Hi,
If you are aware that you are better of using a split file scheme then why insist on a single disk file?
You found yet another reason why you shouldn't use that virtual disk format on VMware Workstation. Yes a single monolithic virtual disk makes sense on a platform such as VMware vSphere, here just not so much.
The split file virtual disk is really the best choice even while it may seem a bit illogical at first.
With split files you:
- get a better response, faster results when doing any VMware disk operation such as snapshots, shrink, compact, extend and defragment.
- have less chance of getting into a "all data lost" scenario when something bad happens such as running out of disk space as the split file disk scenario is much easier to repair than a growing single disk.
- don't need to have the full virtual disk size on free disk space when committing snapshots
- easier to take backups
There seems to be a notion of "but it will be less performant", but in practice that is just not true.
My recommendation is to not try to consolidate a virtual disk into a single disk file, you are not doing yourself a favor by doing so.
No that does not answer your specific question.
--
Wil
