220-1102 domain - 31% of the exam

Operating Systems

Operating Systems is 31% of the CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1102) exam. These are the objectives it covers, each with practice questions and worked explanations.

Objectives in this domain

Sample question from this domain

Free sampleOperating Systemsmedium

Priya needs to move several 6 GB video files back and forth on a single USB flash drive that must be readable and writable on both Windows 11 and macOS without installing extra software. Which file system should she format the drive with?

  • AexFAT, because it supports files well above 4 GB and is natively read/write on both Windows and macOS Correct
  • BFAT32, because it is the most widely supported removable-media format across desktop operating systems
  • CNTFS, because it journals writes and both operating systems fully support reading and writing it
  • Dext4, because it is a modern journaling file system that stores large media files reliably
Select exFAT for removable media that must carry files larger than 4 GB with native read/write access on both Windows and macOS. The two hard constraints are files over 4 GB and native read/write on Windows and macOS. FAT32 fails the size limit, NTFS is read-only on macOS by default, and ext4 is not natively mounted by either, so exFAT is the only format that satisfies all of them.

Why A is correct: exFAT was designed for flash media, removes the 4 GB per-file limit, and is natively read/write on modern Windows and macOS, meeting every constraint.

Why B is wrong: FAT32 is broadly compatible, which makes it tempting, but it caps individual files at 4 GB, so a 6 GB video will not fit.

Why C is wrong: NTFS handles large files, but macOS mounts NTFS volumes read-only by default, so Priya could not write to the drive without third-party drivers.

Why D is wrong: ext4 is a capable Linux file system, but neither Windows nor macOS mounts it natively, so it fails the cross-platform requirement.

Other domains in this exam

See also the 220-1102 cert hub, the study guide, and the cheat sheet.

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