MD-100 Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield MD-100 facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A technician wants to edit the boot menu to change the default OS or timeout on a Windows 10 dual-boot system. Which tool should be used? → Any of the above
2. Which Windows 10 feature displays an application and system reliability history as a graphical timeline? → Reliability Monitor
3. Which file system is required to use features like file-level encryption (EFS) and disk quotas on Windows 10? → NTFS
4. What does the 'Keep my files' option do when using Reset this PC in Windows 10? → Removes installed apps and settings while preserving personal files in user folders
5. A user's account is locked out. Which tool can an administrator use to unlock it on a standalone Windows 10 PC? → Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)
6. Which Windows 10 tool allows you to see all startup programs and disable those that slow down boot time? → Task Manager > Startup tab
7. When NTFS permissions and Share permissions are both applied to a folder, which set of permissions takes effect for a network user? → The most restrictive combination of both
8. What is the purpose of Windows Defender SmartScreen? → Warns users about or blocks unrecognized apps and malicious websites
9. Where in Windows 10 can you configure power plans to balance performance and battery life? → Either A or B
10. Which sign-in option uses a short numeric code as an alternative to a password on Windows 10? → PIN
11. A Windows 10 system fails to start and displays 'BOOTMGR is missing.' Which tool can repair the boot manager? → Startup Repair in Windows Recovery Environment
12. Which Windows 10 security feature helps prevent unsigned or untrusted drivers from loading during boot? → Secure Boot
13. What is the purpose of the 'Account lockout threshold' policy in Local Security Policy? → It locks an account after a specified number of failed sign-in attempts
14. Which Event Viewer log records both successful and failed user logon attempts on a Windows 10 system? → Security log
15. Which Sysinternals or built-in Windows tool shows which process has a file or folder locked, preventing deletion? → Process Explorer or Resource Monitor
16. What is a System Image backup in Windows 10? → A complete sector-by-sector copy of the system drive including OS, settings, and files
17. Some of your desktop windows may be hidden behind others. Which hidden window is easiest to switch to? → Click the icon on the taskbar
18. Which protocol accesses emails from any device? → IMAP
19. A user double-clicks a .pdf file and the wrong application opens. Where can the default app association be changed in Windows 10? → Either A or C
20. Which command-line tool can be used to install, update, and remove Windows applications as a package manager? → winget
21. Which Performance Monitor feature lets you schedule data collection over a period of time and save results for later analysis? → Data Collector Sets
22. What happens to a local user profile when a local account is deleted in Windows 10? → The profile folder remains unless explicitly deleted
23. A user must be able to log into a PC via Remote Desktop. Which built-in group must they be added to? → Remote Desktop Users
24. Which Windows 10 feature allows you to run and test untrusted applications in an isolated, disposable environment? → Windows Sandbox
25. Which file system is best suited for a USB drive that must be compatible with both Windows and macOS while supporting files larger than 4 GB? → exFAT
26. Click and drag to move windows. → Top of the window
27. A user wants to move a 10 GB file to a USB drive formatted as FAT32. What will happen? → The operation will fail because FAT32 has a 4 GB per-file size limit
28. Which offering has Intune? → Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security
29. Which Windows 10 command-line tool repairs the Windows image and component store when SFC finds corruption it cannot fix? → DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
30. Which built-in Windows tool allows administrators to view detailed logs of system events, application errors, and security audits? → Event Viewer