220-1102 Question 43
Single answerGUID [globally unique identifier] Partition Table (GPT)A technician is preparing a new 4 TB internal SSD for a Windows 11 workstation that uses UEFI firmware. In Disk Management, the drive is detected but cannot be fully used after being initialized as MBR. The technician needs the system to use the entire drive capacity and remain compatible with the workstation's boot configuration. Which action should the technician take?
- A
Convert the disk to GPT and create the required partitions
- B
Format the disk as NTFS and leave the partition style as MBR
- C
Change the firmware mode from UEFI to Legacy BIOS and keep MBR
- D
Create multiple primary partitions on the MBR disk to access all 4 TB
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best solution is to convert the disk to GPT. In real-world Windows deployments, GPT is preferred for modern systems because it supports disks larger than 2 TB and works with UEFI firmware, which is the standard requirement for Windows 11. MBR is an older partitioning scheme with a practical size limit of about 2 TB and fewer partitioning capabilities. Microsoft documentation and standard deployment guidance distinguish partition style from file system choice: GPT vs. MBR defines how the disk is structured, while NTFS defines how data is stored within a partition. For an A+ candidate, the key applied concept is recognizing that a large-capacity disk in a UEFI-based system should be initialized as GPT to use the full drive and maintain proper platform compatibility.
- A. Correct.
Correct. GPT is the appropriate partition style for drives larger than 2 TB and is the standard partitioning method used with UEFI systems. Converting the 4 TB disk to GPT allows Windows to address the full capacity and aligns with the workstation's UEFI boot environment.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. NTFS is a file system, not a partition style. Formatting the volume as NTFS does not overcome the MBR limit of approximately 2 TB per disk. The drive would still not be fully usable if it remains MBR.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Switching to Legacy BIOS is unnecessary and may create boot compatibility issues on a Windows 11 system, which is designed for UEFI. Even if Legacy mode were used, MBR would still not be the best choice for a 4 TB disk in this scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. MBR supports only up to about 2 TB of addressable disk space. Creating multiple primary partitions does not bypass that disk-size limitation. This option reflects a common misconception that partition count can solve MBR capacity limits.