Worth 28% of the CompTIA A+ (Core 2) (220-1202) exam. CertClue has 107 questions on this objective.
Objective 1.1 asks you to explain common operating system types. Match each to its typical hardware and use case, and know which filesystem each one uses natively.
Exam tip. exFAT is the answer whenever a removable drive must hold files larger than 4 GB and work on both Windows and macOS. FAT32 fails the 4 GB file size limit.
Objective 1.2 covers installations and upgrades. Know which install type preserves data, which partition scheme pairs with which firmware mode, and when each filesystem applies.
Exam tip. A drive over 2 TB that must be bootable rules out MBR immediately. If a system will not boot after a firmware mode change, the partition scheme and firmware mode no longer match.
Objective 1.5 tests command-line tools by name and function. Questions describe a task and expect the right command, so learn what each one does rather than its full syntax.
Exam tip. Match the tool to the layer of the problem. sfc repairs Windows itself, chkdsk repairs the volume, and ipconfig/ping/tracert/nslookup work outward from the host into the network.
Objective 1.6 asks you to configure Windows settings. The exam names a goal and expects the applet, so associate each utility with the one job it is used for.
Exam tip. Slow startup questions point to Task Manager's Startup tab. Search returning nothing points to rebuilding the search index, not reinstalling Windows.
Objective 1.7 covers client networking features: network profiles, shares, mapped drives, proxy settings and domain versus workgroup membership.
Exam tip. Effective permission questions are resolved by combining NTFS and share permissions and taking the most restrictive result. Read carefully - Full Control on the share does not override Read on NTFS.
Objective 1.9 keeps Linux at a practical level: essential shell commands, permissions and package management. Know what each command does and which one requires elevation.
Exam tip. Distinguish chmod from chown carefully - they are a common distractor pair. chmod alters permissions; chown alters ownership.
Objective 1.10 covers what to check before installing software. Requirements questions expect you to identify the constraint that actually blocks the installation.
Exam tip. If a standard user cannot install software, the answer is elevation or a managed deployment, not disabling User Account Control.
Objective 1.11 covers installing and configuring cloud productivity suites. The tested concepts are synchronisation behaviour, account types and what happens offline.
Exam tip. A user who cannot open files on a flight has not marked them for offline availability. The answer is to enable offline access, not to reinstall the client.
Objective 1.4 covers the management consoles. Each snap-in owns a specific area, and questions test which one you would open for a given task.
Exam tip. Event Viewer is the answer whenever a question asks what caused an intermittent or overnight problem. It is the only tool that shows history.
Objective 1.3 compares Windows editions. The tested differences are domain membership, BitLocker, Group Policy and Remote Desktop hosting - all absent from Home.
Exam tip. Any scenario where a user cannot join the domain, enable BitLocker or accept a Remote Desktop connection has the same answer: they are on Home and need Pro.
Choosing a filesystem is a recurring Core 2 decision. The constraints that decide it are maximum file size, cross-platform compatibility and whether permissions are needed.
Exam tip. The 4 GB FAT32 file size limit is tested repeatedly, usually disguised as a user unable to copy a large video to a memory stick. The fix is reformatting as exFAT.
Objective 4.9 sits in Operational Procedures but is best learned alongside the operating system material. Each remote technology suits a different task and carries different risk.
Exam tip. Exposing RDP directly to the internet is always wrong. The expected answer is to require a VPN connection first, or to place RDP behind a gateway with multi-factor authentication.
Objective 1.8 covers the macOS equivalents of Windows tools. Most questions are simple translation - name the Apple tool that does the Windows job.
Exam tip. Learn these as pairs. Cross-platform questions almost always describe a Windows capability and ask for the macOS name, or the reverse.
Free, with the answer and the reasoning. No account needed.
1. A folder is shared with Everyone set to Full Control at the share level, but the NTFS permissions grant the user only Read. What access does the user have over the network?
When accessing a share over the network, share and NTFS permissions combine and the most restrictive result wins. Read on NTFS therefore caps the effective access at Read despite Full Control on the share.
2. An IT department wants to deploy the same application silently, without user interaction, to hundreds of computers at once using a script or management tool. What installation approach supports this?
A silent/unattended install uses command-line switches to install software without prompts, making it scriptable for mass deployment tools. Manually installing on each machine, emailing installers, or printing instructions all require individual manual effort and don't scale to hundreds of computers efficiently.
3. A small business wants a Windows edition that supports joining an Active Directory domain and BitLocker drive encryption, but doesn't need the advanced enterprise-only features like AppLocker. Which edition fits best?
Windows Pro adds domain join, BitLocker, Group Policy, and Remote Desktop hosting compared to Home, without requiring the full Enterprise edition's advanced management features like AppLocker. Windows Home lacks domain join and BitLocker, S Mode further restricts app installation, and Windows PE is a minimal preinstallation environment, not a full desktop edition.
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