220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician needs to install Windows 10 on a new SSD. The computer currently has no operating system. The technician boots from a USB drive containing Windows 10 installation media. After the installation begins, the technician is prompted to select the type of installation. The technician wants to perform a clean installation on the empty SSD. Which installation option should be chosen?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse 'Upgrade' with a clean installation on a new drive, not realizing that 'Upgrade' requires an existing Windows OS to be present and will fail if no previous installation is detected.
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
✓
B) Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
(Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)) is correct because it performs a clean installation, which is necessary for an empty SSD with no existing operating system. This option allows the technician to select the target drive, format it if desired, and install Windows 10 from scratch without preserving any files, settings, or applications from a previous installation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A) Upgrade: Install Windows and keep files, settings, and applications
Why it's wrong here
The Upgrade option is designed to upgrade an existing Windows installation to a newer version while preserving user files, settings, and applications. Since the target system has a new, empty SSD with no existing operating system, there is nothing to upgrade from, and the upgrade path requires a prior Windows installation to be present. Therefore, this choice is invalid for a clean installation.
- ✓
B) Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
Why this is correct
The Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option provides a clean installation by letting you choose the exact partition on the SSD where Windows will be installed. You can format or delete existing partitions, create new ones, and install a fresh copy of the operating system without any legacy files or settings. This is the appropriate and recommended path for a brand-new SSD with no OS.
- ✗
C) Repair your computer
Why it's wrong here
The 'Repair your computer' option loads the Windows Recovery Environment, which offers troubleshooting utilities like Startup Repair, System Restore, and Command Prompt. These tools are meant to fix an already-installed Windows that is failing to boot or has system corruption, not to perform a new installation on a blank SSD. Selecting this would not guide you through installing Windows on the new drive.
- ✗
D) Load driver
Why it's wrong here
The 'Load driver' option is a prerequisite step used when the Windows setup program cannot detect the storage device because it requires a third-party driver, such as for an NVMe SSD or a RAID controller. It does not represent an installation type; rather, it allows you to provide the driver so that the SSD becomes visible to the installer. Once the driver is loaded, you still need to choose an installation method like Custom to proceed, so this option alone is insufficient.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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System Restore Points
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
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.
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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.