Windows XP Pro Windows XP Pro File System & Storage Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Windows XP Pro, which type of volume spreads data across two or more dynamic disks to improve read/write performance (RAID-0)?
- Striped volume (Correct answer)
- Mirrored volume
- Spanned volume
- Simple volume
Correct answer: Striped volume
A striped volume (RAID-0) distributes data in stripes across two or more dynamic disks simultaneously, increasing throughput but providing no fault tolerance.
Question 2: What happens to existing data on a basic disk when it is converted to a dynamic disk in Windows XP Pro?
- All data is erased and must be restored from backup
- Existing data is preserved during the conversion (Correct answer)
- Only system files are kept; user data is deleted
- The disk must be re-formatted after conversion
Correct answer: Existing data is preserved during the conversion
Converting a basic disk to a dynamic disk is a non-destructive operation; existing data and volume structure are preserved throughout the conversion.
Question 3: Which file attribute in Windows XP Pro is set automatically when a file is created or modified, indicating it should be included in the next backup?
- System attribute
- Read-only attribute
- Archive attribute (Correct answer)
- Hidden attribute
Correct answer: Archive attribute
The Archive attribute acts as a 'needs backup' flag; backup programs clear it after backing up a file and use its presence to identify files changed since the last backup.
Question 4: What is a spanned volume in Windows XP Pro?
- A volume that mirrors data across two disks for redundancy
- A single logical volume that extends across two or more dynamic disks (Correct answer)
- A compressed volume distributed across multiple folders
- A volume encrypted with EFS spanning multiple drives
Correct answer: A single logical volume that extends across two or more dynamic disks
A spanned volume combines free space from two or more dynamic disks into one large logical volume, filling each disk sequentially rather than striping data.
Question 5: Which Recovery Console command in Windows XP Pro writes a new Master Boot Record to fix boot failures caused by MBR corruption?
- FIXMBR (Correct answer)
- CHKDSK /R
- DISKPART /FIX
- BOOTREC /FIXMBR
Correct answer: FIXMBR
FIXMBR is the Windows XP Recovery Console command that rewrites the MBR on the system partition, restoring the ability to boot when the MBR is damaged or corrupted.
Question 6: What is the purpose of the BOOT.INI file in Windows XP Pro?
- Store local user account credentials
- Control which operating system is loaded at startup (Correct answer)
- Define NTFS partition permissions
- Configure virtual memory settings
Correct answer: Control which operating system is loaded at startup
BOOT.INI is a hidden, read-only text file read by NTLDR during startup; it lists available operating systems and their locations, generating the boot menu the user sees.
Question 7: Which Windows XP Pro tool provides real-time disk performance counters such as Avg. Disk Queue Length to help diagnose storage bottlenecks?
- Device Manager
- Event Viewer
- Performance Monitor (perfmon.exe) (Correct answer)
- System Information (msinfo32)
Correct answer: Performance Monitor (perfmon.exe)
Performance Monitor (perfmon.exe) graphs live and logged disk counters including Disk Reads/sec, Disk Writes/sec, and Avg. Disk Queue Length, which are key indicators of storage performance issues.
Windows XP Pro Windows XP Pro File System & Storage Management 3
In Windows XP Pro, which type of volume spreads data across two or more dynamic disks to improve read/write performance (RAID-0)?