220-1102 Software Troubleshooting Practice Question

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 System File Checker (sfc /scannow)

  Why it's wrong here

  SFC /scannow verifies and repairs protected Windows system files by comparing them against cached copies in the WinSxS store. A blue screen immediately after a Windows update is far more likely due to a faulty update payload, driver incompatibility, or post-update corruption, not necessarily missing or corrupted system files. SFC is useful if file corruption is suspected, but it would not remove or roll back the update; it also requires time and may need a reboot. Since the update is the known recent variable, directly addressing it is more logical than scanning the file store.

• ✓

  Uninstall the most recent update

  Why this is correct

  Because the blue screen began immediately after the update installation, the update itself is the highest-probability cause; uninstalling it is the quickest, most direct test of that hypothesis. In Safe Mode, the Windows Update uninstaller (either via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Update history, or the Control Panel Programs and Features view) can remove the recent update without loading normal startup processes that might also crash. If the system stabilizes after removal, it confirms the update was the culprit, and the specific update can then be hidden or blocked while awaiting a patched release. This targeted action avoids the collateral changes of System Restore and the unrelated diagnostics of file or disk checks.

• ✗

  Perform a system restore

  Why it's wrong here

  System Restore reverts the entire Windows registry, drivers, and system files to a previous restore point, potentially rolling back unrelated configuration changes and installed applications. While it could remove the problematic update if a restore point predates it, it is a broader, more time-consuming action that may also affect user settings or recent software installations. Uninstalling just the specific update is a more targeted, faster fix that directly isolates the update as the cause without collateral changes. Therefore, System Restore is a valid fallback but not the optimal first response.

• ✗

  Run chkdsk /f

  Why it's wrong here

  CHKDSK /F checks the file system structure and fixes disk errors such as bad sectors or corrupted metadata, requiring a volume scan that can take significant time. A blue screen immediately following a Windows update is almost never caused by file system corruption, because updates are written to existing NTFS volumes that were already functioning; the failure is more likely introduced by the update's new binaries or driver calls. Running CHKDSK first would delay the targeted resolution and address the wrong subsystem. It could be a last resort after uninstalling the update proves ineffective and if disk-related symptoms (e.g., I/O errors) appear.

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