Windows XP Pro Case Studies & Practical Application 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A user reports that after installing a new application, Windows XP Pro takes 10 minutes to boot. What is the BEST first step to diagnose the issue?
- Run msconfig and disable startup items one by one (Correct answer)
- Reinstall Windows XP from scratch
- Delete the application's folder manually
- Increase virtual memory
Correct answer: Run msconfig and disable startup items one by one
Msconfig's Startup tab lets you selectively disable startup entries to isolate which application is causing slow boot times.
Question 2: A technician needs to join a Windows XP Pro workstation to a domain but gets 'Access Denied.' The machine name is unique and DNS is correct. What is the most likely cause?
- The user performing the join lacks domain admin or delegated rights (Correct answer)
- The workstation's NIC driver is outdated
- Windows XP Home Edition is installed instead
- The DHCP server is offline
Correct answer: The user performing the join lacks domain admin or delegated rights
Joining a domain requires domain administrator credentials or a delegated account with the right to add computers to the domain.
Question 3: After enabling the Windows Firewall on a Windows XP Pro machine, users can no longer print to a shared network printer. What should be done?
- Add an exception for File and Printer Sharing in Windows Firewall (Correct answer)
- Disable the firewall entirely
- Reinstall the printer driver
- Change the printer's IP address
Correct answer: Add an exception for File and Printer Sharing in Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall blocks file and printer sharing by default; adding a specific exception restores network printing without disabling the firewall.
Question 4: A Windows XP Pro laptop was stolen. The hard drive contains sensitive data. Which feature, if enabled beforehand, would have best protected the data?
- Encrypting File System (EFS) (Correct answer)
- NTFS permissions
- Password-protected screen saver
- Disk Defragmenter
Correct answer: Encrypting File System (EFS)
EFS encrypts files so that even if the drive is removed and accessed on another machine, the data remains unreadable without the certificate.
Question 5: A user accidentally deleted the only administrator account on a Windows XP Pro standalone machine. How can an administrator regain access?
- Boot into Safe Mode and log in as the built-in Administrator account (Correct answer)
- Reinstall Windows XP
- Use another standard user account to create an admin account
- Boot from a Linux live CD and delete SAM
Correct answer: Boot into Safe Mode and log in as the built-in Administrator account
The built-in Administrator account is hidden in normal mode but accessible in Safe Mode and is not affected by deletion of other admin accounts.
Question 6: A company wants to prevent users from installing software on their Windows XP Pro machines without IT approval. What is the BEST Group Policy approach?
- Use Software Restriction Policies to block unapproved executables (Correct answer)
- Remove users from the Power Users group only
- Disable the Windows Installer service
- Set folder permissions on Program Files
Correct answer: Use Software Restriction Policies to block unapproved executables
Software Restriction Policies allow administrators to define rules that prevent unauthorized executables from running, regardless of where they are placed.
Question 7: A Windows XP Pro machine displays 'NTLDR is missing' at startup after a failed dual-boot setup. What is the correct recovery step?
- Boot from the XP CD and run the Recovery Console, then execute 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr' (Correct answer)
- Format the hard drive and reinstall Windows
- Run chkdsk from within Windows
- Restore the MBR using Disk Management
Correct answer: Boot from the XP CD and run the Recovery Console, then execute 'fixboot' and 'fixmbr'
The Recovery Console's fixboot and fixmbr commands repair the boot sector and master boot record, resolving NTLDR missing errors caused by MBR corruption.
Windows XP Pro Case Studies & Practical Application 2
A user reports that after installing a new application, Windows XP Pro takes 10 minutes to boot.
What is the BEST first step to diagnose the issue?