CompTIA A+ (220-1101 + 220-1102)

Operating systems

⏱ ~3-min readAceMark Guide

The big idea

What this topic is really about

"Run as administrator" triggers a UAC prompt for admin credentials, allowing a single elevated action without changing the user's account or signing out. Safe Mode is a diagnostic boot, Task Manager manages processes, and Device Manager handles hardware drivers.

A drive wipe with multiple passes securely erases data on a magnetic hard drive.. A drive wipe overwrites every sector (often multiple passes) so the original data is unrecoverable.

How it works

See the mechanism

Diagram coming soon

The 'route print' command is used to display the local IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables, which show the paths that packets take to reach their destinations. A diagram for this topic isn't available yet — the worked example below walks the same reasoning step by step.

Worked example

An exam-style question, fully explained

Which Windows command shows the current routing table?

Identify what the question tests: Which Windows command shows the current routing table.
route print displays the local IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables.
ipconfig /all shows interface settings, tracert traces a path to a destination, and netstat -a lists open ports and connections.
Why it matters: The 'route print' command is used to display the local IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables, which show the paths that packets take to reach their destinations. In contrast, 'ipconfig /all' shows interface settings, 'tracert' traces a path to a destination, and 'netstat -a' lists open ports and connections. Therefore, 'route print' is the correct command to view the current routing table.

Answer:route print

Common mistakes

Traps the examiner sets

Some users may confuse 'route print' with 'ipconfig /all' or 'netstat -a', but these commands serve different purposes and do not display the routing table.
Many people mistakenly believe quick formatting or standard deleting is sufficient for data erasure, but these methods leave data intact.

Self-check

Test your recall

Answer each from memory — you'll see instantly whether you're right and why.

Q1.Which Windows command shows the current routing table?

Q2.A technician needs to securely erase a magnetic hard drive before disposal so data cannot be recovered. Which method is appropriate?

Q3.Which Windows feature encrypts an entire volume and can use the TPM to protect the key?

Q4.Which command-line tool repairs Windows system files by scanning for and restoring corrupted protected files?

Q5.A technician wants to give a standard user temporary administrative rights to install software without logging out. Which Windows mechanism is used?

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