220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is preparing to dispose of several old hard drives that contained sensitive company data. The company's policy requires that all data be irrecoverable before disposal. The drives are still functional and will be reused in another department. Which of the following methods BEST meets the policy requirement while allowing reuse?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse logical deletion (quick format, partition removal) with physical sanitization, which is required to make data irrecoverable.
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
✓
Use a software tool to perform a secure erase or overwrite the drives with random data.
To securely sanitize a functional drive for reuse, a secure erase or overwrite with random data is the best method. It ensures that the original data cannot be recovered, meeting the policy requirement, while keeping the drive usable. Quick format or partition deletion only removes logical structures, leaving data recoverable.
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 software tool to perform a secure erase or overwrite the drives with random data.
Why this is correct
A secure erase or overwrite with random data (or multiple passes) ensures that the original data cannot be recovered, while leaving the drive functional for reuse. This meets the policy requirement of irrecoverable data and aligns with best practices for sanitization before reuse.
- ✗
Delete all partitions and create a new one.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting partitions and creating a new one only modifies the partition table; the underlying data remains on the disk and can be recovered with forensic tools. This does not satisfy the requirement for irrecoverable data. A secure erase or overwrite is necessary to properly sanitize the drive.
- ✗
Physically destroy the drives by shredding them.
Why it's wrong here
Physical destruction ensures data cannot be recovered, but it prevents reuse of the drives. The scenario states the drives will be reused in another department, so destruction is unnecessary and wasteful. The policy requires irrecoverable data but also implies reuse is desired, so a method that sanitizes while preserving functionality is better.
- ✗
Perform a quick format of each drive.
Why it's wrong here
A quick format only removes file system pointers and does not overwrite the actual data. The data remains recoverable with forensic tools. This does not meet the policy requirement of irrecoverable data. A secure erase or overwrite is needed to ensure data cannot be recovered.
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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
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