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Windows Installation & Upgrade Methods

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CompTIA A+ 220-1201 & 220-1202

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

About the CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Domains & Study Strategy

2 Core 1 Domain 1: Mobile Devices (13%)

Laptop Hardware & Components Laptop Features & Display Types Mobile Device Connectivity & Accessories Mobile Operating System Features Mobile Device Synchronization & Data Transfer

3 Core 1 Domain 2: Networking (23%)

TCP/IP Fundamentals & the OSI Model Common Ports & Protocols Wireless Networking Standards Network Hardware & Devices Network Configuration & Internet Connections Network Types & Topologies

4 Core 1 Domain 3: Hardware (25%)

Cables & Connectors RAM Types & Storage Devices Motherboards, CPUs & Power Supplies Printers & Multifunction Devices Peripheral Devices & Expansion Cards Network Cable Tools & Testing

5 Core 1 Domain 4: Virtualization & Cloud Computing (11%)

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6 Core 1 Domain 5: Hardware & Network Troubleshooting (28%)

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7 Core 2 Domain 1: Operating Systems (28%)

Windows Editions & Features Windows Administrative Tools & Utilities Windows Command Line & PowerShell macOS & Linux Basics Windows Networking & File Sharing Windows Installation & Upgrade Methods

8 Core 2 Domain 2: Security (28%)

Physical & Logical Security Measures Malware Types & Threat Mitigation Wireless & Network Security Encryption & Data Protection

9 Core 2 Domain 3: Software Troubleshooting (23%)

Windows OS Troubleshooting Mobile OS & Application Troubleshooting Browser & Application Troubleshooting

10 Core 2 Domain 4: Operational Procedures (21%)

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Windows Installation & Upgrade Methods

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

A clean install wipes the drive and is required for 32-bit to 64-bit migration or a severely compromised OS; an in-place upgrade keeps files, apps, and settings.

Reset This PC offers 'Keep my files' or 'Remove everything' and can pull a fresh copy from a local image or a cloud download; it is the go-to recovery for a malfunctioning but healthy-hardware PC.

Installation media can be a USB drive (most common, via the Media Creation Tool), DVD, network PXE/WDS, or an existing Windows session; UEFI/GPT is needed for drives over 2.2 TB and for Windows 11.

NTFS is required for the Windows system drive; FAT32 caps files at 4 GB, while exFAT removes that limit for cross-platform USB and SD media.

Post-install order matters: install chipset and device drivers, run Windows Update fully, confirm activation and antivirus, then create standard accounts and a recovery drive.

Last updated: June 2026

Installation Types

Choosing the right install method is a core 220-1202 skill. Each preserves a different amount of the existing system.

  • Type What it does Use when
  • Clean install Wipes the drive, fresh OS Corrupted OS, new disk, 32 to 64-bit, malware-riddled system
  • In-place upgrade Keeps files, apps, settings Win 10 to 11; same-edition version bump
  • Reset This PC Reinstalls Windows; keep or remove files PC misbehaves but hardware is fine
  • Image-based Deploys a captured .wim image Rolling out many identical PCs
  • Network (PXE / WDS) Boots and installs from a server Enterprise mass deployment
  • Repair install Reinstalls over the top Fix system files, keep everything

Reset This PC (Settings > System > Recovery) gives a Keep my files option that removes apps and settings but spares personal data, or Remove everything for a full wipe; either can rebuild from a local image or a cloud download of the latest build.

Boot Media & Clean Install Steps

The most common modern media is a bootable USB built with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool . Enterprises use PXE boot with Windows Deployment Services (WDS) to install over the network to many machines at once.

Verify requirements — CPU, RAM, storage, and TPM 2.0 / Secure Boot for Windows 11.

Back up all data to an external or cloud target.

Create media with the Media Creation Tool.

Set UEFI boot order to USB first; enable UEFI (for GPT) and Secure Boot.

Boot from USB (boot-menu key varies: F12, F2, Esc, Del).

Choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) for a clean install.

Partition the disk (or let Windows auto-create the layout below).

Configure account, then install drivers and updates.

Default GPT/UEFI partition layout

  • Partition Purpose Size
  • EFI System Partition (ESP) UEFI boot files 100-260 MB
  • Microsoft Reserved (MSR) Windows internal use 16 MB
  • Windows (C:) OS and programs Remainder
  • Recovery Windows Recovery Environment 500-1000 MB
  • File Systems

Picking a file system is a tested decision, especially the NTFS-vs-FAT32-vs-exFAT triangle.

  • File system Max file Max volume Notes
  • NTFS 16 TB+ 256 TB Permissions, EFS encryption, compression, journaling; required for the Windows system drive
  • FAT32 4 GB 2 TB Universal compatibility; the 4 GB file cap is its key weakness
  • exFAT 16 EB 128 PB No 4 GB cap; best for large-file USB/SD media across OSes
  • ext4 16 TB 1 EB Linux native, journaling
  • APFS 8 EB 8 EB macOS default, encryption + snapshots

Decision rule: Windows OS drive = NTFS . A USB stick that must hold a single 8 GB video file and work on Windows, macOS, and a TV = exFAT (FAT32 would reject the file at the 4 GB limit).

Post-Installation Checklist

After the OS is up, work this list in order so each step builds on the last.

  • Step Action
  • 1. Drivers Chipset first, then GPU, network, audio, peripherals (from the vendor)
  • 2. Windows Update Run repeatedly until no updates remain
  • 3. Antivirus Confirm Microsoft Defender is active or install a third-party suite
  • 4. Activation Verify in Settings > System > Activation
  • 5. Accounts Create standard (non-admin) user accounts
  • 6. Recovery Build a USB recovery drive and enable System Restore
  • 7. Backup Configure File History or cloud sync

Doing drivers before updates avoids generic-driver conflicts, and creating standard rather than administrator accounts reduces the blast radius of malware.

Picking the Right Method in a Scenario

The exam frames deployment as a judgment call between preserving and wiping data. When a PC is infected with malware that keeps returning , an in-place upgrade or repair install leaves the infection in place; the defensible answer is a clean install after backing up only verified-clean user data. When the OS is misbehaving but the hardware is sound and you want to keep the user's files, Reset This PC > Keep my files is faster than a full reimage and removes apps and settings that may be the cause.

When you are moving an entire fleet to a new build, the answer is an image-based or PXE/WDS deployment, never touching each machine by hand with a USB stick. Recognizing these triggers — "persistent malware," "keep my files," "hundreds of identical machines" — is what the questions reward.

Boot-mode decisions tie back to partitioning. A drive larger than 2.2 TB or any Windows 11 install must use UEFI with a GPT disk; if a clean install of Windows reports "Windows cannot be installed to this disk; the selected disk is of the MBR partition style," the fix is to switch the firmware to UEFI (or convert the disk to GPT with diskpart's clean then convert gpt ). Legacy BIOS with MBR is only appropriate for old hardware or drives under 2.2 TB.

Product activation and drivers round out the post-install scenarios. A freshly imaged machine that shows generic 800x600 video and no network usually just needs its chipset and device drivers from the vendor, installed before a final Windows Update pass so Update does not push a conflicting generic driver. A machine that installs but later nags "Activate Windows" needs its license confirmed — a digital license tied to the Microsoft account or a valid product key — not a reinstall.

Backup before you wipe: Every clean install, reset-and-remove, or repartition step in this domain assumes a current backup exists first. The exam treats failing to back up user data before a destructive operation as the cardinal sin; the safe sequence is always verify backup, then deploy . Finishing with a USB recovery drive and an enabled System Restore point gives the user a recovery path the next time something breaks.