220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A Windows 10 computer is stuck in a boot loop after a failed update. The technician has a Windows 10 installation USB. What is the most reliable method to access the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often remember the legacy F8 or Shift+F8 methods from older exams or Windows 7 experience, but CompTIA tests the modern Windows 10 behavior where these keys are disabled or unreliable, making the installation USB the definitive recovery method.
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
✓
Boot from the installation USB and select 'Repair your computer'.
When a Windows 10 system is stuck in a boot loop after a failed update, the most reliable way to access WinRE is to boot from a Windows 10 installation USB and select 'Repair your computer'. This bypasses the corrupted boot process entirely and loads the recovery environment from the USB media, which is independent of the installed OS and unaffected by the failed update.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Press F8 repeatedly during startup.
Why it's wrong here
Pressing F8 repeatedly relies on the legacy boot menu, but Windows 10 disables the F8 key by default via the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) setting. Fast startup also bypasses the traditional boot process, so the keystroke is never captured, making this method unreliable for entering Safe Mode or WinRE.
- ✗
Press Shift+F8 immediately after POST.
Why it's wrong here
Shift+F8 attempts to invoke the recovery environment during the boot sequence, but the timing window is extremely brief and often missed on modern UEFI systems. Additionally, fast startup can skip the boot manager entirely, so the key combination is consumed by firmware initialization rather than by Windows, rendering it inconsistent.
- ✓
Boot from the installation USB and select 'Repair your computer'.
Why this is correct
Booting from a Windows 10 installation USB media bypasses the corrupted boot files on the system drive, directly loading the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). From there, selecting 'Repair your computer' provides access to Startup Repair, System Restore, and Command Prompt, making it the most reliable and deterministic method to break a boot loop.
- ✗
Use the Windows startup settings menu by interrupting the boot process three times.
Why it's wrong here
Interrupting the boot process three times forces Windows to invoke Automatic Repair, which may eventually load WinRE, but this method is slow and depends on the system's failure detection logic. It is also less predictable because it can trigger automatic repair attempts that fail to load, and it is not recommended when a known-good installation media is available.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux File System Structure
Key term
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
Key term
Boot loop
A boot loop is a computer startup failure where the device repeatedly turns on and off or restarts without ever fully loading the operating system.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 220-1102 question from scratch — 925 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 220-1102 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 220-1102 exam.