220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

• ✗

  Share administrator credentials with the user for convenience

  Why it's wrong here

  Sharing administrator credentials violates core security concepts, including least privilege and non-repudiation, because any actions performed on the PC cannot be attributed to a specific user. If that user's session is later compromised, the attacker inherits full administrative access, expanding the security blast radius. Standard IT policy and CompTIA A+ best practices require each technician or user to have a uniquely identifiable account with only the permissions needed to perform their role.

• ✓

  Document the observed symptoms and the change made in the ticket.

  Why this is correct

  Documenting the observed symptoms and the change made in the ticket creates an accurate, auditable record of the incident, which is critical for escalation, compliance, and future troubleshooting if the problem recurs. This documentation preserves institutional knowledge and allows other technicians to understand the exact baseline and remediation steps without repeating prior work. It also supports pattern analysis across multiple machines, helping identify systemic driver or configuration issues rather than isolated incidents.

• ✓

  Safe Mode

  Why this is correct

  Safe Mode launches Windows with only the essential device drivers and system services, deliberately omitting third-party drivers and non-critical startup programs. This minimal environment is precisely designed to allow a technician to determine whether a startup failure originates from a driver or service conflict, and to safely use tools like Device Manager, Driver Rollback, and System Restore. Because it bypasses normal startup processes, the technician can then address the root cause rather than simply observing symptoms in a fully loaded OS.

• ✗

  Perform an unrelated hardware replacement before testing

  Why it's wrong here

  Performing an unrelated hardware replacement before testing violates the troubleshooting methodology's emphasis on verifying a hypothesis with minimal changes, as it adds uncontrolled variables and can create new failures. It wastes components and labor on parts that are not implicated by the observed symptoms, and a startup problem like a corrupt driver or failed update would remain unresolved. The correct approach is to consult Event Viewer, check device status, and use Safe Mode to isolate the cause before any physical hardware swap is even considered.

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