hardMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is upgrading a workstation from a…
A technician is upgrading a workstation from a 500 GB HDD to a 1 TB SSD. After installing the SSD, the system boots into the old OS from the HDD instead of the new SSD. The boot order in UEFI shows only the HDD. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
220-1201 often tests the confusion between drive detection and bootability, leading candidates to blame boot order or port speed instead of the missing GPT/EFI System Partition.
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 SSD is not partitioned with GPT or lacks an EFI system partition
For a UEFI system to boot from a new SSD, the drive must be initialized with a GPT partition scheme and contain an EFI System Partition (ESP) holding the bootloader. A blank or MBR-partitioned SSD will not appear as a bootable UEFI device, so the firmware falls back to the still-connected HDD. The boot order showing only the HDD confirms the SSD lacks a recognized EFI boot entry.
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 SSD is not connected to the fastest SATA port
Why it's wrong here
The connection speed of the SATA port (e.g., SATA II vs. SATA III) does not prevent the system's BIOS/UEFI firmware from detecting a connected drive. While connecting to a slower port might impact performance, the drive would still be enumerated and appear in the list of available storage devices within the firmware settings, even if not immediately recognized as bootable.
- ✓
The SSD is not partitioned with GPT or lacks an EFI system partition
Why this is correct
For a UEFI system to recognize an SSD as a bootable device, the drive must be partitioned using the GUID Partition Table (GPT) scheme and contain an EFI System Partition (ESP). The ESP holds the necessary boot loaders and applications for the UEFI firmware. Without this specific GPT/ESP structure, the UEFI firmware cannot identify the SSD as a valid bootable volume, preventing it from appearing in the boot menu.
- ✗
The HDD has a higher priority in the boot order
Why it's wrong here
Boot order priority only applies to devices that the system's firmware (BIOS/UEFI) has already successfully detected and identified as potentially bootable. If the SSD is not appearing in the list of available boot devices at all, it indicates a more fundamental issue with detection or configuration, rather than simply being lower in the sequence compared to the HDD. The problem is detection, not precedence.
- ✗
The SSD needs a firmware update
Why it's wrong here
While SSD firmware updates can resolve various issues like performance degradation or specific compatibility problems, they are rarely the cause for a drive not being detected at all by the system's BIOS/UEFI firmware for initial boot. Fundamental detection issues are more commonly related to cabling, power, or incorrect partitioning and formatting rather than a need for a firmware revision to enable basic visibility.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
IoT Device Types and Connectivity
Key term
Firmware
Firmware is specialized software permanently stored in read-only memory on a hardware device that controls how that device operates at a basic level.
Key term
GUID Partition Table
A GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a modern standard for organizing and managing partitions on a storage drive, replacing the older Master Boot Record (MBR) system.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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.