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220-1102 Practice Question: Decommissioning several workstations that contain…
This 220-1102 practice question tests your understanding of decommissioning several workstations that contain…. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is decommissioning several workstations that contain confidential client data on traditional HDDs. The company's data disposal policy requires that the data be completely unrecoverable. Which method should the technician use to achieve this?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Perform a quick format of the drive
Quick formatting only removes the file system metadata; data remains on the platters and can be easily recovered using file recovery tools.
B
Distractor review
Overwrite the drive with a single pass of zeros
Single-pass overwriting may still leave residual data that can potentially be recovered with specialized forensic tools, though it is less secure than physical destruction.
C
Distractor review
Use a degausser to disrupt the magnetic field
Degaussing destroys the magnetic alignment, but modern hard drives often have high coercivity and may not be fully erased. Additionally, the drive may still contain recoverable data in some cases.
D
Best answer
Physically shred the hard drive platters
Physical shredding completely destroys the storage media, making data recovery virtually impossible. This achieves the highest level of data destruction.
Answer analysis
Why the other options are wrong
Understanding why incorrect options are tempting is as important as knowing the correct answer.
- ✗
Perform a quick format of the drive
Quick formatting only removes the file system metadata; data remains on the platters and can be easily recovered using file recovery tools.
- ✗
Overwrite the drive with a single pass of zeros
Single-pass overwriting may still leave residual data that can potentially be recovered with specialized forensic tools, though it is less secure than physical destruction.
- ✗
Use a degausser to disrupt the magnetic field
Degaussing destroys the magnetic alignment, but modern hard drives often have high coercivity and may not be fully erased. Additionally, the drive may still contain recoverable data in some cases.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A change advisory board (CAB) approved a standard change to update antivirus definitions on all servers. The technician completes the update on a file server and verifies the server is functioning normally. According to change management best practices, what documentation should the technician complete?
Question 2
A company's change management policy requires all server changes to be approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB). A technician discovers that a critical database server's operating system needs a security patch to comply with a new regulatory requirement that takes effect in one week. The patch has a known risk of causing service downtime. The next scheduled CAB meeting is in two weeks. What should the technician do FIRST?
Question 3
A company is implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and needs to ensure that corporate data on employee mobile devices is protected. Which of the following is the MOST important technical control to implement?
Question 4
A company requires employees to present both a smart card and a PIN to log into their workstations. Which authentication principle is being implemented?
Question 5
A company requires all Windows 10 workstations to be able to join an Active Directory domain. Which edition of Windows 10 must be installed on these workstations?
Question 6
A company wants to allow employees to securely access internal resources from home via the internet. Which method provides the highest level of security for remote desktop connections?
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1102 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Physically shred the hard drive platters — Physical destruction, such as shredding the hard drive platters, ensures that data cannot be recovered by any means. Quick formatting only removes the file system index. Single-pass overwriting can sometimes be reversed with advanced tools. Degaussing may not be effective on modern high-coercivity drives and does not physically destroy the media.
What should I do if I get this 220-1102 question wrong?
Identify which 220-1102 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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More 220-1102 practice questions
- A change advisory board (CAB) approved a standard change to update antivirus definitions on all servers. The technician…
- A company's change management policy requires all server changes to be approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB). A te…
- A company is implementing a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy and needs to ensure that corporate data on employee mobi…
- A company requires employees to present both a smart card and a PIN to log into their workstations. Which authentication…
- A company requires all Windows 10 workstations to be able to join an Active Directory domain. Which edition of Windows 1…
- A company wants to allow employees to securely access internal resources from home via the internet. Which method provid…
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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.