220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A user's Windows 10 workstation fails to boot and displays a black screen with a spinning circle. The technician cannot access Safe Mode. The technician has access to another working Windows 10 computer. Which tool should the technician use to create a bootable recovery drive to attempt repair?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the Recovery Drive creation tool with the System Configuration (msconfig) tool, mistakenly thinking msconfig can create a bootable drive or that Safe Mode can be accessed via msconfig even when the system cannot boot.
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
✓
Recovery Drive creation tool (in Control Panel)
The Recovery Drive creation tool in Control Panel allows a technician to create a bootable USB recovery drive on a working Windows 10 computer. This drive can then be used to boot the failing workstation and access advanced startup options, including Safe Mode, System Restore, and Command Prompt, which are necessary to repair the boot failure. The other tools listed either cannot create a bootable medium or are not accessible from a working computer for this purpose.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Windows Memory Diagnostic
Why it's wrong here
Windows Memory Diagnostic is a targeted RAM testing utility that runs either from the Windows boot menu or via mdsched.exe to perform a memory test cycle. It cannot write any bootable media, and its purpose is solely to identify faulty memory modules, not to repair missing boot files, BCD corruption, or OS loader errors. Since the workstation fails to boot, running this tool would only verify hardware, leaving the original boot problem unsolved.
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System Configuration (msconfig)
Why it's wrong here
System Configuration (msconfig) is an in-OS administrative tool that lets a logged-in user modify boot options, disable startup programs, or change services for diagnostic purposes. It cannot create a bootable recovery drive because it is not designed to produce external media, and it requires the operating system to already be running successfully. When a system exhibits a boot failure, msconfig is inaccessible, so it offers no path to repair the BCD or restore boot-critical files from a non-booting state.
- ✓
Recovery Drive creation tool (in Control Panel)
Why this is correct
The Recovery Drive creation tool, accessible via Control Panel, builds a bootable USB flash drive containing a copy of the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). You can boot a broken workstation from that USB to launch Startup Repair, System Restore, Command Prompt, or system image recovery, making it explicitly capable of addressing a failed boot. This tool is the correct choice because it generates the necessary preboot environment when the PC itself cannot start Windows normally.
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Disk Management
Why it's wrong here
Disk Management is a graphical MMC snap-in used to initialize disks, create and format partitions, shrink or extend volumes, and assign drive letters or mount points. It operates through the already-running Windows interface and has no mechanism to generate bootable media or invoke startup recovery tools. Therefore, while it may be useful for disk layout issues, it cannot help a workstation that displays a boot failure before the OS loads.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows User Accounts and Groups
Key term
Control Panel
Control Panel is a central graphical interface in Windows operating systems used to configure system settings, manage hardware, and control user preferences.
Key term
Universal Serial Bus
A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard interface that allows you to connect devices like keyboards, mice, storage drives, and printers to a computer for data transfer and power delivery.
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