A data disk was accidentally deleted from a VM. You have a snapshot of that disk from before the deletion. What should you create first to restore the data with minimal impact to the VM's OS disk?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Best answer
A new managed disk from the snapshot
A snapshot is a backup point for a disk, but it must be turned into a managed disk before it can be attached to a VM. Creating a new managed disk from the snapshot restores the data in a recoverable form while leaving the VM's OS disk untouched. After the new disk is created, you can attach it as a data disk. This is the normal restore path for a deleted or lost managed data disk.
Distractor review
A new virtual machine
Creating a new VM is unnecessary and would not be the most direct way to restore only the missing data disk.
Distractor review
A new availability set
An availability set is about VM placement and resilience, not about recovering a deleted disk.
Distractor review
A larger VM size
Increasing VM size changes compute capacity, but it does not recover deleted storage data.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
You are deploying a stateless web application on Azure virtual machines. The solution must automatically add and remove instances based on CPU demand and allow all instances to be managed as one logical group. Which Azure compute feature should you deploy?
Question 3
You are deploying a Windows Server VM for an internal app. The VM must support Secure Boot and vTPM later, its OS disk must survive host moves, and the team wants the lowest-cost managed disk tier that still behaves like a normal writable OS disk. Which two choices should you make? Select two.
Question 4
You need to deploy several identical virtual machines and ensure that the failure of a single Azure host does not affect all of them. Which feature should you use?
Question 5
You need to connect VNet-Hub and VNet-Spoke so that resources in both virtual networks can communicate privately over the Microsoft backbone. Both virtual networks are in the same region. What should you configure?
Question 6
You need to create a storage account that provides the lowest-cost redundant storage for non-critical data and only needs protection against local disk or server failure within a single datacenter. Which redundancy option should you choose?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: A new managed disk from the snapshot — A snapshot is a point-in-time copy, and the usual recovery approach is to create a managed disk from that snapshot. That managed disk can then be attached back to the original VM or another VM as a data disk. This restores the lost data without replacing the operating system disk or rebuilding the whole server. It is the least disruptive and most targeted option when only a data disk was deleted. Why others are wrong: A new VM is far more disruptive than necessary and does not directly recover the missing disk. An availability set affects placement and fault tolerance, not disk recovery. A larger VM size does nothing to restore lost data. The question asks specifically for the first recovery action, which is creating a managed disk from the snapshot.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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