220-1102 Question 45
Single answerDrive formatA technician is preparing a 64 GB USB flash drive that will be used to transfer large video files between Windows 11 PCs and a macOS laptop. Some of the files are larger than 8 GB. The user wants the drive to be readable and writable on both operating systems without installing third-party software. Which file system should the technician choose when formatting the drive?
- A
FAT32
- B
NTFS
- C
exFAT
- D
ext4
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The best answer is exFAT. In a real-world support scenario, the technician must match the drive format to both the file size requirements and OS compatibility requirements. FAT32 is often chosen for compatibility, but its 4 GB file-size limit makes it unsuitable for large video files. NTFS is excellent for Windows environments, but it is not the best choice when native write access from macOS is required. exFAT is the recommended option for removable media that needs cross-platform compatibility and support for large files. This aligns with common vendor guidance from Microsoft and Apple, both of which support exFAT on current desktop operating systems.
- A. Incorrect.
FAT32 is incorrect because, although it is widely compatible with Windows and macOS, it has a maximum individual file size limit of 4 GB. Since the user needs to transfer files larger than 8 GB, FAT32 would not meet the requirement.
- B. Incorrect.
NTFS is incorrect because Windows supports full read/write access to NTFS, but macOS typically provides read-only access to NTFS without additional third-party software or special configuration. That does not satisfy the requirement for native read/write access on both platforms.
- C. Correct.
exFAT is correct because it is designed for flash storage, supports files larger than 4 GB, and is natively supported for read/write access by both modern Windows and macOS systems. This makes it the best practical choice for a cross-platform USB drive used for large files.
- D. Incorrect.
ext4 is incorrect because it is primarily a Linux file system and is not natively supported by Windows or macOS for normal read/write use. Choosing ext4 would create compatibility problems in this scenario.