VMDK Cannot Be Opened Directly For Writing: Resolved

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Many people out there use the virtual drive for testing their software and program. Some also use it to store their data like photos, videos, software programs, media files, etc on it. A lot of them face some issues while working in a virtual environment. One of the common issue that users encounter is VMDK cannot be opened directly for writing. So, in this article, I’ve tried to resolve this issue using some basic hacks. Without wasting time, let’s get started.

The virtual drive is a crucial component of the VMware environment. It can be used to use multiple OS on a single platform. You can use it for multiple reasons like for using multiple Os on a single machine without affecting the parent OS, for testing your code or software, etc. But when you get this error, it creates the situation inconvenience for you. So before moving towards the solution lets understand the reason for this blunder.

Why This Issue Comes in Existence?

There are multiple reasons responsible for this issue that I’ve listed below. These could be the reasons for your not working Virtual Machine:

  • Any malicious entity like malware, virus or trojan has attacked on your Virtual Machine.
  • Corruption in the System Files.
  • Write protection has been applied and making it impossible for writing data on it.
  • Improper configuration of the VMware.
  • The system is unable to locate the specific file.

Whatever the reason is for this blunder but what we need to do is to resolve this issue. So, let’s focus on its solution.

How to fix VMDK Cannot be Opened Directly For Writing Issue?

If you are having this issue then you can opt for the further recommendations:

  • Restart the system by closing the Virtual Machine environment.
  • Backup the data and re-install the VMware on your system. Check if the issue still persists.
  • Enable the multi-writer-flag on the host client. Follow the below steps to do so:
    1. Right-click on the VMDK file and select the Edit Settings.
    2. Now navigate to Options > Advanced > Edit Configuration and set the parameter to multi-writer.li>
  • Rename the VMDK file and restart the system.

If still the issue is not resolved then there is a possibility that your VMDK file is corrupt. Use the below method to recover VMDK data and remount it.

Perform VMDK Recovery

Losing your data can be chaotic so try to use the VMDK Recovery utility for safe and secure recovery. The utility performs the recovery in a manner that all the data remains the same and exact. It maintains the integrity of the VMDK data file and removes the corruption in no time. You can use this utility by following the below-mentioned steps:

  1. Download and launch the tool.How to solve issues in virtual disk.
  2. Select the disk type and VMDK file to recover.
  3. Now, choose the recovery mode and give the starting & ending sector to recover.
  4. Opt for the volume to reset and file system then click on the Next button.
  5. The tool will scan all the data and generate a preview of the data.
  6. Select the data to recover and click on the Save button.
  7. Soon all the data will get saved in a new VMDK file without any corruption.
  8. Replace this file with the original VMDk and reboot the system.

This will remove the blunder and your VMware or virtual machine will work as normal now.

Sum-Up

As the data stored in the Virtual Machine could be crucial. So, it’s important to remove the issue to make the probability of data loss zero. You can opt for the above methods if you face the issue VMDK Cannot be Opened Directly For Writing. I’ll recommend .

If you facing some other issues with your Virtual disk, read here: How to solve issues in Virtual disk.


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