CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) — Question 258

A technician receives a laptop due to its low performance and intermittent S.M.A.R.T. errors on boot up. Which of the following is the NEXT step the technician should take to diagnose the issue?

Answer options

• A. Low-level format the existing drive.
• B. Repair the OS installation on the existing drive.
• C. Immediately replace the failing drive.
• D. Copy the user's profile folder to an external drive.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct next step is to back up the user's profile folder to an external drive (D) since data preservation is critical before further diagnostics or repairs. Low-level formatting (A) and repairing the OS (B) may lead to data loss, and immediately replacing the drive (C) might not be necessary without confirming the drive's failure.