Understanding how data loss occurs is the first step toward recovery:
Since most ESXi hosts run on RAID configurations, a multi-drive failure or a faulty RAID controller can make the entire datastore unreadable.
Many IT administrators attempt to recover ESXi data using off-the-shelf software or in-house methods. Unfortunately, ESXi uses proprietary file systems (VMFS – Virtual Machine File System, versions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and now 7/8) that standard NTFS or ext4 recovery tools cannot read.