CompTIA A+ Core 2 — All Questions

Which Windows edition is designed for large enterprises and is the only one that supports joining an on-premises Active Directory domain as well as BitLocker, but is licensed through volume agreements rather than retail?

• a.Windows Enterprise✓
• b.Windows Education
• c.Windows Home
• d.Windows Pro for Workstations

Windows Enterprise is aimed at large organizations and is distributed through volume licensing rather than retail. It supports domain join, BitLocker, and advanced management features. Home lacks domain join and BitLocker.

A technician needs to open an elevated Command Prompt to run a command that modifies system files. What is the correct way to do this?

• a.Open Command Prompt and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter after typing the command
• b.Double-click cmd.exe from the Windows folder
• c.Right-click Command Prompt and choose 'Run as administrator'✓
• d.Type the command into the Run dialog

Elevated privileges are obtained by right-clicking the app and selecting 'Run as administrator', which triggers a UAC prompt. A normal launch runs with standard user rights. Elevation must be granted before the command is typed.

In Windows, which command-line utility checks the integrity of protected system files and repairs them if corruption is found?

• a.diskpart
• b.gpupdate
• c.chkdsk
• d.sfc /scannow✓

System File Checker (sfc /scannow) scans protected operating system files and restores corrupted ones from a cached copy. chkdsk repairs file-system errors on a disk, not system files. diskpart manages partitions.

Which file system is required to format a volume that will host a Windows installation and take advantage of file permissions, encryption (EFS), and journaling?

• a.FAT32
• b.NTFS✓
• c.ext4
• d.exFAT

NTFS supports file-level permissions, EFS encryption, compression, and journaling, and is required for the Windows system volume. FAT32 lacks permissions and has a 4 GB file-size limit. ext4 is a Linux file system.

A user wants to remove a Windows application cleanly. Which built-in location lists installed programs and provides an uninstall option?

• a.Task Manager > Processes
• b.Device Manager
• c.Disk Management
• d.Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Programs and Features)✓

Installed desktop and Store apps are managed under Settings > Apps, historically the Programs and Features Control Panel item, where uninstall is offered. Task Manager only stops running processes. Device Manager handles hardware drivers.

Which Windows tool lets an administrator create, shrink, extend, and delete disk partitions through a graphical interface?

• a.Disk Management✓
• b.Performance Monitor
• c.Resource Monitor
• d.Event Viewer

Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) provides a GUI for creating, formatting, shrinking, extending, and deleting volumes. Event Viewer only shows logs. Performance and Resource Monitor report on system utilization.

A technician wants to see startup impact and disable programs that launch at boot on a modern Windows client. Which tool is most appropriate?

• a.Task Manager Startup tab✓
• b.Services console
• c.msconfig Boot tab
• d.Registry Editor Run key only

On Windows 10/11, the Startup tab in Task Manager lists auto-start apps with their startup impact and allows disabling them. msconfig no longer manages the startup app list. Editing the registry directly is riskier and less convenient.

Which macOS feature provides automated, incremental backups to an external or network drive and lets a user restore previous versions of files?

• a.Mission Control
• b.Time Machine✓
• c.Spotlight
• d.Keychain

Time Machine performs scheduled incremental backups and lets users browse and restore prior versions of files. Spotlight is search, Mission Control manages windows/spaces, and Keychain stores credentials.

On a Linux system, which command displays the current working directory's contents in a long listing that includes permissions and ownership?

• a.pwd
• b.cd
• c.chmod
• d.ls -l✓

ls -l produces a long listing showing permissions, owner, group, size, and modification time. pwd only prints the current path. cd changes directories and chmod changes permissions.

A Linux administrator must run a single command with superuser privileges without logging in as root. Which command should prefix the command?

• a.apt
• b.sudo✓
• c.grep
• d.chown

sudo executes a single command with elevated (root) privileges for authorized users, logging the action. chown changes file ownership. apt is a package manager and grep searches text.

Which macOS utility is used to install applications simply by dragging their bundle into a specific folder, and where are most applications stored?

• a.The Dock; /System
• b.Terminal; /bin
• c.Launchpad; /Users
• d.Finder; the Applications folder✓

In macOS, most apps are self-contained bundles installed by dragging them into the Applications folder using Finder. Launchpad only launches apps, and the Dock is a shortcut bar. System binaries live elsewhere.

Which Windows command releases and then requests a new IP address configuration from a DHCP server?

• a.ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew✓
• b.ping then tracert
• c.netstat -a
• d.nslookup then ipconfig /all

ipconfig /release drops the current DHCP lease and ipconfig /renew requests a new one. ping and tracert test connectivity, netstat shows connections, and nslookup queries DNS.

A 32-bit version of Windows has a hard limit on how much system RAM it can address. What is that practical limit?

• a.About 128 GB
• b.About 8 GB
• c.About 16 GB
• d.About 4 GB✓

A 32-bit operating system can address only about 4 GB of RAM because of the 32-bit memory address space. Installing more RAM provides no benefit under 32-bit Windows. A 64-bit OS is required to use larger amounts.

Which Windows feature encrypts an entire drive volume and can use a TPM chip to protect the encryption keys?

