easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1102 Practice Question: A small business is upgrading its workstations…
A small business is upgrading its workstations and needs to dispose of 20 old hard drives that contain confidential payroll records. The company wants the lowest-cost method that ensures data cannot be recovered. Which disposal method should be recommended?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the misconception that a standard format or OS reinstall permanently erases data, when in fact only a secure wipe (e.g., overwriting with zeros multiple times) or physical destruction ensures data is unrecoverable.
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
✓
Drill holes through the platters of each drive.
Drilling holes through the platters physically destroys the magnetic surfaces, making data recovery impossible without specialized cleanroom equipment. This is the lowest-cost method that guarantees destruction because it directly damages the storage medium beyond repair, unlike degaussing which may not work on modern SSDs or high-coercivity drives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a degausser on each drive.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing effectively destroys data on magnetic media by exposing the drive to a powerful magnetic field, scrambling the magnetic domains that store data. While highly secure and compliant with many data destruction standards, degaussers are specialized and expensive pieces of equipment. This makes the method cost-prohibitive and impractical for a small business needing to dispose of multiple drives without a dedicated budget for such tools.
- ✗
Perform a standard format on each drive.
Why it's wrong here
A standard format, often referred to as a "quick format," primarily creates a new file system table and marks all sectors as available for new data. It does not overwrite the actual data stored on the platters, meaning the original information remains largely intact. Consequently, data can be easily recovered using readily available data recovery software, offering no real security against data retrieval.
- ✓
Drill holes through the platters of each drive.
Why this is correct
Drilling holes directly through the platters of a hard disk drive causes irreversible physical damage to the magnetic surfaces where data is stored. This action physically destroys the integrity of the data tracks and sectors, rendering the data unreadable and unrecoverable by any means, including specialized forensic techniques. It is a highly effective and very low-cost method for secure data destruction, especially for a small business on a budget.
- ✗
Reformat the drives and install a fresh OS.
Why it's wrong here
Reformatting a drive and then installing a fresh operating system, while appearing to erase data, only overwrites a portion of the drive with new system files. The vast majority of the original data remains on the platters in sectors not overwritten by the new OS. This residual data is still recoverable with forensic tools, meaning this method does not meet secure data destruction standards for sensitive information.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 220-1202 question from scratch — 495 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 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 220-1202 exam.