220-1102 Question 98
Single answerRegistry Editor (regedit.exe)A technician is troubleshooting a Windows 10 PC that displays a custom legal notice before the sign-in screen. The company no longer wants this message to appear. Group Policy is not being used on this standalone PC, and the technician has already opened Registry Editor (regedit.exe). Which action should the technician take to remove the message?
- A
Delete or clear the values named legalnoticecaption and legalnoticetext under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
- B
Delete the Run key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- C
Set the value of Shell under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon to explorer.exe
- D
Delete the BannerStore value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
On Windows systems, the pre-logon legal notice is configured through security policy settings commonly labeled 'Interactive logon: Message title for users attempting to log on' and 'Interactive logon: Message text for users attempting to log on.' When these are set locally and not through domain Group Policy, the corresponding registry values are legalnoticecaption and legalnoticetext under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. In Registry Editor, clearing or deleting those values removes the message. This is a practical A+ Core 2 task because technicians may need to verify or correct configuration on standalone PCs. Best practice before editing the registry is to back up the relevant key or create a restore point, since incorrect registry changes can affect system behavior.
- A. Correct.
Correct. Windows interactive sign-in legal notices are controlled by the registry values legalnoticecaption and legalnoticetext in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Removing the text from these values, or deleting them, stops the message from appearing. This is the direct regedit-based fix for a standalone system when the setting is not being managed by Local Security Policy or Group Policy.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The Run key controls programs that start automatically after a user logs on. It does not control the pre-logon legal notice shown before the sign-in screen. A technician might choose this option because startup items are often associated with messages or pop-ups, but this specific message is part of Windows sign-in policy, not a user startup process.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The Shell value in the Winlogon key determines the default user shell, typically explorer.exe. Misconfiguring this value can affect the desktop environment after sign-in, but it has nothing to do with the legal notice displayed before sign-in. This distractor is plausible because Winlogon is involved in the logon process, but it is not the setting that controls the notice text.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. There is no standard Windows setting for the interactive logon legal notice stored in a BannerStore value at this path. This option is intended to test whether the candidate can distinguish real registry locations from invented or unrelated ones. Editing unrelated Session Manager settings would not remove the legal notice and could create system issues.