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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Workstation cannot find file

I copied a VM from my archives, one that was operational some years ago. When I try to run it I get the message:

Unable to open file "F:\VMWare\SoftwareDev3_x64\Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1.vmdk": 

The system cannot find the file specified.

The files does exist but Workstation is not able to use it. I have searched here for a solution but so far have not found a way to start the VM.

 

 

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

This can be a confusing error at times.
If your VM has a virtual disk made up of disk slices then it will give this same error too if one of the slices is missing.
If the backup had snapshots then it might even be a file missing in the snapshot chain.

Usually it helps if you attach the vmware.log file to a reply here in order to find out exactly what file is missing.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you for trying to help.

The message box pops up immediately and the log file is never updated. The VM was last run over a year ago and the timestamp on vmware.log in the copy I am trying to run is the same as the one in the archive, in fact no files are touched according to the file date/times.

One more thing, the VM is a VMWare 12 machine. Is this a problem with VM 15 reading it?

 

Sid

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

Unless there is a file permission issue then VMware Workstation 15 should have no problem opening a VM from Workstation 12.
Can you attach a file list? ( eg. "dir /a *.* " from within the VM folder)

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Volume in drive F is SSD2
Volume Serial Number is 0AAC-B01C

Directory of F:\VMWare\SoftwareDev3_x64

11/11/2020 09:25 AM <DIR> .
11/11/2020 09:25 AM <DIR> ..
11/09/2020 03:36 PM <DIR> caches
11/11/2020 09:25 AM 0 files.txt
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 32,581 SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot7.vmsn
01/16/2016 01:03 PM 32,564 SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot8.vmsn
03/24/2016 09:35 AM 28,981 SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot9.vmsn
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 8,684 SoftwareDev3_x64.nvram
03/24/2016 09:35 AM 1,327 SoftwareDev3_x64.vmsd
03/06/2019 04:28 PM 3,567 SoftwareDev3_x64.vmx
08/28/2016 10:45 AM 375 SoftwareDev3_x64.vmxf
02/03/2019 04:47 PM 391,475 vmware-0.log
01/04/2019 04:26 PM 380,687 vmware-1.log
12/16/2018 05:40 PM 461,357 vmware-2.log
12/30/2015 11:37 AM 9,199,655 vmware-vmx-0.dmp
01/01/2016 11:29 AM 9,209,567 vmware-vmx.dmp
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 796,475 vmware.log
02/03/2019 04:47 PM 4,466 vprintproxy-0.log
01/04/2019 04:26 PM 4,463 vprintproxy-1.log
12/16/2018 05:40 PM 4,466 vprintproxy-2.log
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 4,466 vprintproxy.log
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 2,495,217,664 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s001.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 1,281,949,696 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s002.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 1,346,830,336 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s003.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 718,405,632 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s004.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 918,224,896 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s005.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 813,432,832 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s006.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 513,474,560 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s007.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 565,051,392 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s008.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 247,136,256 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s009.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 104,267,776 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s010.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 360,382,464 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s011.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 447,086,592 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s012.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 299,040,768 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s013.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 246,153,216 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s014.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 188,809,216 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s015.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 348,323,840 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s016.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 441,581,568 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s017.vmdk
01/14/2016 03:05 PM 211,746,816 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s018.vmdk
01/14/2016 03:05 PM 261,947,392 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s019.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 530,513,920 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s020.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 628,621,312 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s021.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 1,038,876,672 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s022.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 2,598,567,936 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s023.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 4,955,701,248 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s024.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 6,040,584,192 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s025.vmdk
01/16/2016 12:20 PM 5,842,403,328 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s026.vmdk
01/12/2016 05:59 PM 1,552,089,088 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s027.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s028.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s029.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s030.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s031.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001-s032.vmdk
01/16/2016 11:46 AM 2,271 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 2,205,417,472 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s001.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 151,977,984 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s003.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 354,877,440 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s004.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 483,196,928 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s005.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 362,217,472 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s006.vmdk
03/23/2016 05:51 PM 206,700,544 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s007.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 226,885,632 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s008.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 274,923,520 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s009.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 217,645,056 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s010.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 303,562,752 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s011.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 301,924,352 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s012.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 156,827,648 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s013.vmdk
03/23/2016 05:51 PM 94,306,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s014.vmdk
03/23/2016 05:51 PM 45,940,736 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s015.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 116,981,760 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s016.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 216,793,088 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s017.vmdk
03/23/2016 05:51 PM 135,331,840 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s018.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 123,863,040 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s019.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 223,936,512 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s020.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 285,081,600 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s021.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 539,230,208 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s022.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 1,211,760,640 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s023.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 2,940,928,000 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s024.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 5,716,836,352 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s025.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 5,826,805,760 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s026.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 6,040,584,192 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s027.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 6,040,584,192 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s028.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 2,657,419,264 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s029.vmdk
