CompTIA 220-1202 - CompTIA A+ Core 2 (2026 Exam Update)

For persistent printing issues due to spooler service, ensure theprint spooler is started and set to Automatic. This maintains print capability across reboots.

FromMike Meyers ' Lab Manual:

“If users lose printing capabilities on reboot, the print spooler service must be configured to start automatically and be confirmed as running.”

The correct answer is C. Perform a clean installation . When ransomware has encrypted files and the organization does not pay the ransom, the priority is to remove all traces of malware and rebuild the system from a trusted state. Quentin Docter’s Complete Study Guide explains that in ransomware situations, remediation may not be possible because user files are encrypted. It further states that in cases where no one can be certain what the malware payload has done, the proper remediation might be to sanitize the drive and reinstall the operating system from an image or manually reinstall it. A recovery partition or Windows Recovery Environment repair may leave infected files, settings, persistence mechanisms, or damaged user data behind. Upgrading to Windows 11 does not guarantee malware removal. A clean installation removes the existing compromised OS and provides the best path to full operation, followed by restoring clean data from known-good backups.

In AI terminology,hallucinationrefers to generated output that appears plausible but is factually incorrect.

FromQuentin Docter – CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide:

“AI hallucination describes output that is fluent and coherent but includes information that is entirely fabricated or inaccurate.”

When DHCP isn’t enabled, static IPs must be assigned manually, so the engineering team provides the IP details.

From Travis Everett – All-in-One Exam Guide:

“If DHCP is unavailable, technicians need the static IP configuration to connect devices to the network.” .

The best option is to provide temporary elevation rather than permanently increasing a user’s privileges. Quentin Docter explains the principle of least privilege: users should have “the fewest number of privileges that they need to do their job,” because administrative access increases the chance of misconfiguration and security compromise. He also describes how User Account Control (UAC) supports least privilege by logging an administrator in with minimal permissions and then allowing the user to “run as a standard user with the ability to escalate privileges.” That is the practical idea behind just-in-time access—grant admin rights only at the moment they are needed.

The All-in-One guide reinforces this by explaining that if you are logged in with a less-privileged account, you can elevate for installs by entering admin credentials or choosing Run as administrator. Adding the user to the local Administrators group (D) violates least privilege. Assigning Power User (B) is not reliable in modern Windows and still broad. Manual installation (C) doesn’t solve the permission requirement.

The best first step is to leverage existing documentation: check whether the issue was previously recorded and resolved, and reuse that known fix (or confirm conditions). Mike Meyers explains ticketing systems capture key information needed to resolve issues, including “ problem description ,” “ progress notes ,” and “ problem resolution ,” and stresses that “ Clear, concise writing is critical ” because you “won’t be the only tech responding to every ticket.” That is exactly why you review prior tickets first—so you can quickly see what was done previously and apply it consistently.

The All-in-One guide reinforces the same ticketing-system concept and lists the same essential elements (description, notes, resolution) used to streamline troubleshooting and escalation. Consulting the prior technician (A) may be impossible (the employee is gone) and slower than checking documented history. Opening a new case (D) is important, but the question asks what to do first —review the prior occurrence details, then document your current case using what you find.

A blue screen or sudden shutdown generates diagnostic records that persist after reboot, and the primary Windows tool to review those records is Event Viewer . Quentin Docter states: “ Event Viewer should be the first place you look when you are trying to solve a problem whose solution is not evident ,” because the system and applications “will often create an entry… that can be used to… diagnose problems.” He also specifically notes for unexpected shutdowns: “ The first place to check is Event Viewer on the System tab ,” where kernel and EventLog entries help determine whether the system lost power or shut down abnormally.

Mike Meyers reinforces that Event Viewer is how you read Windows logs (Application, Security, Setup, System) and that the details pane shows information about the selected event, which is exactly what you need when the on-screen error flashes too quickly. Performance Monitor is for counters/trends, Device Manager focuses on hardware status/drivers, and System Information shows configuration—not the crash/shutdown event details. Hence, Event Viewer (C) is correct.

A synthetic full backup combines the last full backup with subsequent incremental backups to create a new full backup without re-reading data from the source system. This method significantly reduces the backup window and network impact. It is especially useful when traditional full backups are too time-consuming.

A. Changing the backup window only shifts timing, not duration.

B. Incremental weekly backups would lack a proper full recovery point and aren ' t ideal alone.

C. Storage space isn ' t the bottleneck in backup speed—it’s read/write operations and network load.

This is part of the user education step after a security incident to prevent future occurrences.

From Quentin Docter – Complete Study Guide:

“User education and awareness is a crucial part of preventing phishing attacks. After an incident, it is vital to train users on recognizing suspicious messages.” .

Windows doesn ' t natively support many Linux file systems (like ext4).Reformatting to exFATmakes the drive readable/writable on both Linux and Windows.

FromAll-in-One Exam Guide:

“For cross-platform compatibility, exFAT is recommended as it supports large files and is recognized by Windows, macOS, and Linux (with exFAT drivers).”