mediumMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: That their external hard drive, formatted as…
A user reports that their external hard drive, formatted as NTFS, is not showing up in Windows Explorer but is visible in Disk Management as 'Not Initialized'. The drive was working yesterday. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
220-1201 often tests the distinction between a disk that is detected but uninitialized (partition table corruption, recoverable) and a disk that is not detected at all (cable, driver, or hardware failure), tempting candidates to jump to hardware causes.
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 drive's partition table is corrupted.
When a drive appears in Disk Management as 'Not Initialized,' Windows can see the physical disk but cannot read a valid partition table (MBR or GPT) on it. Since the drive worked yesterday and is now visible at the hardware level, the most likely cause is corruption of the partition table rather than a hardware failure. Initializing the disk would write a new partition table, but data recovery should be attempted first because initialization can destroy recoverable partition metadata.
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 USB cable is defective.
Why it's wrong here
A defective USB cable typically results in the external hard drive not being detected by the operating system at all, or it may experience intermittent disconnections. Such a fault would prevent the drive from even appearing in Disk Management as an uninitialized or unallocated disk, as the necessary data and power signals for initial enumeration would be absent. Therefore, it wouldn't present as a drive that simply needs formatting.
- ✓
The drive's partition table is corrupted.
Why this is correct
A corrupted partition table, such as a damaged Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT), prevents the operating system from recognizing any existing partitions or file systems on the drive. When Windows cannot read this critical structural information, it often presents the drive as "Not Initialized" or "Unallocated Space" in Disk Management, prompting the user to initialize and then format it. This scenario perfectly aligns with a user reporting their drive "formatted," implying it lost its data structure.
- ✗
The drive needs a new driver.
Why it's wrong here
Standard external hard drives utilize generic USB mass storage device drivers, which are universally included with modern operating systems like Windows. If a driver issue were present, the drive would likely not be detected or would appear with an error in Device Manager, rather than being detected as an uninitialized disk requiring formatting. The operating system successfully recognizes the physical device, but cannot interpret its logical structure, indicating a data integrity problem, not a driver deficiency.
- ✗
The drive has a physical head crash.
Why it's wrong here
A physical head crash is a catastrophic mechanical failure where the read/write heads come into contact with the spinning platters, causing severe damage. This typically results in distinctive clicking, grinding, or scraping noises, and the drive would likely fail to spin up correctly or be detected at all by the operating system. Such a severe physical failure would prevent any logical access and is distinct from a software-level issue like a corrupted partition table that makes the drive appear "formatted."
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Optical Drive Types: DVD, Blu-Ray
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.
Key term
New Technology File System
New Technology File System (NTFS) is a modern file system developed by Microsoft that controls how data is stored, organized, and accessed on Windows-based hard drives and other storage devices.
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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.