03/24/2016 09:34 AM 502,857,728 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s030.vmdk
01/16/2016 01:03 PM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s031.vmdk
01/16/2016 01:03 PM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s032.vmdk
03/24/2016 07:06 AM 2,305 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 2,234,122,240 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s001.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 862,060,544 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s002.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 116,588,544 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s003.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 285,409,280 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s004.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 376,242,176 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s005.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 330,629,120 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s006.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 159,318,016 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s007.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 179,568,640 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s008.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 242,679,808 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s009.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 176,226,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s010.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 200,540,160 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s011.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 247,595,008 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s012.vmdk
12/12/2018 04:05 PM 103,677,952 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s013.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 85,590,016 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s014.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 77,987,840 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s015.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 172,163,072 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s016.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 203,620,352 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s017.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 58,851,328 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s018.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 76,021,760 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s019.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 130,023,424 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s020.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 158,597,120 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s021.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 319,881,216 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s022.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 1,276,837,888 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s023.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 1,411,645,440 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s024.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 1,551,499,264 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s025.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 1,391,525,888 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s026.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 3,149,791,232 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s027.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 5,660,475,392 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s028.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 6,040,584,192 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s029.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 5,488,836,608 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s030.vmdk
03/06/2019 04:27 PM 1,707,606,016 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s031.vmdk
05/11/2016 05:54 PM 102,367,232 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003-s032.vmdk
03/06/2019 08:04 AM 2,305 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,235,853,824 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s001.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,233,953,280 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s002.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,244,766,720 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s003.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,231,593,984 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s004.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,246,208,512 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s006.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 3,552,575,488 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s007.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 2,829,058,048 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s008.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,251,189,248 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s009.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,248,567,808 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s010.vmdk
12/28/2015 05:50 PM 429,981,696 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s011.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,189,323,264 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s012.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,106,752 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s013.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,251,254,784 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s014.vmdk
12/23/2015 06:31 PM 4,235,591,680 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s015.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,094,623,744 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s016.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,246,470,656 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s017.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s018.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s019.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s020.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s021.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s022.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s023.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s024.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s025.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,252,499,968 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s026.vmdk
12/28/2015 05:50 PM 645,005,312 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s027.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,698,210,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s028.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,697,489,408 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s029.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,698,079,232 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s030.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,698,210,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s031.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,698,210,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s032.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,698,210,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s033.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,690,739,200 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s034.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 4,345,954,304 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s035.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 1,593,180,160 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s036.vmdk
12/23/2015 06:31 PM 35,717,120 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s037.vmdk
12/29/2015 11:28 AM 124,649,472 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s038.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s039.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s040.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s041.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s042.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s043.vmdk
12/12/2015 08:32 AM 786,432 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s044.vmdk
12/12/2015 06:15 PM 196,608 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s045.vmdk
12/29/2015 09:23 AM 2,878 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1.vmdk
161 File(s) 247,240,651,459 bytes
3 Dir(s) 1,394,755,940,352 bytes free

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

Quickly looking over your list of files makes me think you are missing 2 disk slice files.

 Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk
and
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s002.vmdk

The first one is in the base disk and the second one is in a snapshot.

Without those files you cannot open the VM.
You might be able put in dummy files, but I'm not the best person to help you with that.
You would need either Ulli or André to assist you with that.

Note that you would still have data corruption.

Please attach the .vmsd and the .vmx file to a reply to see what your best plan of action is from here.


--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for your help so far, it is much appreciated. I can't imagine how there are missing files as the archiving was done with a backup program that mirrors the "live" folders into the archive.

The .vmx file:

