220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A Windows 10 workstation fails to boot and displays a 'Recovery' screen with no advanced options visible. The technician boots from installation media and opens a Command Prompt. Which command-line utility should be used to rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse `bcdedit` as the primary tool for BCD issues, but `bcdedit` cannot create a new BCD store from scratch when it is missing or completely corrupted, whereas `bootrec` is designed specifically for that recovery scenario.
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
✓
bootrec
When a Windows 10 workstation fails to boot and displays a 'Recovery' screen with no advanced options, the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store is often corrupted or missing. Booting from installation media and opening a Command Prompt allows the technician to use the `bootrec` utility, specifically the `bootrec /rebuildbcd` command, which scans all disks for Windows installations and rebuilds the BCD store from scratch. This is the correct tool because it directly addresses BCD corruption without requiring manual editing or additional system files.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
bootrec
Why this is correct
The `bootrec` utility, when invoked with the `/rebuildbcd` switch from the Windows Recovery Environment command prompt, scans all disks for Windows installations and rebuilds the BCD store. It then prompts the user to add each found installation to the new store, thereby restoring the boot configuration that was missing or corrupt. This is the definitive method to repair a damaged BCD, as it regenerates the store from scratch rather than modifying an existing one. Other switches like `/fixmbr` and `/fixboot` address boot sector issues but do not recreate the BCD store itself.
- ✗
bcdedit
Why it's wrong here
`bcdedit` is a command-line tool for examining and altering existing Boot Configuration Data entries, such as setting a default OS or toggling boot manager parameters. However, it requires a valid, readable BCD store to load and edit; if the store is missing, unreadable, or corrupt, `bcdedit` simply returns an error indicating it cannot open the store. It cannot regenerate a lost BCD from nothing, unlike `bootrec /rebuildbcd`, which reconstructs the store after a full system scan. In practice, `bcdedit` is a post-repair tuning tool, not a rebuild tool.
- ✗
sfc
Why it's wrong here
The `sfc` utility scans and repairs protected system files by replacing corrupted versions from the Windows component store, but it does not interact with the Boot Configuration Data store, which resides on the EFI System Partition or system reserved partition. It is tempting because file corruption is a common boot failure cause, and `sfc` is a familiar repair tool; however, rebuilding the BCD store requires `bootrec /rebuildbcd`, which directly rewrites the boot configuration entries that `sfc` cannot access.
- ✗
chkdsk
Why it's wrong here
`chkdsk` (Check Disk) validates and repairs file system metadata and disk surface integrity, addressing issues like cross-linked pointers or bad sectors in the NTFS/FAT structures. It does not inspect or manipulate boot configuration files such as the BCD store, which lives on the EFI System Partition (UEFI) or System Reserved partition (BIOS). While physical corruption or file system damage could indirectly contribute to BCD failure, running `chkdsk` alone will not recreate a missing BCD store or repair its logical contents. The boot configuration repair is specifically a task for `bootrec /rebuildbcd`.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Installation Methods
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
Key term
Command Prompt
Command Prompt is a text-based interface in Windows that lets you type commands to perform tasks like managing files, troubleshooting networks, or launching programs.
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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.