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220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question

A technician needs to deploy Windows 10 Pro to several new computers that have different hardware configurations (different manufacturers, chipsets, etc.). The technician has built a reference Windows 10 installation on one computer and customized it with required applications and settings. Which built-in tool should the technician use to generalize the image so it can be captured and deployed to the other computers?

⚠ Common exam trap

Watch out — candidates often confuse Sysprep with DISM, thinking DISM can generalize an image, but DISM only services offline images and cannot remove hardware-specific identifiers.

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

✓

Sysprep

Sysprep is the correct tool because it generalizes a Windows installation by removing hardware-specific information (e.g., drivers, SID) and prepares the OS for imaging. This allows the customized reference image to be deployed to computers with different hardware configurations without conflicts.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✗

    Windows System Image Manager (WSIM)

    Why it's wrong here

    Windows System Image Manager is part of the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) and is used solely to create and manage unattended answer files (Unattend.xml) that automate settings during Windows installation. It enables administrators to configure components and packages within a Windows image's configuration passes, but it does not process or modify an installed operating system. As such, it cannot remove the unique security identifiers, computer name, or device-specific drivers that must be generalized before deploying a golden image to multiple machines.

  • ✓

    Sysprep

    Why this is correct

    System Preparation (Sysprep) is the correct built-in utility for preparing a Windows 10 Pro installation for imaging. It generalizes the operating system by stripping machine-specific information such as the computer name, SID, and hardware-specific driver caches, and then configures the system to boot into Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) so a new user can set it up. It also resets activation and prepares the installation for capture into a WIM file using DISM or other imaging tools. This is why it is the standard step before deploying Windows to multiple different devices.

  • ✗

    Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM)

    Why it's wrong here

    Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) is a command-line suite that services and manages Windows images, including mounting and editing WIM files, adding drivers, enabling features, and capturing or applying images. However, DISM on its own does not generalize a Windows installation; it never removes computer-specific identifiers or resets the system for out-of-box configuration. In a typical deployment workflow, you must run Sysprep first to generalize the reference machine, then use DISM to capture that generalized state as an image file. Therefore, DISM is a complementary tool but not the one that performs the required generalization step.

  • ✗

    Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)

    Why it's wrong here

    Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is a full-featured solution for automating Windows deployments with task sequences, driver management, and application wizard interfaces, but it is not a built-in component of Windows 10; it must be downloaded separately as part of the ADK or standalone. Even when MDT is used to create a reference image, it relies internally on Sysprep to execute the generalization phase before capturing the WIM file. Thus, while MDT can orchestrate the entire deployment process, it is not the underlying built-in tool that directly removes machine-specific information. If you are looking for the native utility built into Windows that accomplishes the generalization step, Sysprep is the answer.

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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.