easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CV0-004 Practice Question: A company recently migrated its on-premises…
A company recently migrated its on-premises backup server to a cloud virtual machine running Windows Server with a dedicated data disk for backups. The backup software is configured to write to a folder on the data disk. After two weeks, the backup jobs start failing with 'disk full' errors. The cloud engineer logs into the VM and verifies that the data disk has 500 GB of total space and the backup folder shows only 300 GB used. However, the operating system reports the disk as 100% full. The engineer also notices that the recycle bin on the data disk appears to be empty. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the discrepancy?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Shadow copies (Volume Shadow Copies) are consuming space on the data disk
Previous backups moved to the system volume shadow copy (VSS) snapshots can consume hidden space. The operating system sees the disk as full because VSS takes up space that is not visible in normal file counting. Option B is wrong: cloud provider quotas on a VM's managed disk are not enforced at the OS level; the OS sees the full provisioned size. Option C is wrong: the recycle bin was noted as empty, so it cannot account for the discrepancy. Option D is wrong: compression reduces the amount of space used, and index fragmentation does not cause the OS to report 100% full when only 300 GB is used.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Shadow copies (Volume Shadow Copies) are consuming space on the data disk
Why this is correct
VSS snapshots can consume disk space without appearing in the backup folder or recycle bin.
- ✗
The cloud provider has imposed a quota on the disk's storage capacity that is lower than the provisioned size
Why it's wrong here
Cloud disks do not have hidden quotas; provisioned size is the limit.
- ✗
The recycle bin on the data disk contains deleted backup files that are not counted
Why it's wrong here
The recycle bin is reported as empty by the engineer.
- ✗
The backup software is compressing data, causing the disk to appear full due to index fragmentation
Why it's wrong here
Compression reduces used space, and fragmentation does not cause full disk reports.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CV0-004 exam.