fixboot'.

Answer

Run 'sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows'.

Question 12

A user calls the help desk because their Windows 10 laptop will not connect to any Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi adapter is enabled in Device Manager and shows no errors, but the network list is empty. Other devices connect fine. Which command should be run first to reset the network stack?

Accepted Answer

Run 'netsh winsock reset' from an elevated Command Prompt.. The 'netsh winsock reset' command is the correct first step because it resets the Winsock catalog, which manages network I/O and API calls. When the Wi-Fi adapter shows no errors but the network list is empty, the issue is often a corrupted Winsock configuration rather than a driver or service failure. This command restores the Winsock stack to a clean state without requiring a reboot, making it the most direct fix for this specific symptom.

Answer

Run 'ipconfig /release' followed by 'ipconfig /renew'.

Answer

Run 'sfc /scannow' to check system files.

Answer

Run 'net start wlansvc' to start the WLAN AutoConfig service.

Question 13

After installing a new printer driver, a user's Windows 11 computer crashes with a blue screen error every time they try to print. The computer works fine otherwise. Which boot option should be used to restore functionality without affecting user data?

Accepted Answer

Boot into Safe Mode and uninstall the printer driver.. The problem is caused by a faulty driver, and the safest way to recover is to boot into Safe Mode, which loads only essential drivers. From Safe Mode, the technician can uninstall the problematic printer driver. This tests understanding of Safe Mode as a troubleshooting environment for driver conflicts.

Answer

Use Last Known Good Configuration to revert driver changes.

Answer

Run System Restore from the recovery environment.

Answer

Perform a clean installation of Windows 11.

Question 14

A user reports that their Windows 10 laptop takes an unusually long time to boot and frequently shows a 'Preparing Automatic Repair' screen before finally loading the desktop. Which Windows tool should be used first to diagnose and potentially fix the boot process?

Accepted Answer

Run the System File Checker (SFC) from an elevated Command Prompt.. The 'Preparing Automatic Repair' loop and slow boot often indicate corruption in critical boot files, such as the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) or system files. Running System File Checker (SFC) from an elevated Command Prompt scans and repairs protected system files, addressing the root cause without data loss. This is the first-line diagnostic tool for boot integrity issues before escalating to more destructive methods.

Answer

Perform a full system restore from a backup made last month.

Answer

Use the Disk Cleanup tool to remove temporary files.

Answer

Reinstall Windows using the 'Reset this PC' option.

Question 15

A small office user reports that their Windows 10 PC randomly freezes for 10-15 seconds, especially when opening large files. Task Manager shows high disk usage (100%) but low CPU and memory usage. Which built-in Windows tool should be used to diagnose the disk performance issue?

Accepted Answer

Use Resource Monitor to analyze disk activity and queue length.. Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) provides real-time metrics on disk activity, including disk queue length, average disk seconds per read/write, and per-process I/O. The user's symptom of 100% disk usage with low CPU/memory suggests a disk bottleneck; a consistently high queue length (above 2 per spindle) indicates the disk cannot keep up with I/O requests, which Resource Monitor can pinpoint directly.

Answer

Run the Performance Monitor with a Data Collector Set for disk.

Answer

Check the Event Viewer for disk-related errors.

Answer

Defragment the hard drive using the Optimize Drives tool.