220-1102 Question 25
Single answerUniversal Serial Bus (USB)A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 11 laptop that no longer recognizes any USB storage devices. A USB keyboard and mouse work normally in all ports, but every flash drive shows up in Device Manager with a warning icon and does not mount in File Explorer. The issue started after a user connected a personal USB drive at a conference. The company wants to continue allowing USB keyboards and mice, but wants to prevent the use of USB mass storage devices until the laptop is verified as safe. Which action should the technician take FIRST?
- A
Disable the USB Root Hub devices in Device Manager
- B
Disable USB mass storage access through Group Policy or local security controls
- C
Uninstall the keyboard and mouse drivers and reboot the laptop
- D
Replace the laptop motherboard because the USB controller has failed
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best first action is to disable USB mass storage access through Group Policy or equivalent local controls. This matches the business requirement to allow USB keyboards and mice while preventing flash drives from being used. In a real support scenario, this is a practical containment step after a potentially unsafe removable device was connected. USB troubleshooting should distinguish between a general USB hardware failure and a class-specific issue. Since Human Interface Devices (HIDs) still work, the ports and controller are not completely failed. A+ candidates should recognize that USB can be controlled by device class, and removable storage can be restricted without disabling all USB devices. This aligns with common Windows administrative practices for removable storage access control and the principle of least privilege.
- A. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because disabling USB Root Hub devices would likely disable all USB functionality on those ports, including the keyboard and mouse that the company still needs to use. The scenario specifically requires blocking storage devices while allowing other USB peripherals.
- B. Correct.
This is correct because the requirement is to continue allowing USB input devices while preventing USB mass storage usage. In Windows environments, administrators can restrict removable storage access through Group Policy or related local security settings, which is a standard administrative control for limiting USB flash drives without disabling all USB devices. This is the best first step to contain the risk while further investigation is performed.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because the keyboard and mouse are already functioning normally, so their drivers are not the problem. Removing them would not address the flash drives appearing with warning icons, and it would not meet the security requirement of specifically blocking mass storage devices.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because the motherboard and USB controller are clearly still functional: the keyboard and mouse work in all ports. A hardware failure affecting only USB storage is much less likely than a driver, policy, or security-related issue. Replacing the motherboard would be an unnecessary and costly escalation.