AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
Exhibit
Restore options shown in Recovery Services vault: - Create a new VM - Replace existing VM - Restore disks - File Recovery Incident: One configuration file was deleted from vm-web02, but the VM is still running and should remain unchanged.
Based on the exhibit, an administrator needs to recover one deleted configuration file from a running Azure VM without replacing the VM. Which restore option should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think a full disk restore or VM rebuild is required for file-level recovery, but Azure Backup's File Recovery feature is specifically designed for granular file recovery from a VM backup without VM replacement.
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
✓
Use File Recovery to mount the recovery point and copy back the missing file.
Azure VM File Recovery (part of Azure Backup) allows you to mount a recovery point as a drive on a running VM, browse the file system, and copy specific files back without restoring the entire VM or disks. This is the only option that recovers a single deleted configuration file without replacing or rebuilding the VM.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a new VM from the recovery point so the deleted file returns with a clean operating system.
Why it's wrong here
Creating a new VM from the recovery point spins up a full copy of the VM's OS and data disks, not a clean OS, and does nothing to place the missing file back onto the original VM. You would still need to copy the file from the new VM to the original, then delete or deallocate the new VM, consuming time, compute, and possible IP/storage conflicts. This is far more disruptive than File Recovery and is unnecessary for a single file.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question required recovering a VM that is completely corrupted or non-functional, and the administrator needs to restore the entire VM from a backup point, accepting replacement of the original VM.
- ✗
Restore disks and manually rebuild the VM afterward.
Why it's wrong here
Restoring disks creates a parallel set of managed disks from the recovery point, after which you must manually create/attach a temporary VM, configure networking, and then copy out the file. That process is operationally heavy and error-prone compared with directly mounting the recovery point as a drive. While it can retrieve the file, it adds unnecessary infrastructure and cleanup work for a one-file recovery.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question required recovering the entire VM or multiple system files, and the administrator needed to preserve the original VM's configuration or data without using the existing VM's disks directly, such as when the VM is corrupted and cannot boot.
- ✓
Use File Recovery to mount the recovery point and copy back the missing file.
Why this is correct
Azure Backup's File Recovery mounts the selected recovery point over iSCSI to a temporary location without touching the live production VM. The administrator can copy the missing file from that mounted point directly back to the original VM, then unmount the iSCSI target. This preserves all current VM state and incurs no downtime, making it the correct granular recovery method.
- ✗
Replace the existing VM immediately to recover only one file.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the existing VM immediately is a full-machine recovery action, not a file-level one. It would require stopping or deleting the original VM and would overwrite any changes made since the last backup, possibly destroying current data. A single missing file does not justify this level of disruption, and File Recovery avoids touching the VM entirely.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a scenario where the VM is completely corrupted or compromised, and the goal is to restore the entire VM to a known good state from a backup, accepting downtime and data loss as trade-offs for a clean recovery.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The AZ-104 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Use File Recovery to mount the recovery point and copy back the missing file.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Azure Backup's File Recovery mounts the selected recovery point over iSCSI to a temporary location without touching the live production VM. The administrator can copy the missing file from that mounted point directly back to the original VM, then unmount the iSCSI target. This preserves all current VM state and incurs no downtime, making it the correct granular recovery method.
✗Create a new VM from the recovery point so the deleted file returns with a clean operating system.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Creating a new VM from the recovery point replaces the existing VM, which contradicts the requirement to not replace the VM. The goal is to recover a single file without affecting the running VM.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question required recovering a VM that is completely corrupted or non-functional, and the administrator needs to restore the entire VM from a backup point, accepting replacement of the original VM.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that creating a new VM from a recovery point is a straightforward way to restore files, overlooking the requirement to avoid replacing the existing VM.
✗Restore disks and manually rebuild the VM afterward.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Restoring disks and manually rebuilding the VM is more complex and time-consuming than necessary for recovering a single file; it requires recreating the VM from the restored disks, which is not needed when only one file is missing.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question required recovering the entire VM or multiple system files, and the administrator needed to preserve the original VM's configuration or data without using the existing VM's disks directly, such as when the VM is corrupted and cannot boot.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that restoring disks is the only way to access files from a backup, not realizing that Azure Backup's File Recovery allows mounting the recovery point directly to the existing VM for file-level restore.
✗Replace the existing VM immediately to recover only one file.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Replacing the existing VM is an extreme measure that would cause downtime and potential data loss, and it is not necessary for recovering a single file when Azure Backup's File Recovery can mount the recovery point and copy the file without replacing the VM.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a scenario where the VM is completely corrupted or compromised, and the goal is to restore the entire VM to a known good state from a backup, accepting downtime and data loss as trade-offs for a clean recovery.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that replacing the VM is the only way to restore files from a backup, or they may underestimate the capabilities of Azure Backup's File Recovery feature, leading them to choose a more drastic but familiar restore method.
Analysis generated from the official AZ-104blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-104 exam.