SK0-005 Practice Question: A medium-sized business runs a critical internal application on a single physical server…
A medium-sized business runs a critical internal application on a single physical server running Windows Server 2019. The application is memory-intensive, often using up to 24 GB out of 32 GB RAM during peak hours. Over the past week, the server has experienced three unexpected reboots, each occurring during peak load. The server is not part of a cluster, and all data is stored on local disks. You have checked the Windows System event log and found Event ID 41 (Kernel-Power) indicating an unexpected shutdown. There are no related critical errors in the Application log. You have also reviewed the server's firmware logs and found multiple corrected memory errors (ECC) over the last month, with an increase in frequency just before each crash. The server is under warranty, and the hardware vendor's diagnostic tools report a failing memory module in DIMM slot A1. The vendor has recommended replacing the faulty DIMM immediately. However, the server is currently processing critical end-of-quarter financial reports that cannot be interrupted for at least 6 hours. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to minimize risk of data loss and downtime until a planned maintenance window?
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
✓
Inform management of the criticality, request emergency approval for immediate maintenance, and if denied, ensure current backups are verified and monitor the server closely for any signs of degradation until the maintenance window.
Option D is correct because it follows proper change management: informing stakeholders, seeking emergency approval if needed, and mitigating risk by verifying backups and monitoring. Option A is wrong because immediately shutting down would interrupt critical processing and potential data loss, without management approval. Option B is wrong because Windows Memory Diagnostic is a boot-time tool and cannot effectively isolate memory regions to avoid crashes on a running production system. Option C is wrong because the server has already crashed, indicating uncorrectable errors; continuing without action risks data corruption and further unplanned outages.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to try to isolate the memory region and prevent the application from using it.
Why it's wrong here
Windows Memory Diagnostic tests memory offline, after a reboot into the test environment, and reports results; it cannot fence off bad memory while Windows keeps running, so the application would continue to use the failing module. Running it would also require the downtime the business cannot accept right now. The vendor's diagnostics have already identified DIMM A1 as the faulty part.
- ✗
Continue running the server as is, as ECC memory can correct errors and the server will only crash if errors are uncorrectable; the risk is low.
Why it's wrong here
ECC corrects single-bit errors, but a rising rate of corrected errors is a warning that uncorrectable ones are coming, and three crashes this week show that has already happened. Uncorrectable errors crash the server immediately and can corrupt data being written. Treating the risk as low ignores the evidence; it needs escalation, protection of data, and a planned replacement.
- ✗
Immediately shut down the server, replace the faulty DIMM, and restart.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the DIMM fixes the root cause, but shutting down without approval would interrupt critical end-of-quarter reports, possibly losing work in progress and missing deadlines, and it bypasses change management. The decision to interrupt belongs to the business once it understands the risk. The right move is to escalate for an emergency change and protect data while waiting.
- ✓
Inform management of the criticality, request emergency approval for immediate maintenance, and if denied, ensure current backups are verified and monitor the server closely for any signs of degradation until the maintenance window.
Why this is correct
This balances technical risk with business needs: management hears the risk in business terms and can approve an emergency replacement now. If they decide to continue, the team verifies recent backups, saves or exports in-progress work where possible, watches the management controller and event logs closely, and has the replacement DIMM on site to swap as soon as the reports finish.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
BIOS/UEFI and Firmware Management
Key term
Organizational Change Management
Organizational Change Management (OCM) is the structured approach to preparing, supporting, and guiding people through changes in an organization to ensure lasting success.
Key term
Change management
Change management is the structured process of planning, approving, implementing, and reviewing changes to IT systems to minimize risk and disruption.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Security Systems Architect · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed July 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This SK0-005 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 SK0-005 exam.