VMware Cloud Community
indianmale
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

God knows ESXi Server..........I need my files back............ help please.............

Hi there..... Iam having a laptop with windows xp pro installed on it and have very important files on it.......... Earlier I used VMware Server 2.0.1.........and somebody suggested that ESXi server would be better......

Iam newbie and I dont know much about that........... I gone with the installation manual......... everthing fine...........So today I tried out the "VMware ESXi 3i update 4" (VMware ESX Server 3i U4 Installable Refresh) on my windows host......... But it stoped over a screen that appears " Download tools to manage this host from : http:// 192.168.1.2/DHCP "........Beyond that I cant go any further.........( in the manual it says to use VMware Infrastructure Management Installer CD‐ROM.........But i cant find it out ) ..... So I thought to leave that installation and boot to my windows OS but I cant...............Oh my god.........I tried many reboots from my windows xp cd but i cant........... I just tried ubuntu but I cant find my files on files system.........it s just showing hypervisor1, hypervisior2, hypervisor3 etc........

Is there any way that i can access windows files .......? please help me.........!file:///tmp/moz-screenshot.jpg!

Reply
0 Kudos
1 Solution

Accepted Solutions
Dave_Mishchenko
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Hello indianmale, since you question has been answered I've locked this thread.

View solution in original post

Reply
0 Kudos
27 Replies
Lightbulb
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
Jump to solution

If in fact you have installed ESXi on your laptop then your orginal OS is gone. Vmware server is basically an application overlay that coexists with your running OS. ESXi is it's own OS and during the setup there should have been a warning to the effect that it was going to overwrite your hard disk.

Perhaps someone on this list will have some ideas of how to recover your system

Reply
0 Kudos
weinstein5
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

When you say you tried out ESXi - did you install ESXi by booting your systen to the ESXi cd? If you did it that way than I am sorry to say you windows data is gone - ESXi, unlike VMware Server and Workstation does not install ontop of another operating system like windows but installs direclty on the hardware. During the installation when you create the the install partitions you are warned that data will be destroyed.

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful
Reply
0 Kudos
wila
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Hi,

Sorry to say your files are gone, you've wiped them by installing ESXi over your current windows installation.

Windows XP isn't on there anymore as ESXi does not install itself next to existing operating systems.

Only data recovery specialists might be able to get some data out of your disk, I wouldn't count on it if i was you.



--

Wil

_____________________________________________________

Visit the VMware developers wiki at http://www.vi-toolkit.com

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
runclear
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

sorry, but I "lol'ed" at this post this morning...

-


www.virtualpimpin.com

-------------------- What the f* is the cloud?!
indianmale
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Thanks for your precious responses................ Oh my god........... it s a really bad news for me...................

Reply
0 Kudos
runclear
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

what line of work are you in? im assuming you are in IT? .. When you run the ESXi installer or any OS install for that matter it clearly states that its going to remove/delete all data on the disk?

Instead of clicking next, next, next.... try reading exactly what your doing to avoid things exactly like this from happening.

-


www.virtualpimpin.com

-------------------- What the f* is the cloud?!
Reply
0 Kudos
TomHowarth
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

Although it may be nice and make you feel good, laughing at somebody elses misfortune is neither big nor funny. instead of critising offer some constructive comment or do not comment at all.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author for the upcoming book "VMware Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment”.

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
Reply
0 Kudos
Lightbulb
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
Jump to solution

Amen

I do not not know a single tech person who has been in the game for a while that has not done something regrettable, and viewed from 20/20 hindsight was completely avoidable. It happens to everyone and you just have to learn from it.

First time I installed Linux on my old Packard Bell Windows 95 system (which was not old at the time) I was quite surprised at the end of the process to be staring at a root prompt and slowly realizing all my data on the windows box was gone.

In the next couple of days I learned a lot and all in all it was not as bad as it seemed at the time.

Reply
0 Kudos
espi3030
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

Thank you Tom. I would also like to echo lightbulbs thoughts on this, if you have not made mistakes in the past... You have not learned anything!

Hope this helps! (some of you out there)

Reply
0 Kudos
runclear
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

We have all made mistakes in the game... just part of it... I have made some pretty funny mistakes myself..

-


www.virtualpimpin.com

-------------------- What the f* is the cloud?!
Reply
0 Kudos
indianmale
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Well.....I reinstalled the XP O/S in my system...... any way Iam pretty sure that I gone through the guide."Getting Started With ESXi Server 3i Installable"..... But It didn't mention anyware that it going to format the current OS............

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Hi there..... Iam having a laptop with windows xp pro installed on it and have very important files on it.......... Earlier I used VMware Server 2.0.1.........and somebody suggested that ESXi server would be better......

Wow this is like one...big.....run.......on......sentence.......:)

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Well.....I reinstalled the XP O/S in my system...... any way Iam pretty sure that I gone through the guide."Getting Started With ESXi Server 3i Installable"..... But It didn't mention anyware that it going to format the current OS............

You are kidding right? The part about 'deleting old partitions and installing new partitions' wasn't a clue? You SERIOUSLY can't be this dense...

