RANGER CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202) · chapter 1 of 17
Week 1: The Windows 11 rollout plan
In this chapter Objectives 1.1, 1.3
Objective 1.1
Operating systems at Kibble & Co.
Workstation OSs
A workstation OS runs desktops and laptops. CompTIA lists four: Windows (most business PCs), macOS (Apple Macs only), Linux (free, open source, many distributions such as Ubuntu or Fedora) and ChromeOS (Google's Chromebooks, built around the Chrome browser and cloud apps, managed from the cloud).
- Windows: widest app and hardware support, Active Directory domains
- macOS: tied to Apple hardware, strong creative apps
- Linux: open source, popular for servers and developers
- ChromeOS: low cost, browser-centric, easy fleet management
Exam tip ChromeOS is a workstation OS on the exam even though it is web-focused. iPadOS is mobile, not workstation.
Mobile OSs
Phones and tablets run a mobile OS. iOS runs on iPhones, iPadOS on iPads (iOS plus multitasking, mouse/keyboard and windowing features). Both come only from Apple and install apps from the App Store. Android is open source from Google, used by many manufacturers, with apps from Google Play and other stores.
Exam tip Trap: Android updates arrive from the phone maker and carrier, so two Android phones of the same age can be on different versions. Apple pushes iOS to all supported devices at once.
Vendor life-cycle limitations
Every OS version has a support life. At end-of-life (EOL) the vendor stops security patches. The machine still boots, but every new flaw stays open forever. Update limitations come first: older hardware may not get the next version (for example, a phone that no longer receives OS updates, or a PC that fails the Windows 11 check).
Exam tip Windows 10 reached EOL on October 14, 2025. An EOL OS is a vulnerability and a compliance problem, not just an 'old' system.
Compatibility concerns between OSs
Files, apps and drives don't always move between OSs. A Windows .exe won't run on macOS. A Mac-formatted drive may be unreadable on Windows. Office files open everywhere, but macros or fonts may break. Plan for file format, filesystem, app availability and peripheral drivers whenever users share across platforms.
Filesystems: the Windows family
A filesystem decides how data is stored and what features a volume has.
- NTFS: the Windows standard. Permissions, encryption (EFS), compression, journaling, huge files
- ReFS (Resilient File System): built for data integrity and very large volumes, used with Storage Spaces; Windows Server and Pro for Workstations
- FAT32: very old, works almost everywhere, but no file can be 4 GB or larger
- exFAT: made for flash drives and SD cards; large files, reads and writes on Windows and macOS
Exam tip 4 GB file won't copy to a USB stick with plenty of space? The stick is FAT32. Reformat as exFAT (cross-platform) or NTFS (Windows only).
Filesystems: Linux and macOS
Linux and Apple use their own formats.
- ext4 (fourth extended filesystem): the default on many Linux distributions, journaling
- XFS: high-performance journaling filesystem for large files; default on Red Hat-family Linux
- APFS (Apple File System): macOS, iOS and iPadOS today; built for SSDs, with snapshots and native encryption
FS Main OS Note NTFS Windows permissions, EFS ReFS Win (WS/PfW) resilient, big vols FAT32 everything 4 GB file limit exFAT Win + macOS flash, big files ext4 Linux common default XFS Linux (RHEL) large files, fast APFS macOS / iOS SSD, snapshots WS = Server, PfW = Pro for Workstations
Exam tip Windows cannot read ext4, XFS or APFS without extra software. macOS reads NTFS but can't write it by default.
Check yourself 1Sales wants one USB stick for moving 6 GB video files between a Windows 11 PC and a MacBook. Which filesystem should you use?
- FAT32
- NTFS
- exFAT
- APFS
Show the answer
Answer: C. exFAT
exFAT reads and writes natively on both Windows and macOS and supports files far larger than 4 GB. FAT32 is cross-platform too, but it can't store a file of 4 GB or more.
Objective 1.3
Windows editions
The editions on the exam
The objectives list Windows 10 Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations and Enterprise, and Windows 11 Home, Pro and Enterprise. Home is for consumers. Pro adds business features. Pro for Workstations targets heavy hardware. Enterprise is sold through volume licensing to large organizations and adds advanced management and security.
Exam tip Exam questions usually hinge on one feature: 'needs to join the domain' or 'needs BitLocker' rules out Home.
