220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A user needs to run a Linux command-line tool natively on a Windows 10 Pro workstation without using a virtual machine or dual boot. Which built-in Windows feature should the technician enable to allow this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Hyper-V with WSL because both involve virtualization, but Hyper-V requires a full VM and guest OS, whereas WSL provides native Linux tool integration without a separate desktop environment.
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
✓
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a built-in Windows 10 Pro feature that allows users to run native Linux command-line tools directly on Windows without a virtual machine or dual-boot configuration. It achieves this by translating Linux system calls into Windows system calls via a lightweight compatibility layer, enabling seamless integration of Linux binaries like bash, grep, and sed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Hyper-V
Why it's wrong here
Hyper-V is a Type 1 hypervisor that virtualizes complete operating systems, requiring you to create and maintain a full Linux guest VM with its own kernel, memory, and disk allocation. This approach is resource-intensive, has slower startup times, and is far more complex than simply executing a command-line binary locally. Additionally, Hyper-V is not enabled by default in Windows 10 Pro and demands features like Windows Hypervisor Platform to be turned on. While you could theoretically run a Linux tool this way, it is not native execution and is overkill for the task.
- ✓
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Why this is correct
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is the built-in compatibility layer that runs Linux command-line tools directly on Windows 10 Pro without a full virtual machine. WSL2 uses a lightweight utility VM with a genuine Linux kernel for near-native system-call compatibility, while WSL1 translates Linux syscalls into Windows equivalents. It can be enabled with a single optional feature command (`Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux`) after enabling the Virtual Machine Platform. This provides seamless integration with the Windows file system and is the intended solution for running Linux CLI utilities natively.
- ✗
Remote Desktop Services
Why it's wrong here
Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is designed to provide graphical remote access to Windows desktops or apps over a network connection, not to execute Linux binaries. RDS relies on the Windows kernel and Win32 execution environment, so it cannot interpret Linux ELF executables without an additional Linux VM serving the tool. Even with such a VM, RDS merely displays the remote session; it does not bring Linux execution into the local Windows process space. Choosing RDS would add significant networking and security overhead while providing no benefit for running a simple command-line tool.
- ✗
Sandbox
Why it's wrong here
Windows Sandbox is an isolated, light-weight desktop environment created by Microsoft to safely run untrusted Windows applications without affecting the host OS. It loads a fresh, disposable Windows system and runs only Windows-native executables; a Linux binary would fail to execute because the sandbox kernel is Windows, not Linux. While the sandbox uses virtualization under the hood, it does not include any Linux compatibility layer or support for ELF binaries. Thus, it is meant for testing Windows software, not for native Linux CLI execution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
macOS System Preferences and Settings
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
Virtual machine
A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical computer that runs an operating system and applications just like a real machine, but is isolated and managed by a hypervisor on a host system.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 220-1102
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A user needs to run a Linux command-line tool on a Windows 10 Pro workstation. Which built-in Windows feature should the technician enable to allow the user to run Linux tools natively?
easy- A.Hyper-V
- ✓ B.Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
- C.Windows Sandbox
- D.Remote Desktop Services
Why B: The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a built-in Windows 10 feature that allows users to run native Linux command-line tools and binaries directly on Windows without a virtual machine. It achieves this by translating Linux system calls into Windows kernel calls via a lightweight compatibility layer, enabling seamless integration of tools like bash, grep, and sed.
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.