.encoding = "windows-1252"
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "12"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0.virtualDev = "lsisas1068"
memsize = "4096"
mem.hotadd = "TRUE"
scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0:0.fileName = "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003.vmdk"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "auto detect"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-raw"
floppy0.fileType = "device"
floppy0.fileName = ""
floppy0.clientDevice = "FALSE"
ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
ethernet0.addressType = "generated"
usb.present = "TRUE"
ehci.present = "TRUE"
sound.present = "TRUE"
sound.fileName = "-1"
sound.autodetect = "TRUE"
mks.enable3d = "FALSE"
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"
roamingVM.exitBehavior = "go"
displayName = "SoftwareDev3_x64"
guestOS = "windows7-64"
nvram = "SoftwareDev3_x64.nvram"
virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"
printers.enabled = "TRUE"
extendedConfigFile = "SoftwareDev3_x64.vmxf"
ide1:0.startConnected = "FALSE"
ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:82:95:de"
tools.syncTime = "FALSE"
uuid.location = "56 4d e1 7b cf 1a 3f 94-0c 87 39 fb de b6 27 82"
uuid.bios = "56 4d f7 4d 97 b3 34 43-92 a0 b6 b3 62 82 95 de"
cleanShutdown = "TRUE"
replay.supported = "FALSE"
replay.filename = ""
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"
ehci.pciSlotNumber = "35"
vmci0.pciSlotNumber = "36"
scsi0.sasWWID = "50 05 05 6d 97 b3 34 40"
vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "8388608"
usb:1.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"
vmci0.id = "-422347055"
usb:1.deviceType = "hub"
floppy0.autodetect = "TRUE"
ide1:0.autodetect = "TRUE"
checkpoint.vmState.readOnly = "FALSE"
checkpoint.vmState = ""
floppy0.startConnected = "FALSE"
usb.autoConnect.device0 = ""
usb:1.speed = "2"
tools.remindInstall = "FALSE"
numvcpus = "8"
cpuid.coresPerSocket = "8"
ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged"
usb.generic.autoconnect = "FALSE"
softPowerOff = "TRUE"
hpet0.present = "TRUE"
usb.vbluetooth.startConnected = "TRUE"
sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"
monitor.phys_bits_used = "42"
toolsInstallManager.updateCounter = "13"
migrate.hostlog = ".\Windows 7 Pro x64-43c41e03.hlog"
vc.uuid = ""
policy.vm.mvmtid = ""
usb.autoConnect.device1 = ""
usb.autoConnect.device2 = ""
usb.autoConnect.device3 = ""
gui.lastPoweredViewMode = "fullscreen"
numa.autosize.vcpu.maxPerVirtualNode = "8"
numa.autosize.cookie = "80001"
toolsInstallManager.lastInstallError = "0"
acpi.smbiosVersion2.7 = "FALSE"
acpi.mouseVMW0003 = "FALSE"
vmotion.checkpointSVGAPrimarySize = "33554432"
svga.guestBackedPrimaryAware = "TRUE"
usb.autoConnect.device4 = ""
annotation = "Do NOT use for JDB development, this is now done on SoftwareDev4.|0D|0A|0D|0AWINDOWS 7|0D|0A"
usb:0.present = "TRUE"
usb:0.deviceType = "hid"
usb:0.port = "0"
usb:0.parent = "-1"

The .vmsd file:

 

.encoding = "windows-1252"
snapshot.lastUID = "9"
snapshot.mru0.uid = "9"
snapshot.current = "9"
snapshot0.uid = "7"
snapshot0.filename = "SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot7.vmsn"
snapshot0.displayName = "1229_2015"
snapshot0.description = "Before trying AS 7"
snapshot0.createTimeHigh = "337933"
snapshot0.createTimeLow = "-1762793464"
snapshot0.numDisks = "1"
snapshot0.disk0.fileName = "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1.vmdk"
snapshot0.disk0.node = "scsi0:0"
snapshot.numSnapshots = "3"
snapshot1.uid = "8"
snapshot1.filename = "SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot8.vmsn"
snapshot1.parent = "7"
snapshot1.displayName = "0116_2015"
snapshot1.description = "Before cloning to hardware type 11"
snapshot1.createTimeHigh = "338297"
snapshot1.createTimeLow = "43137088"
snapshot1.numDisks = "1"
snapshot1.disk0.fileName = "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001.vmdk"
snapshot1.disk0.node = "scsi0:0"
snapshot.mru1.uid = "8"
snapshot2.uid = "9"
snapshot2.filename = "SoftwareDev3_x64-Snapshot9.vmsn"
snapshot2.parent = "8"
snapshot2.displayName = "0324_2016"
snapshot2.description = "Before VS 2015 installation"
snapshot2.createTimeHigh = "339662"
snapshot2.createTimeLow = "132479048"
snapshot2.numDisks = "1"
snapshot2.disk0.fileName = "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002.vmdk"
snapshot2.disk0.node = "scsi0:0"
snapshot.mru2.uid = "7"

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

Hi,

SidPrice said: "Thanks for your help so far, it is much appreciated. I can't imagine how there are missing files as the archiving was done with a backup program that mirrors the "live" folders into the archive."

