220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question
A user reports that a Windows 10 Pro application crashes when attempting to save a file, displaying the error: '0x8007007B: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.' The technician has verified that the file path is valid and that the user has write permissions to the destination folder. Which built-in Windows tool should the technician use FIRST to check for file system corruption?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse file system corruption with system file corruption, leading them to choose sfc /scannow when the error code explicitly points to a file system syntax problem that chkdsk is designed to fix.
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
✓
Run chkdsk on the drive
The error 0x8007007B indicates a syntax issue with the filename, directory name, or volume label, which can be caused by file system corruption on the volume. Chkdsk (Check Disk) is the appropriate first tool to verify and repair the integrity of the file system, including the Master File Table (MFT) and volume structure, before attempting other repairs. Since the user has write permissions and the path is valid, corruption at the file system level is a likely cause, and chkdsk directly addresses this.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run chkdsk on the drive
Why this is correct
chkdsk is the correct tool because the error indicates a logical file-system problem: the volume label stored in the boot sector is either invalid or corrupted, and chkdsk scans the file system's metadata, including the volume label and master file table, to detect and repair such structural inconsistencies. It also fixes related issues like bad sectors or cross-linked files that can cause applications to crash during save operations. Running chkdsk on the drive directly addresses the root cause rather than masking it.
- ✗
Run sfc /scannow
Why it's wrong here
sfc /scannow verifies and repairs the integrity of protected Windows system files, such as system DLLs and executables, by comparing them against cached copies in the WinSxS folder. The volume label syntax error is a file-system metadata problem, not a system file corruption issue, so sfc will find all system files intact and make no changes that could resolve the drive's label or structural errors. It operates at the file-content layer, completely separate from the boot-sector and volume-metadata layer where this failure occurs.
- ✗
Run DISM /RestoreHealth
Why it's wrong here
DISM /RestoreHealth uses Windows Update to repair the Windows system image (the component store) that serves as a source for sfc repairs, fixing corruption in operating system packages and the image itself. It does not touch the file system's volume label, boot sector, or on-disk metadata, all of which are external to the Windows image. Because the crash stems from an invalid volume label on the drive, DISM cannot influence that on-disk structure, making it the wrong diagnostic tool for this issue.
- ✗
Run mdsched.exe
Why it's wrong here
mdsched.exe launches the Windows Memory Diagnostics tool, which tests physical RAM by writing and reading test patterns to memory addresses to find defective memory modules. A volume label syntax error is a logical fault in the drive's file-system metadata that is stored on the disk and processed by the file-system driver, not a symptom of failing hardware memory. Even if RAM were faulty, it would produce random crashes, stop errors, or data corruption, not a consistent volume-label error, so this tool would miss the true cause entirely.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
User Account Control (UAC)
Key term
New Technology File System
New Technology File System (NTFS) is a modern file system developed by Microsoft that controls how data is stored, organized, and accessed on Windows-based hard drives and other storage devices.
Key term
Folder
A folder is a logical container used to organize and group digital files, resources, or cloud-based assets within a system or platform.
About these practice questions
This 220-1102 question is part of Courseiva's 925-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam 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.