- A
Remove the drives and use a degausser on each one.
Why wrong: Degaussing may damage the drives and could void the lease agreement. It also may not be effective on all drive types.
- B
Perform a secure erase using a bootable utility like DBAN.
Why wrong: DBAN may not correctly address RAID controller translation, leaving data in hidden areas. It is not reliable for hardware RAID.
- C
Use the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command.
The controller's utility can access all sectors, ensuring complete data removal while keeping drives functional for return.
- D
Physically drill through the drive enclosures.
Why wrong: Drilling damages the drives, violating the lease requirement to return functional drives.
Question 714 of 750
220-1202 Data Destruction and Disposal Practice Question
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of data destruction and disposal. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A technician is decommissioning a server that uses a hardware RAID controller. The company policy requires that all data be destroyed, but the drives must be returned to the leasing company. Which method ensures data is unrecoverable while preserving the drives?
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
✓
Use the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command.
Option C is correct because the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command issues the ATA Secure Erase command (or SCSI equivalent) directly to each drive, which overwrites all user-accessible data areas and often the hidden RAID metadata, making data unrecoverable. This method preserves the physical drives for return to the leasing company, as required by policy, and is the only option that both destroys data and leaves the drives functional.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remove the drives and use a degausser on each one.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing may damage the drives and could void the lease agreement. It also may not be effective on all drive types.
- ✗
Perform a secure erase using a bootable utility like DBAN.
Why it's wrong here
DBAN may not correctly address RAID controller translation, leaving data in hidden areas. It is not reliable for hardware RAID.
- ✓
Use the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command.
Why this is correct
The controller's utility can access all sectors, ensuring complete data removal while keeping drives functional for return.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Physically drill through the drive enclosures.
Why it's wrong here
Drilling damages the drives, violating the lease requirement to return functional drives.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The A+ exam often tests the misconception that a software-based overwrite tool like DBAN is sufficient for RAID arrays, but the trap here is that such tools cannot access the controller's hidden metadata or spare sectors, whereas the RAID controller's built-in secure erase command ensures complete data destruction at the physical drive level.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The ATA Secure Erase command (defined in ANSI INCITS 361-2002) triggers a firmware-level overwrite that clears the G-List (grown defect list) and all user data, including sectors remapped by the drive's internal error recovery. In a hardware RAID environment, the controller's secure erase command typically issues this command to each member drive sequentially, ensuring that RAID metadata (e.g., superblocks, parity stripes) is also erased, which a bootable utility like DBAN might miss if it only sees the logical RAID volume.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1202 question test?
Data Destruction and Disposal — This question tests Data Destruction and Disposal — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command. — Option C is correct because the RAID controller's built-in 'secure erase' or 'low-level format' command issues the ATA Secure Erase command (or SCSI equivalent) directly to each drive, which overwrites all user-accessible data areas and often the hidden RAID metadata, making data unrecoverable. This method preserves the physical drives for return to the leasing company, as required by policy, and is the only option that both destroys data and leaves the drives functional.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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