Missing .vmdk file

[dankgus]

I am trying to troubleshoot/fix this problem for a friend. I have no prior VMWare experience.

We are using a Macbook Air running OS10.9.5 and VMWare Fusion 5.0.5

I have a Virtual Machine running Windows 7 that refuses to start.  The macbook was shutdown before a plane ride, and when it was powered back up the problem started.

Here is the error we get when attempting to run the Windows 7 virtual machine:

When I click browse, here is what I am seeing:

I find it interesting that the Windows 7 x64.vmwarevm file is so tiny, is this normal or indicative of a major problem?

Can anybody help me figure out what is going on here?  There is some important data inside the Windows 7 Virtual Machine and we would REALLY like to get it back.

THANKS!

--Dan

[WoodyZ]

If this was a default creation of a Virtual Machine then the .vmdk files would reside inside the Virtual Machine's Package and so based on the error and the picture you show of the packages content the virtual hard disk is missing and unless you have a proper backup of the Virtual Machine Package or can locate the missing files then essentially you'll need to create a new Virtual Machine and reinstall Windows.

You can use app's like Disk Inventory X or GrandPerspective to try and locate visually the missing files as they tend to be larger then most and usually stand out in graphical representation.

Otherwise need to see the vmware.log file to see if the virtual hard disk was stored elsewhere, although I doubt it as the error would have contained the path.  If you choose to provide it then attach it as a file, do not copy and paste its content in the body of a reply!

[dankgus]

Thank you for the input!

This may sound like a ridiculous question but where is the vmware.log file located?  This morning while troubleshooting I looked up and down for that file but could not find it anywhere!

THANKS!

--Dan

[WoodyZ]

The vmware.log files normally resides within the Virtual Machine's Package however I see now in the picture it does not exist so it's a mute issue.  If you do not have a proper backup or cannot find the missing .vmdk files elsewhere on the Host then you're at square one, time to build a new Virtual Machine and install Windows.

[dankgus]

I wonder why this would happen all of a sudden?

THANKS!

--Dan

[a_p_]

What's unusual in this case is that the error message complains about a data file named "Virtual Machine-s001.vmdk". The VM's configuration (.vmx) file usually contains the name of a .vmdk header/descriptor file (e.g. "Virtual Machine.vmdk") in which the names for the required data files can be found. I wonder where Fusion gets this file name from, since there isn't a .vmdk file present in the VM's folder. Please take a look at the VM's .vmx file (or attach it to a reply post) to find out whether the .vmdk files are located in another folder.

André