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FC0-U71 Practice Question: An application is displaying an error message:…
An application is displaying an error message: "Cannot write to file. The file may be read-only or in use by another application." Which of the following is the LEAST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume a deleted file could cause a write error, but the specific wording 'read-only or in use' points to permission or locking issues, not a missing file, which would produce a distinct error message.
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
✓
The file has been deleted.
If the file has been deleted, the error message would typically be 'File not found' or 'The system cannot find the file specified,' not a write failure related to read-only status or another application's lock. The error specifically indicates a write conflict or permission issue, not a missing file. Therefore, a deleted file is the least likely cause among the options.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The file has been deleted.
Why this is correct
A deleted file produces a "file not found" error, not a write failure. Read-only attributes and locks held by other processes both block writing, so deletion is the least likely explanation for the message shown.
- ✗
The file system is full.
Why it's wrong here
A full file system produces a disk-space or write-failure error, not the read-only or in-use message shown, making it the least likely cause. It tempts because storage exhaustion genuinely blocks writes, and checking free space is the correct step when the error cites insufficient capacity.
- ✗
The file is open in another program.
Why it's wrong here
A file locked by another process produces exactly this write failure, so it is a highly probable cause, not the least likely. File locking is the mechanism the error message explicitly cites, making this the right answer when asked which cause is most probable rather than least.
- ✗
The user does not have write permissions.
Why it's wrong here
The error text itself names read-only status and concurrent use, so permissions are a plausible cause rather than an unlikely one. NTFS write permissions are a genuine mechanism behind write failures, making this the correct answer to a different question: which cause is most likely, not least.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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