This guide explores the mechanisms of VMFS storage and provides step-by-step procedures to recover a lost VMFS partition while minimizing the risk of permanent data loss.
If data is critical and you have no backups, do not write new data to the disk. Any write operation could overwrite the metadata required for recovery. recovery vmfs partition
If partedUtil is too risky or the partition layout is unknown, boot the server from a rescue ISO (like GParted Live or SystemRescueCd). This guide explores the mechanisms of VMFS storage
| Tool | Platform | Best For | |------|----------|----------| | (Linux) | Open-source | Scanning, mounting, recovering deleted files. | | R-Studio for VMFS | Windows / Linux / macOS | Partition table reconstruction, deep scan, remote network recovery. | | UFS Explorer Professional | Cross-platform | Complex metadata rebuild, RAID/LVM + VMFS scenarios. | | StarWind V2V Converter (with recovery features) | Windows | Extracting data from partially damaged VMFS. | | ESXi Recovery Mode ( vmfs-fsck , voma ) | Built-in | Repair heartbeat and minor FS inconsistencies. | If partedUtil is too risky or the partition