Snapshot files filling physical disk - VM says no snapshots

[TaupoICTMan]

VM Workstation 6.5.1 build-126130.

Primary virtual HDD - 160 GB (pre-allocated)

Have the usual flat.vmdk file and also 8 files 00000n.vmdk (1 <= n <= 😎

Can't see them in Snapshot Manager, can't run the virtual machine, error says "the specified virtual disk needs repair", pointing to the 000008.vmdk file.

But the previous files have filled the hard drive - using about 400 GB.

Any way out of this, please? Have backup but older than I would like.

TIA,

Dave C

[continuum]

Do not touch that VM again - do not try to start it.

post a filelisting like you get with

dir . > filelist.txt

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[TaupoICTMan]

Directory of D:\Virtual_Machines\Win32

27/03/2009 13:53 <DIR> .

27/03/2009 13:53 <DIR> ..

27/03/2009 07:49 1,073,741,824 564dd603-4692-bf62-1038-b95a2bbeac69.vmem

27/03/2009 07:49 <DIR> 564dd603-4692-bf62-1038-b95a2bbeac69.vmem.lck

12/01/2009 10:34 <DIR> ACE Resources

12/01/2009 10:34 431 ace.dat

12/01/2009 10:34 769 aceMaster.dat

12/01/2009 10:34 1,416 host.vmpl

26/03/2009 15:02 62,701 vmware-0.log

26/03/2009 08:40 458,752 vmware-1.log

23/03/2009 16:53 2,863,510 vmware-2.log

27/03/2009 08:15 32,216 vmware-vmx-380.dmp

26/03/2009 08:40 32 vmware-vmx-4312.dmp

27/03/2009 08:15 140,606 vmware.log

27/03/2009 11:52 128,844,169,216 Windows XP Professional-000001.vmdk

27/03/2009 11:52 136,825,929,728 Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk

27/03/2009 11:52 12,501,712,896 Windows XP Professional-000003.vmdk

27/03/2009 11:52 3,943,366,656 Windows XP Professional-000004.vmdk

27/03/2009 11:52 5,876,613,120 Windows XP Professional-000005.vmdk

27/03/2009 11:52 108,003,590,144 Windows XP Professional-000006.vmdk

27/03/2009 08:29 795,607,040 Windows XP Professional-000007.vmdk

27/03/2009 13:10 21,037,056 Windows XP Professional-000008.vmdk

27/03/2009 08:15 85,899,345,920 Windows XP Professional-D_Drive-flat.vmdk

27/03/2009 07:50 401 Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk

27/03/2009 07:49 <DIR> Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk.lck

30/12/2008 15:17 171,798,691,840 Windows XP Professional-flat.vmdk

27/03/2009 08:15 8,684 Windows XP Professional.nvram

30/12/2008 15:17 363 Windows XP Professional.vmdk

12/01/2009 10:34 9,153 Windows XP Professional.vmpl

27/03/2009 11:52 3,205 Windows XP Professional.vmsd

27/03/2009 11:51 1,945 Windows XP Professional.vmx

14/12/2007 15:52 278 Windows XP Professional.vmxf

27 File(s) 655,587,389,902 bytes

5 Dir(s) 7,674,257,408 bytes free

[continuum]

please also post the file

Windows XP Professional.vmx

is this a ACE-VM ?

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[TaupoICTMan]

Hi, very grateful for your help.

It is not an ACE VM but the install has the ACE option.

File content as requested:

-

---

.encoding = "windows-1252"

config.version = "8"

virtualHW.version = "6"

scsi0.present = "TRUE"

memsize = "1024"

ide0:0.present = "TRUE"

ide0:0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000008.vmdk"

ide1:0.present = "TRUE"

ide1:0.fileName = "auto detect"

ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-raw"

floppy0.autodetect = "TRUE"

ethernet0.present = "TRUE"

ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"

usb.present = "TRUE"

ehci.present = "TRUE"

sound.present = "TRUE"

sound.fileName = "-1"

sound.autodetect = "TRUE"

svga.autodetect = "TRUE"

pciBridge0.present = "TRUE"

mks.keyboardFilter = "allow"

displayName = "XPPro390"

guestOS = "winxppro"

nvram = "Windows XP Professional.nvram"

deploymentPlatform = "windows"

virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"

tools.upgrade.policy = "upgradeAtPowerCycle"

ide1:0.autodetect = "TRUE"

floppy0.fileName = ""

extendedConfigFile = "Windows XP Professional.vmxf"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"

uuid.location = "56 4d d6 03 46 92 bf 62-10 38 b9 5a 2b be ac 69"

uuid.bios = "56 4d d6 03 46 92 bf 62-10 38 b9 5a 2b be ac 69"

ide0:0.redo = ""

pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = "17"

scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "16"

ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "32"

sound.pciSlotNumber = "33"

ehci.pciSlotNumber = "34"

ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:be:ac:69"

ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

floppy0.startConnected = "FALSE"

ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"

tools.syncTime = "TRUE"

isolation.tools.hgfs.disable = "FALSE"

ide0:1.present = "TRUE"

ide0:1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

ide0:1.mode = "independent-persistent"

ide0:1.redo = ""

checkpoint.vmState = ""

floppy0.fileType = "device"

floppy0.clientDevice = "FALSE"

ide1:0.exclusive = "TRUE"

policy.vm.mvmtid = "52 28 ac 88 99 75 96 3e-41 ea 67 75 1f 0c 10 f9"

policy.vm.managedVMTemplate = "FALSE"

policy.vm.managedVM = "FALSE"

vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "23789568"

gui.fullScreenAtPowerOn = "TRUE"

-

---

Cheers and thanks again,

Dave C

[continuum]

so you say that snapshot-manager does not display anything ?

then very likely your *.vmsd file is corrupt.