• a.EFS
• b.Windows Defender Firewall
• c.BitLocker
• d.Credential Manager✓

BitLocker provides full-volume encryption and can seal its keys to a TPM so the drive only unlocks on the trusted hardware. EFS encrypts individual files, not the whole volume. Credential Manager stores saved logons.

Which command-line tool applies updated Group Policy settings to a Windows client immediately rather than waiting for the next refresh interval?

• a.secedit
• b.gpresult
• c.gpupdate /force✓
• d.regedit

gpupdate /force reapplies all Group Policy settings right away. gpresult only reports the resultant set of policies. secedit configures security templates and regedit edits the registry.

A technician needs to view detailed hardware and software configuration, including the BIOS version and installed RAM, in a single Windows report. Which tool provides this?

• a.System Information (msinfo32)✓
• b.Notepad
• c.Calculator
• d.Snipping Tool

System Information (msinfo32) summarizes hardware resources, components, and the software environment, including BIOS version and installed memory. The other listed utilities are unrelated accessories.

Which mobile operating system is open source, developed primarily by Google, and allows apps to be installed from multiple stores and sideloaded APK files?

• a.Android✓
• b.iPadOS
• c.watchOS
• d.iOS

Android is open source and supports installation from Google Play, third-party stores, and sideloaded APK files. iOS and iPadOS are closed platforms that normally restrict installs to the App Store.

In Windows, which utility lets you start, stop, and set the startup type (Automatic, Manual, Disabled) of background services?

• a.Device Manager
• b.Task Scheduler
• c.Disk Cleanup
• d.Services (services.msc)✓

The Services console (services.msc) manages background services, including their state and startup type. Task Scheduler runs tasks on triggers, and Device Manager manages hardware drivers.

Which upgrade method preserves user files, settings, and installed applications when moving to a newer version of Windows?

• a.Bare-metal reimage
• b.Clean install
• c.In-place upgrade✓
• d.Factory reset

An in-place upgrade installs the new Windows version while keeping user files, settings, and most applications. A clean install and bare-metal reimage wipe the existing environment. A factory reset returns the device to its shipped state.

Which Windows command-line utility maps a network share to a drive letter?

• a.tasklist
• b.format
• c.ipconfig
• d.net use✓

net use maps a shared network folder to a drive letter and manages network connections. ipconfig shows IP configuration, tasklist lists processes, and format prepares a disk.

A macOS user wants to force an unresponsive application to close. Which method accomplishes this?

• a.Delete the app from Applications
• b.Press Command+Q once
• c.Restart the router
• d.Press Command+Option+Esc to open Force Quit✓

Command+Option+Esc opens the Force Quit Applications window, letting the user end a frozen app. Command+Q requests a normal quit that a hung app may ignore. Deleting the app is unnecessary for a temporary hang.

Which type of Windows installation partition style is required to boot from drives larger than 2 TB and supports more than four primary partitions?

• a.FAT
• b.MBR
• c.GPT✓
• d.EFS

GPT (GUID Partition Table) supports drives larger than 2 TB and many partitions, and pairs with UEFI. MBR is limited to 2 TB and four primary partitions. FAT and EFS are not partition styles.

Which Windows Control Panel or Settings area is used to configure how the system behaves when the power button is pressed and to enable or disable fast startup?

• a.Power Options✓
• b.Ease of Access
• c.Network and Sharing Center
• d.Programs and Features

Power Options controls power plans, button actions, sleep behavior, and fast startup. Network and Sharing Center handles connections, and Programs and Features manages installed software.

Which command in a Linux terminal changes the permissions of a file, for example granting the owner read/write/execute using numeric mode 700?

• a.cp
• b.chmod✓
• c.ps
• d.mv

chmod changes file and directory permission bits, and numeric mode 700 grants the owner full access while denying group and others. mv and cp move and copy files, and ps lists processes.

A user reports that Windows shows only 3.5 GB of usable RAM even though 8 GB is installed. Which is the most likely cause?

• a.The pagefile is disabled
• b.The GPU is integrated
• c.A 32-bit version of Windows is installed✓
• d.The RAM is faulty

A 32-bit Windows install can address only about 4 GB total, so much of 8 GB appears unusable. Upgrading to 64-bit Windows resolves it. Faulty RAM usually causes crashes rather than a clean address-space limit.

Which Windows tool schedules programs or scripts to run automatically at specific times or in response to events such as logon?

• a.Task Scheduler✓
• b.Disk Management
• c.Resource Monitor
• d.Registry Editor

Task Scheduler runs programs and scripts on time-based or event-based triggers, such as at logon or on a daily schedule. Disk Management handles volumes, and Resource Monitor reports utilization.

Which file system is best suited for a large external flash drive that must be read and written on both Windows and macOS without a 4 GB file-size limit?

• a.FAT32
• b.NTFS
• c.exFAT✓
• d.EFS

exFAT is cross-platform, supported natively by Windows and macOS, and has no practical 4 GB file-size limit. FAT32 caps files at 4 GB. NTFS is read-only by default on macOS.

A technician wants to verify whether a Windows installation is 32-bit or 64-bit and see the edition and version. Where is this shown most directly?

• a.Recycle Bin properties
• b.Printer preferences
• c.Network adapter properties
• d.Settings > System > About (or System Properties)✓

Settings > System > About (System Properties) reports the edition, version, and whether the system type is 32-bit or 64-bit. The other listed locations do not report OS architecture.