Features specialized modules for virtual drive extraction.
By following these methods and best practices, you can increase the chances of recovering your deleted VMDK files and preventing future data loss.
Find the line referencing temp-flat.vmdk and change it to point to your actual data file: original_name-flat.vmdk recover vmdk deleted
vmkfstools -c [exact_size_in_bytes] -d thin -a [controller_type] temp.vmdk Use code with caution. Example for a 40GB LSI Logic disk: vmkfstools -c 42949672960 -d thin -a lsilogic temp.vmdk Use code with caution. Step 4: Modify the Descriptor File
: If your physical storage array (SAN/NAS) has its own snapshotting enabled, you can often restore the volume or LUN to a point in time before the deletion. 2. Reconstruct the Descriptor File Features specialized modules for virtual drive extraction
There are several methods to recover deleted VMDK files:
Launch your chosen recovery tool and run a deep scan on the unallocated storage space. Example for a 40GB LSI Logic disk: vmkfstools
Here’s a proper technical write-up for the scenario (useful for knowledge base articles, incident reports, or forensic documentation).
: If possible, take a bitwise clone or forensic snapshot of the entire VMFS volume before attempting any recovery tools. Recovery Methods 1. Restore from Backups or Snapshots
Access the ESXi host via SSH using an SSH client like PuTTY.