Windows XP Pro Cheat Sheet 2026

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

1. A technician is asked to document a Windows XP Pro deployment. Which tool generates a detailed hardware and software inventory report? → System Information (msinfo32.exe)
2. What is the maximum number of processors supported by Windows XP Professional? → 2
3. A user interface that relies solely on graphics (icons, images, and menus) and not text. Answer: Graphical User Interface → TRUE
4. What is the default location of user profile folders in Windows XP Pro? → C:\Documents and Settings\
5. How should Windows XP Pro professionals apply research findings to practice? → Critically evaluate applicability, adapt to context, and monitor outcomes
6. What is the purpose of the Windows XP Pro Sysprep tool? → To prepare a disk image for deployment to multiple computers
7. An action is taken to get access to a computer or network. → Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
8. In Windows XP Pro, what is the default file system used when formatting a new partition for best security? → NTFS
9. What was the code name used during development of Windows XP? → Whistler
10. In Windows XP, what is 'Windows Update' designed to do? → Download and install security patches and feature updates from Microsoft
11. Which log in Event Viewer on Windows XP Pro records successful and failed logon attempts when auditing is enabled? → Security Log
12. Which Windows XP Pro tool provides real-time disk performance counters such as Avg. Disk Queue Length to help diagnose storage bottlenecks? → Performance Monitor (perfmon.exe)
13. A risk assessment flags that Windows XP Pro systems have AutoRun enabled for removable media. Which threat does this MOST directly increase? → Malware execution from USB drives
14. In Windows XP Pro, which file system supports file-level encryption via EFS? → NTFS
15. IT needs to communicate that Windows XP will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. Which message is most appropriate for general staff? → Explain that unsupported OS increases risk and outline the planned upgrade timeline
16. In Windows XP Pro, which command-line tool is used to repair the boot sector of the system partition? → fixboot
17. In Windows XP Pro, which service is responsible for automatically applying Windows Updates? → Automatic Updates
18. During quality validation, a technician must verify that the Windows XP Pro pagefile is correctly sized. Where is this configured? → System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings > Virtual Memory
19. Which Windows XP utility generates a comprehensive report of hardware resources, conflicts, and IRQ assignments for research documentation? → System Information (msinfo32.exe)
20. In Windows XP, what does the acronym 'ClearType' refer to? → Sub-pixel font rendering technology
21. During QA validation of a Windows XP Pro build, a technician must confirm the TCP/IP stack is healthy. Which command reinitializes it? → netsh int ip reset
22. Which Windows XP Pro service resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses on a network? → WINS
23. Which Windows XP command-line tool retrieves detailed hardware and OS inventory data suitable for documenting a baseline? → systeminfo.exe
24. A compliance officer needs a record of all failed logon attempts on a Windows XP Pro machine over the past 30 days. Which log file contains this information? → Security log in Event Viewer
25. A professional must verify that a Windows XP Pro system has all critical patches applied. What is the most authoritative method? → Run Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
26. Which Windows XP Pro feature restricts which software can run based on rules defined by an administrator? → Software Restriction Policies
27. In Windows XP, what is the default location where downloaded files are saved when using Internet Explorer? → My Documents
28. What Windows XP Pro feature allows you to set up a secure encrypted tunnel over the internet to a corporate network? → VPN (Virtual Private Network)
29. A company subject to PCI DSS 3.2 must log all administrative access to cardholder data systems. Which Windows XP Pro audit policy must be enabled? → Audit account logon events and Audit logon events
30. Which Windows XP Pro feature allows you to roll back a system to a known-good state as part of a risk recovery strategy? → System Restore