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Although it may be nice and make you feel good, laughing at somebody elses misfortune is neither big nor funny. instead of critising offer some constructive comment or do not comment at all.

OK, I will stick my neck out. I appreciate the sentiment of 'everyone has to start someplace, and we weren't born expets' however.. ESX is a completely different level of OS. There are instructions that need to be followed. So the part about clicking next and NOT reading the instructions certainly isn't taking a jab at this guy. That's clearly NOT following instructions. If you READ them, they will tell you EXACTLY what will occur.

So how does telling someong to read what they are doing BEFORE they proceed in any way shape or form "laughing at somebody elses misfortune is neither big nor funny." ?

It's not. He obviously didn't take the time to UNDERSTAND how to use this product. That is basic TECH stuff, not even advanced stuff.

So reading is fundamental. That's the FIRST part to do ANYTHING in life. READ before you attempt any thing. If you don't understand it, read it again or ask someone to help BEFORE you make any mistakes. I don't see how this is making fun of him.

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

First time I installed Linux on my old Packard Bell Windows 95 system (which was not old at the time) I was quite surprised at the end of the process to be staring at a root prompt and slowly realizing all my data on the windows box was gone.

Lightbulb you are a bright guy (no pun). I know you are smart, but this falls under the heading of 'haste makes waste'. I will bet you any amount of money, that you didn't READ before you took action. That's the impetuous nature of youth. I will bet you that you just clicked and didn't stop to understand what it was you were doing. Yes it was a mistake, but I have seen just about every early version of Linux and NONE of them proceed to ANY action without a confirmation of "ARE YOU SURE you want to do this, the following actions will DELEETE your data".

I am sorry, but you can't point me to any OS that doesn't ask you to confirm these steps. No OS asks you to install then just proceeds without NUMEROUS confirmations and warnings. I just don't believe it. You still have to follow instructions, if you don't THEN mistakes happen. That's a given.

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Thanks for your precious responses................ Oh my god........... it s a really bad news for me...................

OK, and just to pour more salt on the wound.. Backup. How many years have you been working with computers? how many magazines do you read about tech stuff? How many forums are you in? And never occurred to you make a backup of your data? With all the news about virus, malware, protection, security... and flash drives, you NEVER saw anything about backing up your data?

I find that VERY hard to believe. You want sympathy, but I am sorry, I just don't believe you didn't know, because just like the law 'ignorance is no excuse'. Other people may be forgiving, but I hardly see where this is an OS issue, there are warnings, there are confirmation steps, and there are instructions. Personally I think you looked at the isntructions after you realized what you did. your first mistake was you should have done it before.

Just curious, what prompted you to install ESX in the first place? You didn't post reasons for wanting to install ESX. Obviously you wanted to know something about virtualization, so that tells me that you have SOME semblance of basic tech skills, because my mother uses a computer too, but she wouldn't be curious about virtualization unless she was somewhat tech saavy.

I am not buying the whole 'innocence' thing. Sorry.

Reply
0 Kudos
RParker
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Thank you Tom. I would also like to echo lightbulbs thoughts on this, if you have not made mistakes in the past... You have not learned anything!

If you crashed your mother's car by accident, that's a mistake. If you were drunk while doing it, that was stupid. If you accidentally pressed the wrong button which caused his data to disappear, fine. But there is no 'magic' button you can press to delete data. You have to try VERY hard to make a mistake like this, especially since you have to take 10 steps to do it.

You can act like this was an 'oops', but in reality he didn't follow instructions. There is no OS on earth that does anything with one step or ask you to press a 'are you sure' confirmation. He learned a valuable lesson, but in all of this let's not forget, he made MANY mistakes, not just one. It was a plethora of a continuation of perpetual non-literal confirmation. He didn't read, that's not a mistake, that's just plain lack of preparation. Not to mention, there is a warning before you begin ESX, about backing up data....

Reply
0 Kudos
Lightbulb
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
Jump to solution

At the time I felt like an idiot because I had been one. I did not feel angry with the providers of the software. I had not bothered to be cautious so I got a lesson in the value of caution (and understanding what I am doing, before I do it.)

On the plus side once a had wiped my system and got it back I was a lot more comfortable doing it again.

At the same time I try to keep in my mind just how intimidating/mystifying everything used to seem to me long ago and cut a little slack to folks just dipping their toe in.

You have a point though, if you leave the straight and narrow world of the client OS and start hacking around you had best not care about the content of your test system or have good backups Smiley Happy

Reply
0 Kudos
espi3030
Expert
Expert
Jump to solution

I knew it was coming, as I have been follwoing all of your replies. I must thank you as well for taking it easy on me for being sympathetic for "indianmale", I completely understand what you are saying and it is the truth (not that you needed me to tell you). But that does not take away from the fact of what is done is done regardless of how he got there, and I'm sure he would rather have heard "We've all been there" instead of "it's your own fault" even if it was.

I have been in this game for a good bit (not too long) but long enough to know that sometimes the best way to learn is by trial and error even if you don't know what you are doing and unfortunately sometimes those lessons come at a high price. I bet he won't try something like this again with out taking better precautions next time.

Reply
0 Kudos