220-1102 Operating Systems Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 workstation that crashes due to a driver conflict. The technician wants the system to automatically boot into Safe Mode with Networking on every startup until the problem is resolved. Which built-in tool should the technician use to configure this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently think Device Manager is used to resolve driver conflicts directly, but the question specifically asks for configuring automatic boot into Safe Mode, which is a boot configuration task, not a driver management task.
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
✓
System Configuration (msconfig)
The System Configuration utility (msconfig) allows you to set a 'boot' option for Safe Mode with Networking under the Boot tab. By checking 'Safe boot' and selecting 'Network', the system will boot into that mode on every startup until the option is unchecked. This is the correct built-in tool for configuring persistent boot behavior.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Device Manager
Why it's wrong here
Device Manager is a management console for hardware components and their drivers, not a boot configuration tool. It lacks any interface for choosing startup modes such as Safe Mode with Networking, and it cannot make persistent changes to the system's boot behavior. Even when disabling a malfunctioning device, it does not alter the boot selection sequence.
- ✓
System Configuration (msconfig)
Why this is correct
System Configuration (msconfig) is the correct built-in tool because its Boot tab provides a checkbox for 'Safe boot' and allows you to select 'Network' under Safe boot options, enabling Safe Mode with Networking. This setting is written to the Boot Configuration Data and remains active until you return to msconfig and clear it, making it a permanent boot mode until changed. It is the intended GUI utility for this specific task.
- ✗
Registry Editor
Why it's wrong here
While boot settings like SystemStartOptions are ultimately stored in the registry, using Registry Editor to manually enable Safe Mode with Networking is unsupported and risk-prone. A single typo in a key or invalid data type can prevent the system from booting altogether, and the editor provides no safeguards or validation for these critical values. Microsoft's supported interfaces for this are msconfig or bcdedit, not direct registry modification.
- ✗
Windows Memory Diagnostic
Why it's wrong here
The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool is exclusively designed to test random access memory (RAM) for faults by running comprehensive memory tests during the reboot process. It does not modify any boot configuration or startup mode settings, nor does it install or enable network drivers. Its purpose is to identify hardware memory errors that might cause crashes, not to change how the system boots.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Networking and File Sharing
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
Safe Mode
Safe Mode is a diagnostic startup mode in operating systems that loads only essential drivers and services, allowing users to troubleshoot and fix problems caused by non-critical software or hardware.
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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.