220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician needs to dispose of a hard drive that contained sensitive payroll data. The drive is still functional. Which method ensures complete data destruction?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse logical deletion (formatting, deleting files) with physical destruction, assuming that a quick format or emptying the Recycle Bin permanently removes data, when in fact only degaussing or physical shredding ensures complete data destruction.
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
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Degaussing
Degaussing uses a powerful magnetic field to completely randomize the magnetic domains on the platters, rendering the hard drive's data unrecoverable and the drive itself non-functional. This is the only method listed that ensures complete destruction of the sensitive payroll data, as it physically alters the magnetic media beyond any possibility of recovery, even with advanced forensic tools.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Degaussing
Why this is correct
Degaussing is the correct disposal method for a magnetic hard drive. A strong magnetic field forces the ferromagnetic domains on the platters into a randomized pattern, completely eliminating the stored magnetization and rendering the data unrecoverable. For drives with high coercivity, a degausser must be appropriately powerful, and effective degaussing also disrupts servo tracks and even hidden areas like host-protected regions, making it a reliable sanitization technique.
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Quick format
Why it's wrong here
A quick format does not actually erase data from a hard drive. It merely rewrites the file system metadata, such as the master file table (MFT) or file allocation table (FAT), and creates a fresh directory structure, leaving the underlying data sectors intact. Because the original data clusters are not overwritten, they remain physically present on the platters and can be recovered with standard file-recovery software, making this method entirely unsuitable for securely disposing of sensitive information.
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Deleting all files and emptying Recycle Bin
Why it's wrong here
Deleting files and emptying the Recycle Bin only removes the directory entries that point to the data on the disk. The actual file contents remain on the platters in their original sectors, and the space is simply marked as available for future writes. Forensic analysis tools can scan these unallocated sectors and reconstruct files using file signatures and metadata, so this approach offers no true data destruction for sensitive payroll records.
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Running chkdsk
Why it's wrong here
Running chkdsk (Check Disk) is a file system integrity utility that scans a volume for errors, such as bad sectors, lost clusters, and cross-linked files, and attempts to repair them. It never writes over user data as a sanitization method and cannot guarantee the removal of sensitive content. In fact, chkdsk may even relocate data during repairs, but it does not wipe the drive, so payroll information remains recoverable and this command is not a valid disposal technique.
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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.