I would rename it to *.vmsd-org after you shutdown and exited the VM.

Then restart VMware - load that VM and create a new snapshot - without actually starting the VM.

Next delete that latest snapshot again.

Does the gui now display more ?

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[TaupoICTMan]

OK - tried that.

The delete snapshot in Snapshot Manager seems to be doing something then gives the error message:

Unable to clean up deleted files:

The specified virtual disk needs repair

which is where I got when this first started.

Tried it three times, not starting the VM, but got the same error each time.

Very frustrating.

Here's a copy of the vmsd when the problem began, retrieved from backup made at that time:

.encoding = "windows-1252"

snapshot.lastUID = "8"

snapshot.numSnapshots = "0"

snapshot.current = "0"

snapshot0.uid = "8"

snapshot0.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot0.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot0.description = ""

snapshot0.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot0.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot0.numDisks = "2"

snapshot0.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot0.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot0.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot0.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot0.disk1.mode = "1"

snapshot.mru0.uid = "8"

snapshot1.uid = "8"

snapshot1.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot1.parent = "3"

snapshot1.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot1.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot1.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot1.numDisks = "2"

snapshot1.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot1.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot1.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot1.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot1.disk1.mode = "1"

snapshot.mru1.uid = "7"

snapshot2.uid = "8"

snapshot2.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot2.parent = "4"

snapshot2.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot2.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot2.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot2.numDisks = "2"

snapshot2.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot2.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot2.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot2.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot2.disk1.mode = "1"

snapshot.mru2.uid = "6"

snapshot3.uid = "8"

snapshot3.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot3.parent = "5"

snapshot3.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot3.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot3.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot3.numDisks = "2"

snapshot3.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot3.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot3.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot3.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot3.disk1.mode = "1"

snapshot.mru3.uid = "5"

snapshot4.uid = "8"

snapshot4.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot4.parent = "6"

snapshot4.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot4.description = ""

snapshot4.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot4.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot4.numDisks = "2"

snapshot4.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot4.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot4.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot4.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot4.disk1.mode = "1"

snapshot.needConsolidate = "TRUE"

snapshot3.description = ""

snapshot2.description = ""

snapshot5.uid = "8"

snapshot5.filename = "Windows XP Professional-Snapshot8.vmsn"

snapshot5.parent = "7"

snapshot5.displayName = "Snapshot 6"

snapshot5.createTimeHigh = "288193"

snapshot5.createTimeLow = "913405872"

snapshot5.numDisks = "2"

snapshot5.disk0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk"

snapshot5.disk0.node = "ide0:0"

snapshot5.disk1.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-D_Drive.vmdk"

snapshot5.disk1.node = "ide0:1"

snapshot5.disk1.mode = "1"

[continuum]

please attach latest vmware.log from the same directory

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[TaupoICTMan]

File attached.

Interesting to note that it is dated 27 March.

I tried the last create / delete snapshot on 30 March.

Significant??

Cheers,

Dave C

[continuum]

What do you say to this ?

The file system where disk "D:\Virtual_Machines\Win32\Windows XP Professional-000007.vmdk" resides is full.

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters:

VMware-liveCD:

[TaupoICTMan]

That was the reason for my initial post - out of room.

I tried to recover some but only got about 7 GB (see directory listing, earlier post).

About to install bigger HDD - I'll image the VM physical HDD to the new one and try again.

The problem is that the number of vmdk files will continue to grow if we can't crack it.

Cheers.

[jokke]

You did not mention host OS. If it's 32-bit xp/2003 then download vdk and mount the vmdks with "vdk.exe open 0 Windows XP Professional-000008.vmdk". It may give you timestamp mismatch errors, but ignore them and mount it. If it refuses to mount number 8 try the next one. If you know what data is missing in the old backup you mentioned, then copy out this data and revert to the old backup.What kind of backup were you referring to?

Try moving the nvram and vmxf files into a subfolder and try reboot the vm.

What if changing Windows XP Professional-000008.vmdk with Windows XP Professional-000007.vmdk in the vmx?

Try moving all files except vmdk,vmx,vmsd,vmsn and vmem into the subfolder...?

Joakim

[TaupoICTMan]

Hi, Joakim.

Host is Vista Business 64-bit with 8GB RAM - 1GB for VM which is XP SP3.

Once I have my bigger HDD running, I'll try any and all possibilities.

Thanks.

Dave C

[jokke]

Once you have more disk space you can copy the vdk utility to the backup xpsp3 guest (if 32-bit) and run it from there. Access the troublesome vmdks over a network mapped drive or shared folder and do the procedure as described earlier.

This may seem like a lot of effort to put in it, but that's a decission you have to make by weighing up how much the data on the disks are worth to you and. Remember it does not take that long to reinstall a guest OS.

Joakim

[TaupoICTMan]

Hi, folks.

Got new, bigger HDD. Imaged full physical drive with moribund VM to it.

Working from the bigger disk, I created a snapshot which I was then able to delete without error.

Booted the VM and I'm in - working well (and quicker).

However, I still see the eleven vmdks updating time and date stamps in the directory and each has an lck folder.

So I'm not entirely out of the woods yet. I'm aiming to monitor the old snapshot files over several shut down / reboot cycles and delete them IF they become static - but I'll take a backup first!

Thanks for your time and assistance - much appreciated.

Dave C