Recover Deleted Vmdk From Datastore ^hot^ Guide

Shut down the host or disconnect the datastore immediately. Continued operations on that volume will overwrite the sectors where the "deleted" VMDK resides, making recovery impossible. 1. Reconstructing a Missing Descriptor File

The most critical step in data recovery is preventing data overwrites.

When VMFS journal recovery fails, use specialized tools (trial versions can scan for free): recover deleted vmdk from datastore

: As soon as you realize a VMDK file has been deleted, halt all operations on the affected datastore to minimize the chance of overwriting data.

Avoid creating new snapshots, virtual machines, or uploading ISOs to that specific datastore. Method 1: Recover via SSH (The Header Trick) Shut down the host or disconnect the datastore immediately

: Determine the name and location of the deleted VMDK to streamline the recovery process.

If the entire file (both descriptor and flat) was truly deleted, you must look at the VMFS metadata. This usually requires specialized recovery software or professional services. Reconstructing a Missing Descriptor File The most critical

Use vmkfstools -c [SIZE] -a [CONTROLLER_TYPE] -d thin temp.vmdk to generate a new descriptor.