This can happen if the VM was running at the time of making that backup or if one of those files was being scanned by an antivirus program or some of the slices got moved by accident or there was not sufficient disk space or... .
A VM is a bit special in that respect and you sadly found out why I ended up writing a backup program specifically for backing up VM's.

From the looks at the contents of the files you share, you indeed are missing both slices in order to be able to use the VM.

If you want to be able to open the VM (some data will be gone!) and don't have access to the missing slices then:

- first make a copy of the whole folder so you don't loose more while trying to fix things.
- then make a copy of file "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s040.vmdk" and rename it as "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk"
- for the other missing slice, copy file "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s031.vmdk" and rename it into "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s002.vmdk".

After that the "cannot find file" error should be gone, but I cannot promise you that your VM will boot.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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continuum
Immortal
Immortal

Looks like about 50 slices are missing ?

Basedisk uses 45 slices while the snapshots only have 32 ???

We need to see the descriptor vmdks to check


________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

continuum said:
"Looks like about 50 slices are missing ?"

.. and that's why I said I wasn't the best person to help you with this.
Continuum (Ulli) is your best chance on getting the VM back working.


Thanks Ulli.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

OK, I am not clear which files you need to see,

Sid

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

That would be:

Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1.vmdk
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000001.vmdk
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002.vmdk
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000003.vmdk

Please use the attach button instead of copy & paste of the contents.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

I can't attach the files because of the limited file types accepted. So, here is a link to a zipped file:

https://sidprice-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/p/sid/ESuMFIYQP2RBufN9rsoes54B1a0tE2Oi42ctCV8QwEmVhg?e=dmEKMw

Sid

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wila
Immortal
Immortal

SidPrice said:
"I can't attach the files because of the limited file types accepted."

Ugh, another "new forum problem" I'll report it to the people who can fix that. Thanks for letting us know.

--
Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Just checking back to see if the files I uploaded revealed any action to recover the situation.

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continuum
Immortal
Immortal

Wil - your first idea was correct. In fact there are only the 2 slices missing that you already listed.
But your good suggestion was a lucky guess. What you missed was the fact that the basedisk was created when the max-size per slice was smaller than the max size per slice was when the snapshots were created.
Looks like the basedisk was created with an older workstation version.
So the two missing slices still have to be replaced.
The general idea when missing slices have to be replaced is to pick an existing slice which in an ideal case has not been written to.
Looking through the file list for both workstation versions an "empty slice" had a size of 786,432 bytes.

So I would suggest to use Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s041.vmdk and copy that one to
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk
and to
Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s002.vmdk.
And in this case I believe that the damage that obviously will occur when ever a used slice is replaced with a blank one will be quite small.
Anyway - after replacing both slices I would suggest to add another snapshot before starting the VM again.
When it starts as I assume it will,  run a checkdisk and then evaluate if anything important is missing.
But as mentioned before I assume that in this lucky case the damage will be minimal.

Ulli

 


________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

That's even more tricky I'm afraid.

I agree that the missing "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s002.vmdk" can be replaced with e.g. a copy of "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s041.vmdk" because both have the same max. block size of 11796480.

However, the base disk has been resized a couple of times, and the first files have a max. block size of 8304640, so we need another "empty" .vmdk file with the same block size to replace "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk". A manually created "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk" file is embedded in the attached Powerpoint file.

Note: The new VMTN platform unfortunately does currently allow only certain file types as attachments, so that I needed to find a workaround to provide the newly created .vmdk file.

André

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SidPrice
Contributor
Contributor

Thank you both for the work, however, I am a little confused.

I understand clearly the instructions for copying the file to the two missing files, however, I am not clear about the embedded VMDK file. How do I extract that file from the PowerPoint? I downloaded it but do not see a way to extract the embedded file.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

Just to ensure:

The missing "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-000002-s002.vmdk" however needs to be replaced with a copy of e.g. "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s041.vmdk".
The PowerPoint file contains a .zip archive, from which you can extract the recreated "Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.vmdk".

Download the attached Powerpoint file (opening it in the viewer won't allow to access the embedded .zip archive), and open it. It will likely open in a Protected view, and you need to allow editing.

André

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

.. in case you have trouble with the ,pptx, I've just uploaded the .zip archive to https://filebin.net/u4y3gyfgbn4gkmvd

File name: Windows 7 Pro x64-cl1-s005.zip
File size: 1,390 Bytes
SHA1: C331813498E626BDDB0AB494FB6C4065DB0804C4
SHA256: 227AF0ED598B25A285A88763DDA58CDD7E3DDA65CB94CA85FFB3DB0CEC6E0080

André

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