220-1102 Question 579
Single answerBlue screen of death (BSOD)A Windows 10 laptop repeatedly crashes with a blue screen shortly after startup. The user says the problem began immediately after installing a new third-party printer driver. The system now reboots too quickly to read the stop code. As a technician, what should you do FIRST to identify and address the most likely cause while minimizing risk to user data?
- A
Boot into Safe Mode, review the minidump/Event Viewer details, and remove or roll back the newly installed printer driver
- B
Run chkdsk /f /r from recovery tools because file system corruption is the most likely cause of any BSOD after a reboot loop
- C
Replace the laptop's RAM because memory problems are the most common cause of blue screens after a driver installation
- D
Perform a full Windows reset to factory defaults because BSODs usually indicate irreversible operating system damage
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical BSOD troubleshooting in a common real-world scenario: a stop error triggered by a bad third-party driver. CompTIA A+ Core 2 expects candidates to recognize that BSODs are often caused by faulty drivers, hardware problems, system file corruption, or overheating, and to apply a structured troubleshooting process. When the issue starts immediately after a driver installation, the best first action is to use Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment to get the system stable enough to investigate. Reviewing Event Viewer, reliability history, and memory dump or minidump data can help identify the faulting module. Microsoft support guidance and standard Windows troubleshooting practices emphasize isolating recent changes and rolling back problematic drivers before using more invasive actions such as OS reset or hardware replacement. This approach minimizes risk to user data and aligns with least-impact troubleshooting.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A BSOD that starts immediately after installation of a third-party driver strongly suggests a driver-related stop error. Booting into Safe Mode is appropriate because Windows loads a minimal set of drivers and services, which can allow the system to start when a bad third-party driver is causing crashes. From there, reviewing Event Viewer and crash dump information can help confirm the faulting driver, and uninstalling or rolling back the printer driver is the least disruptive corrective action. This follows standard Windows troubleshooting practice: identify recent changes, isolate the driver, and reverse the change before taking more invasive steps.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disk corruption can cause startup issues and some stop errors, so this is a plausible distractor. However, the scenario points to a very specific recent change: installation of a third-party printer driver immediately before the crashes began. In A+ troubleshooting, the most likely cause should be addressed first. Running chkdsk may be useful later if evidence suggests storage corruption, but it is not the best first step here.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Faulty RAM can absolutely cause BSODs, but there is no evidence in the scenario that memory failed at the same time as the driver installation. Replacing hardware first would ignore the strong correlation between the new driver and the crashes. A better approach is to test the least invasive and most probable cause before replacing components.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A Windows reset is far too disruptive as an initial response. It risks application loss, configuration loss, and additional downtime, and it does not follow best-practice troubleshooting when a recent driver change is the likely trigger. Reset or reinstall options should be reserved for cases where less invasive remediation has failed.