For forensic investigators, the integrity of the evidence is paramount. Mounting a file system generally alters metadata (such as "Last Accessed" timestamps).

In modern virtualized environments, VMFS serves as the backbone for storing virtual machine (VM) files. VMFS is designed for high-throughput concurrent access by multiple ESXi hosts. However, scenarios arise where an ESXi host is unavailable, a datastore must be decommissioned, or forensic analysis is required on raw storage. In these instances, administrators often turn to Windows 10 workstations as a platform for mounting and reading these volumes.

Windows 10 lacks native VMFS support, requiring third-party tools or nested virtualization to access data from VMware ESXi drives. Solutions include using open-source drivers for read-only access, dedicated recovery software for modern VMFS 5/6 versions, or running a virtualized ESXi host within Windows. For a detailed guide on accessing these partitions, visit Nakivo . Reddit +4 AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses Copy Creating a public link... You can now share this thread with others Good response Bad response 5 sites How I can mount an ESXi partitioned hard disk in Windows 10 ... Jul 16, 2018 —

Windows background services (like Defrag or Storage Optimizer) may attempt to "fix" the unknown drive.

To understand the complexities of mounting VMFS on Windows, one must understand the file system's unique characteristics: