220-1102 Question 59
Single answerHomeA technician is helping a user set up a new Windows 11 Home laptop for a small home office. The user wants to share a USB printer and a folder of family photos with another Windows PC on the same home network. File sharing worked briefly, but after the laptop was connected to a coffee shop's Wi-Fi earlier in the day, the other PC can no longer discover the laptop or access the shared resources. Internet access works on both systems. Which action should the technician take FIRST to restore local discovery and sharing while maintaining appropriate security for public Wi-Fi use?
- A
Change the current network profile on the laptop from Public to Private for the home Wi-Fi connection
- B
Disable Windows Defender Firewall on the laptop so the other PC can detect it
- C
Upgrade Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro so domain-style sharing features are available
- D
Enable Remote Desktop on the laptop so the other PC can connect and access shared files
- E
Assign static IP addresses to both PCs so Network Discovery can function properly
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best first action is to verify that the home network connection is using the Private profile. In Windows, the network profile directly affects firewall behavior and whether Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing are permitted. A laptop that was previously used on public Wi-Fi may still have the current home connection categorized as Public, which is appropriate for untrusted locations but commonly prevents peer-to-peer discovery on a home LAN. CompTIA A+ Core 2 objectives for Windows configuration and SOHO/home networking expect candidates to understand how Windows Home systems use Private vs. Public network settings, basic sharing, and security best practices. Microsoft documentation for Windows networking and sharing also notes that discovery and sharing features are intended for trusted networks and are typically disabled on public ones.
- A. Correct.
Correct. In Windows 10/11, Network Discovery and File and Printer Sharing are typically allowed on Private networks and restricted on Public networks for security. If the home Wi-Fi connection is set to Public, the laptop may stop advertising shared folders and printers to other devices on the same LAN. Changing the home network profile back to Private is the most appropriate first step and preserves safer behavior on truly public networks, such as coffee shop Wi-Fi.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Disabling the firewall is not a best practice and is unnecessary in this scenario. Windows Defender Firewall can allow discovery and sharing services based on the network profile. Turning it off entirely would reduce security significantly, especially on untrusted networks, and is not the recommended first troubleshooting step.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Windows 11 Home can participate in standard peer-to-peer file and printer sharing on a home network. Upgrading to Pro is not required for basic SMB sharing or printer sharing between home PCs. This option reflects a common misconception that Windows Home cannot share resources unless upgraded.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Remote Desktop is unrelated to Network Discovery and file/printer sharing in this scenario. Also, Windows Home cannot act as a standard Remote Desktop host. Even if remote access were available, it would not address why the laptop is no longer discoverable to the other PC on the local network.
- E. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Static IP addressing is not required for local discovery and sharing on a typical home network. DHCP-assigned addresses work fine as long as both systems are on the same network and the appropriate sharing settings are enabled. This option is a plausible but unnecessary change that does not address the likely cause.