How to recover corrupt VMDK file or VMware?

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Today,  I am going to tell you the about the best and brisk ways to recover corrupt VMDK file. So that you are able to open the VMware files and can easily access the data stored within them in the form of VMDK data file.

If you are unable to start the Virtual Machine on your system then corrupt VMDK file may be the reason for that. During the VMDK corruption, the VMware Virtual Machine show errors or it does not opens at all.

VMDK file or VMware virtualization

By using VMware you can use a different operating system, without uninstalling the default os on your machine. This allows you to test, or check various applications on a virtually installed operating system with virtual hard disk drives.

Virtual Machines uses VMDK(virtual machine disk) to store data in a different virtual operating system like Virtual Workstation or VirtualBox. It is a virtual machine image file generated by VMware software.

vmdk file recovery

When VMDK file is missing and you try to open the virtual system then the below-listed errors might be visible on your computer screen.

  • “Unable to find the file”
  • “Failed to power on. A file not found”
  • “The system can not find the file specified”

Reasons for the corruption in VMDK files

  • Hardware or software failure: If any of the hardware parts of the system got damaged or any software suddenly stopped working and at that time if your VMDK files are opened on your system then chances of corruption are there.
  • Virus or malware attack: Sometimes our computer gets affected by malware or virus attack which is very harmful to the data stored in our system and sometimes this data is in the form of VMDK files.
  • Sudden power loss: VMDK files might also get damaged if there is a sudden system shutdown or if the system is shut down in a wrong way.
  • Human error: This includes the accidental deletion of VMDK files from the system or occurrence of an issue during making changes with VMDK files.

Some of the other reasons

  • The system not having the descriptor file.
  • The incorrect description section of the VMDK file.
  • Corruption in VMDK flat file.

Also read: How to fix virtual disk service error

Basic methods to recover corrupt VMDK file

If the corruption level is not so high with your VMDK fils then you can go for the basic or manual method for the VMDK recovery process.

Method 1: By creating a backup copy

VMDK file is made up of from two types of file. First is VMDK and second is *-flat.VMDK.

Here the (*) denotes the VM server name and the plain VMDK file is used as a pointer for the *-flat.VMDK.

Following steps will help you out to open a corrupt VMDK file

  • Generate a backup file of the original VMDK file.
  • After that create a copy of the pointer file by using different VMware.
  •  Make the required changes to the fields and save the modifications.
  •  Now boot the new virtual machine to repair the VMDK files.

Method 2: Using the command prompt(cmd)

This technique is also a good way of restoring the damaged VMDK data from the corrupted VMware. This technique includes the usage of the command prompt method. It requires some technical knowledge but if you are a novice then follow the below mentioned steps to do so.

  •  Type cmd in the search bar of the windows and click the cmd icon to start the command prompt.
  •  Search for the location of local installation of your VMware kit.
  • “vmware-vsdiskmanager.exe”-R” type this command in the cmd window.
  • Click the enter tab after typing the above-qualified path.

NOTE: The above discussed manual tricks can be used to recover corrupt VMDK file but they need you to be a technical person and the tough thing to do in these methods is that you have to get the Cylinders, Sectors, and Heads same accordingly to the size of *-flat.VMDK file. So, you can go for the easiest method to get back your important VMDK data i.e by using the third party recovery tool.

Method 3: Using an expert tool

An easy and simple solution is here. For all the users of VMDK files who are fed up by using the lengthy manual tricks to resolve their VMDK file issues. The VMDK recovery software is all you need to get rid of all the problems related to your VMDK files or VMware.

Download Now

Software specifications:

  • Easy to use without prior tech knowledge.
  • Recovers all type of data from the corrupt vmdk file.
  • Support for various files of different os namely FAT, FAT16, FAT32, FAT64, NTFS, HSF+, and EXTX.
  • Support raw recovery mode for the efficient recovery process.

Bottom line

I hope now you have completely come to know about the VMDK file and able to understand the process of VMDK recovery. So, just go through this post for the easiest trick to save your valuable time and roll back your important data from damaged VMware files.

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