AZ-104 Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources Practice Question
Exhibit
Recovery Services vault Backup item: vm-finance-01 Protection status: Protected Last successful backup: 04/26/2026 02:00 Requirement: A user deleted one Excel file from the Windows VM. The administrator must restore only that file and leave the rest of the VM unchanged.
Based on the exhibit, which restore option should the administrator choose?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'Recreate VM' (a full restore) with the more granular file-level recovery, assuming that any restore of a deleted file requires rebuilding the entire VM, when in fact Azure Backup provides a direct file recovery option.
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
✓
File recovery, because it restores individual files or folders from the VM backup.
File recovery is the correct option because the administrator needs to restore a specific deleted file from a VM backup without restoring the entire VM. Azure Backup's file-level recovery allows mounting the backup as a drive (via iSCSI) to browse and copy individual files or folders, which directly addresses the requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Recreate VM, because it restores the entire virtual machine from the backup point.
Why it's wrong here
Recreate VM is a full-restore operation that provisions an entirely new Azure virtual machine from the selected recovery point. It does not selectively return a single deleted Excel file to the existing VM, and it would require downtime plus reconfiguration of network, disk, and OS settings, far exceeding the scope of the needed recovery.
When this WOULD be correct
Option A would be correct if the question specified that the entire VM needs to be restored, such as after a VM deletion or corruption, and the goal is to recover the full virtual machine from a backup point.
- ✓
File recovery, because it restores individual files or folders from the VM backup.
Why this is correct
File recovery is the right choice when only specific files or folders must be restored from an Azure VM backup. The exhibit states that one Excel file was deleted and the rest of the VM should remain unchanged, which matches file-level recovery exactly.
- ✗
Backup policy, because it defines which files are included in the restore operation.
Why it's wrong here
A backup policy only governs when automatic backups are taken, how long recovery points are retained, and the backup frequency (e.g., daily/weekly). It does not define which files or folders are included in a restore operation, nor does it perform any restore; file-level recovery is an independent action initiated from the backup item after the policy has created recovery points.
When this WOULD be correct
An administrator needs to modify which files are included in future backups for a VM. The correct action would be to update the backup policy to include or exclude specific file paths or extensions.
- ✗
Recovery point, because it is the portal action used to mount a deleted file directly.
Why it's wrong here
A recovery point is a point-in-time snapshot of the entire VM's managed disks, not a portal action for restoring files. The file recovery workflow mounts that recovery point as an SMB share to copy the deleted file, but selecting a recovery point alone does not mount anything; you must run the File Recovery operation to expose and retrieve the needed data.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'Which component of Azure Backup should an administrator select to view available restore points for a VM?' In that case, 'Recovery point' would be correct as it refers to the list of backup snapshots or points from which you can restore.
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.
✓File recovery, because it restores individual files or folders from the VM backup.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
File recovery is the right choice when only specific files or folders must be restored from an Azure VM backup. The exhibit states that one Excel file was deleted and the rest of the VM should remain unchanged, which matches file-level recovery exactly.
✗Recreate VM, because it restores the entire virtual machine from the backup point.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question asks for restoring individual files or folders, not the entire VM. Option A describes recreating the entire VM, which is excessive and not the required restore action.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Option A would be correct if the question specified that the entire VM needs to be restored, such as after a VM deletion or corruption, and the goal is to recover the full virtual machine from a backup point.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'restore entire VM' with the general concept of backup restoration, not realizing the question specifically requires file-level recovery.
✗Backup policy, because it defines which files are included in the restore operation.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The question asks for a restore option, but 'Backup policy' is a configuration setting that defines backup schedules and retention, not a restore action. It does not perform any restoration of data.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An administrator needs to modify which files are included in future backups for a VM. The correct action would be to update the backup policy to include or exclude specific file paths or extensions.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse backup policy with restore options because policies can control backup content, leading them to think it also governs restore operations.
✗Recovery point, because it is the portal action used to mount a deleted file directly.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
In the context of restoring a deleted file from a VM backup, the 'Recovery point' is not an action; it is a point in time from which you restore. The correct action is 'File recovery', which allows mounting the backup to retrieve specific files.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'Which component of Azure Backup should an administrator select to view available restore points for a VM?' In that case, 'Recovery point' would be correct as it refers to the list of backup snapshots or points from which you can restore.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse the term 'Recovery point' with the restore action itself, thinking that selecting a recovery point directly performs the file restore, rather than understanding it is just a selection step before choosing a 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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Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on AZ-104
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. 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?
medium- A.Create a new VM from the recovery point so the deleted file returns with a clean operating system.
- B.Restore disks and manually rebuild the VM afterward.
- ✓ C.Use File Recovery to mount the recovery point and copy back the missing file.
- D.Replace the existing VM immediately to recover only one file.
Why C: 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.
Variation 2. Based on the exhibit, which restore option should the administrator use to recover only the deleted file while keeping the VM online?
easy- A.Restore the entire virtual machine to the latest recovery point.
- ✓ B.Use File Recovery from the Recovery Services vault.
- C.Redeploy the VM from the original image.
- D.Disable backup protection and then re-enable it.
Why B: Azure Backup's File Recovery feature allows you to mount a recovery point as a drive on the VM, enabling you to browse and restore individual files without affecting the running VM. This avoids the need to restore the entire VM or take it offline, which is essential for recovering only the deleted file while maintaining availability.
JA
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.