220-1102 Question 14
Single answerFile Allocation Table 32 (FAT32)A technician needs to copy a 6.2 GB Windows image file to a 32 GB USB flash drive so it can be used on several different PCs and a smart TV in a conference room. The flash drive is currently formatted as FAT32, and the copy process fails with a message indicating the file is too large for the destination. The technician wants to keep the broadest device compatibility possible while resolving the immediate issue. Which action should the technician take FIRST?
- A
Reformat the USB drive as exFAT and then copy the file
- B
Compress the Windows image into a ZIP file and copy it to the FAT32 drive
- C
Convert the FAT32 drive to NTFS using the convert command without reformatting
- D
Run chkdsk on the USB drive to repair file system errors before copying the file
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This scenario tests practical understanding of FAT32 limitations in a mixed-device environment. FAT32 is widely compatible, which is why it is often used on USB flash drives, but it has a major limitation: a maximum file size of 4 GB minus 1 byte. That makes it unsuitable for storing many modern disk images, videos, and backup files. exFAT is typically the best replacement for removable media when large files must be stored and broad compatibility is still important. NTFS supports large files and permissions features, but it is less universally supported by consumer electronics and some non-Windows devices. This aligns with common operating system documentation and vendor guidance on FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT use cases for removable storage.
- A. Correct.
Correct. FAT32 has a maximum individual file size limit of 4 GB minus 1 byte, so a 6.2 GB file cannot be stored on a FAT32 volume even if the drive has enough free space. Reformatting the drive as exFAT resolves the file-size limitation while generally preserving better cross-platform and consumer-device compatibility than NTFS. In a real support scenario, exFAT is commonly chosen for removable media that must handle large files and remain usable across many systems.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Compressing the file does not guarantee that the resulting ZIP file will be smaller than 4 GB. A Windows image file may not compress enough to fit within FAT32's per-file limit, so this does not reliably solve the problem. This option reflects a common misconception that compression automatically bypasses file system size restrictions.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Converting the drive to NTFS would allow files larger than 4 GB, but it does not best meet the requirement for the broadest device compatibility, especially with devices such as smart TVs and other embedded systems that often support FAT32 or exFAT more readily than NTFS. Also, while convert can be used on some Windows volumes, choosing NTFS here is not the best first action for this scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. chkdsk can identify and repair logical file system errors, but file corruption is not the issue described. The failure occurs because FAT32 cannot store a single file larger than 4 GB. Running chkdsk would not change that limitation.