220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to boot a Windows 10 workstation into Safe Mode with Networking because the system fails to start normally. The technician has booted from a Windows 10 installation media and opened the Command Prompt from the Repair options. Which command should the technician use to configure the boot to Safe Mode with Networking on the next restart?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse `safeboot minimal` (Safe Mode without networking) with `safeboot network` (Safe Mode with networking), or mistakenly use `bootrec` commands which repair boot records but do not set Safe Mode options.
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
✓
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network
The correct command is `bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network` because it modifies the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) to enable Safe Mode with Networking on the next restart. The `network` parameter specifically loads network drivers and services, which is required for the scenario. This command is executed from the Command Prompt in the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) after booting from installation media.
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 /fixmbr
Why it's wrong here
bootrec /fixmbr rewrites the master boot record (MBR) code on the system partition, repairing the boot chain at the firmware/partition level. It does not modify the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store, which is where Safe Mode options like safeboot are defined. Since the requirement is to configure Safe Mode with Networking, this command is incorrect.
- ✗
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
Why it's wrong here
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal correctly modifies the BCD store but sets the safeboot value to 'minimal', which boots only the core Windows Safe Mode environment. This intentionally excludes network drivers and services, so the workstation would lack networking capabilities. The command's syntax is valid but the parameter value does not match the stated need for networking.
- ✓
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network
Why this is correct
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network sets the safeboot BCD element for the default boot entry to 'network', instructing Windows to start in Safe Mode while loading network adapter drivers and dependent services. This is the precise boot-time configuration that achieves Safe Mode with Networking on the next restart. The setting persists until removed with bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot.
- ✗
bcdedit /bootdebug
Why it's wrong here
bcdedit /bootdebug toggles the boot debugger setting in the BCD, enabling or disabling kernel debugging during the boot sequence. It is unrelated to Safe Mode and does not set the safeboot parameter. Running it would not alter the startup mode of Windows, so it cannot fulfill the requirement.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
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
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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