Feature differences
The features that separate Home from the business editions:
- Domain vs. workgroup: Home can only join a workgroup
- Desktop styles/user interface: same core look; business editions add policy-controlled layouts
- RDP: every edition has the Remote Desktop client; only Pro and up can be the host you connect to
- RAM support limitations: Home tops out at 128 GB
- BitLocker and gpedit.msc (Local Group Policy Editor): Pro and up
Feature Home Pro PfW Ent Join domain no yes yes yes BitLocker no * yes yes yes gpedit.msc no yes yes yes RDP host no yes yes yes Max RAM (11) 128GB 2TB 6TB 6TB * Home may offer Device encryption
N versions
N versions (for example, Windows 11 Pro N) are sold mainly in Europe. They ship without media features such as Windows Media Player and some media codecs. Users can add them later with the free Media Feature Pack, now an optional feature.
Exam tip 'Video won't play on a new Pro N laptop' = missing media features, not a broken driver.
Upgrade paths
In-place upgrade: run setup from inside the current Windows. Apps, settings and files stay. Fast for users, but old problems come along. Clean install: wipe and install fresh. Clean and stable, but you must back up data and reinstall apps. Changing edition (Home to Pro) is just a product key change; no reinstall needed.
Exam tip You can't in-place upgrade from a 32-bit to a 64-bit OS. That always means a clean install.
Hardware requirements (Windows 11)
Windows 11 is strict. Minimums: 64-bit CPU at 1 GHz with 2+ cores on the supported list, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, DirectX 12 graphics, a 720p display over 9 inches, UEFI firmware with Secure Boot capable, and TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module). Home setup also needs internet and a Microsoft account.
Exam tip The PC Health Check app tells you exactly which requirement failed. TPM 2.0 and UEFI/Secure Boot are the usual blockers on older PCs.
Check yourself 2The marketing director needs to encrypt her laptop drive with BitLocker and have it join the kibble.local domain. Which is the LEAST expensive edition that meets both needs?
- Windows 11 Pro
- Windows 11 Home
- Windows 11 Enterprise
- Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
Show the answer
Answer: A. Windows 11 Pro
Pro is the lowest edition that includes both BitLocker and domain join. Enterprise and Pro for Workstations also have them but cost more and add features she doesn't need.
Practice questions
Answer in your head, then open the answer. Ranger's Help Desk has 444 questions like these for A+ Core 2, with mock exams.
Question 1A user needs one USB flash drive that both a Windows 11 PC and a MacBook can read and write natively. Some of the video files are larger than 4 GB. Which file system should the technician use?
- exFAT
- APFS
- NTFS
- FAT32
Show the answer
Answer: A. exFAT
exFAT is read/write on both Windows and macOS and has no 4 GB per-file limit, so it suits large files on removable media. FAT32 is also cross-platform but caps each file at 4 GB.
Question 2A Linux administrator installs Red Hat Enterprise Linux on a server that will hold very large media files. The administrator keeps the installer's default: a 64-bit journaling file system known for high performance with large files and parallel I/O. Which file system is this?
- exFAT
- ReFS
- ext4
- XFS
Show the answer
Answer: D. XFS
XFS is a high-performance 64-bit journaling file system and has been the default on RHEL since version 7. ext4 is common on other distributions but is not RHEL's default.
Question 3A Windows administrator is creating a volume to hold large virtual machine files. The administrator wants the Microsoft file system that was designed for resiliency, using integrity checksums to detect and repair data corruption. Which file system should be selected?
- exFAT
- ReFS
- FAT32
- NTFS
Show the answer
Answer: B. ReFS
Resilient File System (ReFS) uses checksums (integrity streams) to detect and, with redundant storage, repair corruption, and it scales to very large volumes. NTFS is the everyday default but lacks these resiliency features.
Question 4A user's new MacBook has an SSD startup disk. The user asks which file system macOS uses on it. What should the technician say?
- exFAT
- APFS
- ext4
- NTFS
Show the answer
Answer: B. APFS
Apple File System (APFS) is the default for macOS startup disks, optimized for SSDs with features such as snapshots and native encryption. exFAT is mainly for removable media shared with Windows.
Question 5A company still runs several PCs on an OS version that the vendor has declared end-of-life (EOL). The business applications work fine. What is the primary risk of keeping these PCs in service?
- The OS will stop booting once the EOL date passes
- Installed applications will be removed automatically
- They stop receiving security updates
- The OS license will convert to a 30-day trial
Show the answer
Answer: C. They stop receiving security updates
After EOL the vendor stops releasing patches, so newly discovered vulnerabilities stay open. The OS still boots and runs, which is exactly why unpatched EOL systems linger and become a risk.
CompTIA, A+, Network+, Security+ and Linux+ are trademarks of CompTIA, Inc. Ranger Gamez is not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA. The practice questions are written to the published exam objectives; they are not real exam questions.