- A
Detach the disk, shrink it, and reattach it to refresh the filesystem.
Why wrong: Shrinking the disk is not the solution, and detaching it is unnecessary when the goal is simply to use newly allocated capacity. The issue is inside the guest OS, not with Azure disk allocation.
- B
Expand the partition or volume inside the guest operating system.
After Azure grows the managed disk, the operating system still needs to recognize and consume that extra space. Expanding the partition or volume inside the guest OS is the required next step so the application can use the larger capacity.
- C
Convert the data disk to a shared disk so Windows can auto-detect the size increase.
Why wrong: Shared disks are for specific clustering scenarios and do not automatically solve a filesystem expansion problem. The disk type does not change the need to expand the volume in the operating system.
- D
Redeploy the virtual machine to apply the new disk size.
Why wrong: Redeploying is unnecessary and disruptive. The Azure disk has already been resized, so the remaining task is to expand the partition or filesystem inside the VM.
AZ-104 Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of deploy and manage azure compute. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An administrator has already increased the size of a managed data disk attached to a running Windows VM. Azure now shows the larger disk size, but the application still cannot use the new capacity. What should the administrator do next?
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
Expand the partition or volume inside the guest operating system.
When a managed data disk attached to a running Windows VM is resized in Azure, the underlying virtual hard disk (VHD) expands, but the guest operating system does not automatically recognize the new unallocated space. The administrator must use the Disk Management tool (diskmgmt.msc) or the diskpart command to extend the volume or partition into the unallocated space. This is a standard operating system task, not an Azure control-plane action.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Detach the disk, shrink it, and reattach it to refresh the filesystem.
Why it's wrong here
Shrinking the disk is not the solution, and detaching it is unnecessary when the goal is simply to use newly allocated capacity. The issue is inside the guest OS, not with Azure disk allocation.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question stated that the disk was over-provisioned and needed to be reduced to save costs, or if the disk was corrupted and needed to be reinitialized after shrinking to a smaller size, then detaching, shrinking, and reattaching might be part of the process.
- ✓
Expand the partition or volume inside the guest operating system.
Why this is correct
After Azure grows the managed disk, the operating system still needs to recognize and consume that extra space. Expanding the partition or volume inside the guest OS is the required next step so the application can use the larger capacity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Convert the data disk to a shared disk so Windows can auto-detect the size increase.
Why it's wrong here
Shared disks are for specific clustering scenarios and do not automatically solve a filesystem expansion problem. The disk type does not change the need to expand the volume in the operating system.
When this WOULD be correct
When you need to attach the same managed disk to multiple VMs for clustered applications (e.g., SQL Server FCI, Scale-out File Server). In that scenario, enabling shared disk allows concurrent read/write from multiple VMs.
- ✗
Redeploy the virtual machine to apply the new disk size.
Why it's wrong here
Redeploying is unnecessary and disruptive. The Azure disk has already been resized, so the remaining task is to expand the partition or filesystem inside the VM.
When this WOULD be correct
If a VM is experiencing hardware-level issues (e.g., host failure, connectivity problems) and you need to restore it to a healthy host, redeploying is the correct action.
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.
✓Expand the partition or volume inside the guest operating system.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
After Azure grows the managed disk, the operating system still needs to recognize and consume that extra space. Expanding the partition or volume inside the guest OS is the required next step so the application can use the larger capacity.
✗Detach the disk, shrink it, and reattach it to refresh the filesystem.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Shrinking the disk would reduce capacity, not help the OS recognize the increased size. The filesystem refresh is not achieved by detaching and shrinking; the OS must extend the partition to use the new space.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question stated that the disk was over-provisioned and needed to be reduced to save costs, or if the disk was corrupted and needed to be reinitialized after shrinking to a smaller size, then detaching, shrinking, and reattaching might be part of the process.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that detaching and reattaching forces the OS to re-scan the disk and recognize the new size, similar to how a reboot can refresh hardware detection, but this is not the case for partition size changes.
✗Convert the data disk to a shared disk so Windows can auto-detect the size increase.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Converting a data disk to a shared disk does not cause Windows to auto-detect a size increase; shared disks are for multi-VM access, not for resizing. The guest OS still requires manual partition expansion.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When you need to attach the same managed disk to multiple VMs for clustered applications (e.g., SQL Server FCI, Scale-out File Server). In that scenario, enabling shared disk allows concurrent read/write from multiple VMs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think 'shared' implies automatic synchronization or detection of changes, or they confuse the disk sharing feature with automatic resizing capabilities.
✗Redeploy the virtual machine to apply the new disk size.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Redeploying a VM moves it to a new host but does not resize or refresh the disk partition inside the guest OS; the OS still sees the old partition size.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If a VM is experiencing hardware-level issues (e.g., host failure, connectivity problems) and you need to restore it to a healthy host, redeploying is the correct action.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think redeploying refreshes all VM resources, similar to rebooting, and assume it will apply the new disk size automatically.
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?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume Azure automatically applies the size change to the guest OS, when in fact the administrator must manually extend the partition inside the operating system using disk management tools.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Shared disks are for specific clustering scenarios and do not automatically solve a filesystem expansion problem. The disk type does not change the need to expand the volume in the operating system.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Azure expands the underlying page blob or managed disk at the storage layer, but the Windows guest sees the disk as a SCSI device with a fixed partition table. The administrator must use diskpart's 'extend' command or the Disk Management GUI to merge the unallocated space into the existing volume. In real-world scenarios, if the disk is the system drive (C:), extending the partition may require a reboot or use of third-party tools, but for data disks, the extension is online and non-disruptive.
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.
TExam Day Tips
- 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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-104 question test?
Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — This question tests Deploy and Manage Azure Compute — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Expand the partition or volume inside the guest operating system. — When a managed data disk attached to a running Windows VM is resized in Azure, the underlying virtual hard disk (VHD) expands, but the guest operating system does not automatically recognize the new unallocated space. The administrator must use the Disk Management tool (diskmgmt.msc) or the diskpart command to extend the volume or partition into the unallocated space. This is a standard operating system task, not an Azure control-plane action.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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