A Linux VM restarts after a configuration change and now stops before the sign-in prompt. The administrator cannot use SSH. Which Azure feature should be checked first to inspect the startup process?

Network Watcher packet capture

Packet capture helps analyze traffic, but it does not show boot-stage startup output.

Azure Advisor

Azure Advisor gives recommendations, but it is not a boot troubleshooting tool.

Managed identity

Managed identities help with authentication, not with inspecting VM boot failures.

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: Boot diagnostics — Boot diagnostics is the right choice because it lets an administrator view a screenshot and serial console output from the VM startup sequence. When SSH or RDP is unavailable, boot diagnostics is often the fastest way to understand whether the guest OS is hanging, failing to mount disks, or stopping because of a bad configuration change. It is specifically intended for first-line troubleshooting of boot problems. Why others are wrong: Packet capture is useful for network troubleshooting, but the VM never reaches a usable login state, so networking is not the first thing to inspect. Azure Advisor is for recommendations and best practices, not incident-level startup analysis. Managed identity is unrelated to boot visibility because it is an authentication mechanism. The question asks for a way to inspect startup behavior, which boot diagnostics directly provides.

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.