VMWare Workstation Pro 15 Cannot power on VM - the file specified is not a virtual disk

[Howzit42]

Can anyone tell me why this vmdk is not seen as a virtual disk. I cannot see anything wrong with the vmx or the vmdk files.

All the sparse vmdk files are there and all have data in them. Was working OK around 2 years ago. I'm baffled.

GWindows 7 x64.vmx

.encoding = "windows-1252"

config.version = "8"

virtualHW.version = "16"

scsi0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsisas1068"

sata0.present = "TRUE"

memsize = "8192"

mem.hotadd = "TRUE"

scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:0.fileName = "GWindows 7 x64.vmdk"

sata0:1.present = "TRUE"

sata0:1.autodetect = "TRUE"

sata0:1.deviceType = "cdrom-image"

ethernet0.present = "TRUE"

ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"

usb.present = "TRUE"

ehci.present = "TRUE"

ehci.pciSlotNumber = "35"

sound.present = "TRUE"

sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"

sound.fileName = "-1"

sound.autodetect = "TRUE"

mks.enable3d = "TRUE"

svga.graphicsMemoryKB = "1048576"

serial0.present = "TRUE"

serial0.fileType = "thinprint"

pciBridge0.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge4.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge4.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge4.functions = "8"

pciBridge5.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge5.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge5.functions = "8"

pciBridge6.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge6.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge6.functions = "8"

pciBridge7.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge7.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge7.functions = "8"

vmci0.present = "TRUE"

hpet0.present = "TRUE"

usb.vbluetooth.startConnected = "TRUE"

displayName = "Windows 7 x64"

guestOS = "windows7-64"

nvram = "GWindows 7 x64.nvram"

virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"

powerType.powerOff = "soft"

powerType.powerOn = "soft"

powerType.suspend = "soft"

powerType.reset = "soft"

extendedConfigFile = "GWindows 7 x64.vmxf"

numa.autosize.vcpu.maxPerVirtualNode = "1"

numa.autosize.cookie = "10001"

uuid.bios = "56 4d 81 11 54 97 4d 36-7a 0c 3c cb 54 c3 84 9e"

uuid.location = "56 4d 81 11 54 97 4d 36-7a 0c 3c cb 54 c3 84 9e"

migrate.hostlog = ".\GWindows 7 x64-08cace5f.hlog"

scsi0:0.redo = ""

pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = "17"

pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = "21"

pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = "22"

pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = "23"

pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = "24"

scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "160"

usb.pciSlotNumber = "32"

ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "33"

sound.pciSlotNumber = "34"

vmci0.pciSlotNumber = "36"

sata0.pciSlotNumber = "37"

scsi0.sasWWID = "50 05 05 61 54 97 4d 30"

ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0C:29:C3:84:9E"

ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

vmci0.id = "-693282044"

monitor.phys_bits_used = "42"

vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "8388608"

vmotion.checkpointSVGAPrimarySize = "134217728"

cleanShutdown = "TRUE"

softPowerOff = "TRUE"

usb:1.speed = "2"

usb:1.present = "TRUE"

usb:1.deviceType = "hub"

usb:1.port = "1"

usb:1.parent = "-1"

usb.autoConnect.device0 = ""

sata0:1.fileName = "E:\Installs\Windows7\W7Pro64BitSP1Retail.iso"

tools.remindInstall = "FALSE"

sata0:1.startConnected = "TRUE"

tools.syncTime = "FALSE"

toolsInstallManager.updateCounter = "3"

toolsInstallManager.lastInstallError = "21009"

svga.guestBackedPrimaryAware = "TRUE"

gui.exitOnCLIHLT = "TRUE"

floppy0.present = "FALSE"

ethernet0.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"

usb:0.present = "TRUE"

usb:0.deviceType = "hid"

usb:0.port = "0"

usb:0.parent = "-1"

vmxnet3.serialNumberV2 = "FALSE"

GWindows 7 x64.vmdk

# Disk DescriptorFile

version=1

encoding="windows-1252"

CID=725e7ef2

parentCID=ffffffff

createType="twoGbMaxExtentSparse"

# Extent description

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s001.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s002.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s003.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s004.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s005.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s006.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s007.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s008.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s009.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s010.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s011.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s012.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s013.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s014.vmdk"

RW 8323072 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s015.vmdk"

RW 983040 SPARSE "GWindows 7 x64-s016.vmdk"

# The Disk Data Base

#DDB

ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"

ddb.geometry.cylinders = "7832"

ddb.geometry.heads = "255"

ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"

ddb.longContentID = "ec42fc638d73512d94cfd8c5725e7ef2"

ddb.toolsInstallType = "1"

ddb.toolsVersion = "10304"

ddb.uuid = "60 00 C2 95 7f e5 06 73-40 7d b7 e1 21 87 1e 8c"

ddb.virtualHWVersion = "12"

Directory of vmdk files

Directory: C:\vms\GWindows 7 x64

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name                                                                 

----                -------------         ------ ----                                                                 

-a----        4/27/2018   4:03 PM     4125556736 GWindows 7 x64-s001.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:05 PM     4258791424 GWindows 7 x64-s002.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:06 PM     3115843584 GWindows 7 x64-s003.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM      176816128 GWindows 7 x64-s004.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM      176160768 GWindows 7 x64-s005.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s006.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s007.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM     1827143680 GWindows 7 x64-s008.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM     2479685632 GWindows 7 x64-s009.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s010.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s011.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s012.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s013.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s014.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         524288 GWindows 7 x64-s015.vmdk                                             

-a----        4/27/2018   4:07 PM         131072 GWindows 7 x64-s016.vmdk                                             

-a----        6/13/2018  11:02 AM           1206 GWindows 7 x64.vmdk                                                  

[Alex_Romeo]

Hi,

In addition to the files you have published, which are useful, you can provide us with further information:

1- What extensions have the files in the virtual machine folder?

2- What is the procedure you have performed?

3- Have you tried to create a new virtual machine and then to hook the vmdk file of this Windows 7 virtual machine?

4- Have you tried to run the same version of Workstation that has worked in past years?

5- Have you tried with vCenter Converter to recreate the virtual machine directly on Workstation 15

Thank you.

ARomeo

[continuum]

Do you have an option to inspect the slices of the vmdk with a hexeditor ?

Maybe one of the slices does not have the expected magic number in the header ?

Do you store the vmdk in a compressed NTFS partition ?