Question 171 of 144
SK0-005 troubleshooting Practice Question
You are a server engineer for a financial services firm. The company recently deployed a new HP ProLiant DL380 Gen10 server running Windows Server 2022 with SQL Server 2019. The server has 2 Intel Xeon Gold processors, 128GB RAM, and a Smart Array P408i-p controller managing two RAID 1 arrays: one for OS (two 300GB 10K SAS) and one for data (four 600GB 10K SAS). After one month, the OS array reports a predictive failure on one drive. You replace the drive via hot-swap, and the RAID controller rebuilds. However, the server now experiences random system crashes with Event ID 1001 (BugCheck) and the SQL database occasionally becomes corrupt requiring restore from backup. The server's RAM has been tested with HP's diagnostic tool and passed, and the CPU temperature is normal. The RAID controller log shows no errors during the rebuild but occasional 'Parity errors' logged before the drive replacement. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the current instability?
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 remaining original OS drive has bad sectors that were not detected.
Option C is correct because predictive failure on one drive may indicate that the entire mirrored pair has latent defects; the remaining original drive may have bad sectors that were not detected. The parity errors before replacement suggest data inconsistency, and after rebuild, the system relies on the remaining drive which can cause crashes and database corruption. Option A is wrong because the rebuild completed without errors, so the new drive is likely fine. Option B is wrong because a failed cache module would cause general errors, not specific parity issues. Option D is wrong because a faulty PCIe slot would cause intermittent disconnects of the controller, not these symptoms.
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 new replacement drive is faulty.
Why it's wrong here
If the new drive were faulty, the rebuild would likely have failed or shown errors.
- ✗
The motherboard has a faulty PCIe slot for the RAID controller.
Why it's wrong here
Faulty PCIe slot would cause the controller to disappear or cause I/O errors, not parity errors.
- ✓
The remaining original OS drive has bad sectors that were not detected.
Why this is correct
Latent bad sectors on the surviving drive can cause data corruption and system crashes, especially after rebuilding from the other drive.
- ✗
The RAID controller cache module has failed.
Why it's wrong here
Cache failure would cause write errors or performance issues, not parity errors on a mirrored pair.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
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Last reviewed: Jul 26, 2026
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.
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