220-1102 Question 42
Single answerPartitioningA technician is replacing the failed motherboard in a Windows 11 workstation that uses a 4 TB internal SSD as the system drive. The user wants to keep the full 4 TB capacity available after reinstalling Windows and also wants the most modern boot method supported by current hardware. During setup, the technician must choose how to partition the drive. Which option should the technician select?
- A
Initialize the drive as GPT and install Windows in UEFI mode
- B
Initialize the drive as MBR and install Windows in Legacy BIOS mode
- C
Create a single FAT32 partition across the full 4 TB drive for the OS
- D
Leave the drive unpartitioned permanently so Windows can access the full capacity automatically
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
For a modern Windows installation on a 4 TB system drive, the best practice is to use GPT partitioning with UEFI boot mode. GPT is designed to overcome the size and structural limitations of MBR, including the 2 TB disk limit commonly tested on A+ Core 2. In real-world deployments, technicians should confirm that the firmware is configured for UEFI and that the disk is initialized as GPT before or during installation. Microsoft documentation for Windows installation and disk partition styles supports using GPT for UEFI-based systems, especially on large-capacity drives. This scenario tests practical understanding of partitioning choices, boot compatibility, and disk-capacity limitations.
- A. Correct.
Correct. GUID Partition Table (GPT) is the appropriate partitioning scheme for a 4 TB system drive because it supports disks larger than 2 TB. Pairing GPT with UEFI is the modern and recommended configuration for current Windows installations and hardware platforms. This allows the system to use the full disk capacity and boot properly using UEFI.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Master Boot Record (MBR) is limited to approximately 2 TB of addressable disk space for standard partitioning. On a 4 TB system disk, using MBR would prevent the full capacity from being used as intended for normal boot/system partitioning. Legacy BIOS with MBR is an older configuration and does not meet the requirement for the most modern supported boot method.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. FAT32 is not an appropriate filesystem choice for a modern Windows 11 system partition. While FAT32 is used for EFI system partitions in UEFI environments, the main Windows OS partition should normally be NTFS. In addition, the issue in the scenario is selecting the correct partitioning scheme and boot mode, not formatting the entire OS drive as FAT32.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A drive must be partitioned before Windows can install and use it as a normal system disk. Windows Setup can create partitions automatically, but the disk cannot remain permanently unpartitioned if it is going to host the operating system. This option reflects a misunderstanding of how partitioning and installation work.