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lamp96
Contributor
Contributor

recovery flat.vmdk from delta.vmdk

Hi

Flat.vmdk deleted but delta.vmdk exist.

how to recovery flat.vmdk from delta.vmdk?

thanks.

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

Welcome to the Community,

snapshot/delta files contain only changed blocks, so it's rather unpredictable whether, and how much of the data can be recovered.The larger the delta disk the better are chances to recover data. Anyway, first of all it might be a good idea to backup the remaining .vmdk file(s).

The easiest way to access the data in the delta .vmdk might be to:

  • create a new virtual disk (same type, and provisioned size as the deleted virtual disk)
  • partition, and format the newly created virtual disk the same way as the deleted one
  • chain the delta disk to the newly created virtual disk (adjust parentFileNameHint, and parentCID in the delta file's descriptor file)
  • attach the delta disk to a helper VM
  • create another snapshot (optional, will prevent from changes in the delta disk)
  • use a recovery tool to find files on the recreated virtual disk

If you want/need assistance, then please provide as much details as possible. E.g. post a complete list of files (i.e. the output of ls -lisa), and attach the VM's .vmx, .vmsd, and descriptor .vmdk files (the small text files) to a reply post.

Plan B (or even Plan A): If there has not been much activity on the datastroe from which the flat file has been deleted, you may try to contact continuum​. He might be able to recover the flat file!

André