220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to install Windows 10 on a computer that currently runs Windows 7 Professional. The technician wants to retain all applications, settings, and user data. The computer's processor supports SLAT and the system meets hardware requirements for Windows 10. Which installation method should the technician use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse a 'custom installation' with an upgrade, not realizing that 'custom' in Windows Setup terminology always means a clean install that removes existing data and settings.
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
✓
Upgrade using the Windows 10 installation media
An in-place upgrade from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 preserves all applications, settings, and user data, provided the hardware meets the requirements (including SLAT support). The technician uses the Windows 10 installation media and selects 'Upgrade' to perform this migration without data loss.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Custom installation
Why it's wrong here
Choosing "Custom installation" during Windows 10 setup from within Windows 7 launches a clean install process that does not preserve installed applications, user settings, or personal data. While it creates a Windows.old folder for potential manual data extraction, it bypasses the in-place upgrade engine, effectively erasing the previous environment. This is incorrect because the intent is to keep the existing Windows 7 setup intact while moving to Windows 10.
- ✓
Upgrade using the Windows 10 installation media
Why this is correct
Running setup.exe from within Windows 7 and selecting "Upgrade" executes an in-place upgrade, retaining installed apps, user settings, and personal files. This uses the Windows 10 installation media's upgrade path, which migrates the system state while replacing the operating system. It is the correct choice because it preserves the user's existing applications and data rather than discarding them.
- ✗
Clean installation from a bootable USB
Why it's wrong here
Booting from a bootable USB drive to install Windows 10 performs a purely clean installation, typically deleting the existing partitions and writing a fresh operating system. This approach wipes all applications, settings, and user data from the target drive without creating a Windows.old folder for recovery. It is wrong for this scenario because it completely discards the existing Windows 7 environment rather than upgrading it.
- ✗
Restore from a system image backup
Why it's wrong here
Restoring from a system image backup overwrites the entire current disk with a previously captured image, replacing both the operating system and all data with that snapshot. This does not perform an upgrade of the existing Windows 7 installation; it simply clobbers the drive with an older or unrelated state. It is incorrect because it neither retains current applications and settings nor transitions the machine to Windows 10 in a meaningful way.
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Key term
Windows
Windows is a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft that manages computer hardware and software, providing a graphical user interface for users to interact with their devices.
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.
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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.