Workstation 8. Unable to open file "C:\VMs\<vmname>\<vmname>-0000001.vmdk": The system cannot find the file specified.

[lnppmrrh]

I've read a couple of threads where people have encountered this error, and so I've tried to investigate to the best of my abilities.  Currently, I'm thinking the VM might be irrevocably damaged, since there appear to be extents missing, so I'm throwing myself on the mercy of the community for confirmation of this pessimistic prognosis :smileyblush:

If anyone cares to glance over the attached support information and directory listing, your thoughts would be very much appreciated.  Thanks

[Dayworker]

Do you have a backup of the files from "RRH Sandbox-000001-s001.vmdk" to "RRH Sandbox-000001-s016.vmdk" ?

[lnppmrrh]

Fair question, and one I should have answered in the initial post.  No, it would appear I don't.  All three copies of the VM I've got are missing those 16 files: no idea how I lost them sadly.

[continuum · Accepted solution]

Delete the vmsd-file - it is invalid because of the missing files.

Delete this line
checkpoint.vmState = "RRH Sandbox-d804a64d.vmss"
in the vmx-file - then the VM should start with the missing files

[lnppmrrh]

Thanks continuum: that's got my VM running again, and it doesn't appear to have returned to a past state, so thank you very much.  Hopefully others will see this thread and be able to have a go themselves.

Now that I'm more or less sorted, I don't want to appear greedy, but two obvious follow-up questions come to mind

1) What should I have been reading to work this out?

2) Are there other files currently on disk that can/should be discarded because they're now redundant/not referenced?

Much obliged.

[continuum]

I looked at the vmdk-descriptorfiles and found out that the vmdk that is configured right now does NOT use the missing files.
Next I read the vmx-file and noticed that your VM tries to start from a suspended state - as you did not have the vmss file that would fail.
So the reference to the vmss file had to be deleted.

2. Your snapshot-tree had 3 branches - one is invalid now because of the missing files.
One that uses the 000003.file is active now.
The last one using the 000002.vmdk is still usable.

If you need it you would create a new VM and tell it to use the 000002.vmdk. Best would be not to start that VM - but instead simply create a new full clone. Then both VMs - the fixed original ad the new full clone are independant.