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220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a VM that fails…

A technician is troubleshooting a VM that fails to boot with an error 'Operating system not found'. The VM was just created from an ISO file. What is the most likely cause?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

The VM's boot order is set to hard disk first, and the hard disk is empty

The boot order in the VM's BIOS must be set to boot from the CD/DVD drive (ISO) before the hard disk. If the ISO is not mounted or boot order is wrong, the VM cannot find an OS.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    The ISO file is corrupted

    Why it's wrong here

    A corrupted ISO file would typically lead to errors during the loading of the operating system installer or boot environment itself, such as 'checksum mismatch' or 'read error' messages. The VM would attempt to access the ISO, but fail to properly execute the boot instructions contained within it, rather than reporting that no operating system was found on any device. This type of error indicates a problem with the *content* of the boot medium, not its absence or the inability to locate it.

  • ✓

    The VM's boot order is set to hard disk first, and the hard disk is empty

    Why this is correct

    When the VM's boot order prioritizes the virtual hard disk and that disk is empty or unformatted, the virtual BIOS/UEFI firmware will attempt to locate a bootable operating system on it. Failing to find a valid boot sector or EFI partition, the VM will then display an 'Operating system not found' error. This occurs because the system cannot proceed to the next boot device in the sequence until the primary, empty hard disk has been exhausted as a boot option, even if a bootable ISO is attached but lower in the boot order.

  • ✗

    The VM has insufficient RAM

    Why it's wrong here

    Insufficient RAM would primarily manifest as a failure for the operating system to fully load or operate stably once it begins to boot, often resulting in a system crash, freeze, or extremely slow performance. The VM's firmware would still successfully identify and attempt to boot from a valid storage device containing an OS. The 'Operating system not found' error specifically indicates an inability to locate *any* bootable OS on the configured devices, not a resource limitation during OS execution.

  • ✗

    The virtual hard disk is not attached

    Why it's wrong here

    If the virtual hard disk is not attached to the VM, the virtual BIOS/UEFI would simply skip that device during the boot sequence. The VM would then proceed to attempt booting from the next device in the configured boot order, such as a virtual CD/DVD drive with an attached ISO. An 'Operating system not found' error would only occur if *no* bootable device, including any attached ISOs, was found throughout the entire boot sequence after exhausting all options in the boot order.

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Same concept, more angles

1 more way this is tested on 220-1201

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A technician is troubleshooting a VM that fails to boot with the error 'Operating system not found.' The VM was created from a template that uses a virtual SCSI controller. The technician verifies that the ISO file is attached to the virtual DVD drive and the boot order is set to DVD first. What is the most likely cause of the error?

medium
  • A.The virtual SCSI controller is not compatible with the guest OS.
  • B.The ISO file is corrupted or incomplete.
  • C.The virtual DVD drive is not connected to the VM’s IDE controller.
  • ✓ D.The VM’s BIOS is set to UEFI instead of legacy BIOS.

Why D: The error 'Operating system not found' typically indicates that the VM found a bootable device (the virtual DVD drive with the ISO) but could not find a valid operating system bootloader on it that matches the VM's current boot mode (UEFI or legacy BIOS). If the ISO is prepared for one boot mode and the VM is configured for the other, this error will occur. While other issues like a corrupted ISO or a disconnected drive can cause boot failures, a BIOS/UEFI mismatch is a very common and direct cause of this specific error message when attempting to boot from installation media. If the virtual DVD drive were not connected at all, the error would more likely be 'No boot device found'.

JA

Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.