VMDK check tool (Checking VMDK Disk for Errors)

How to know if VMDK is corrupted?

Please check below things before you suspect Corruption:

1. 1. Based on OS version - install tools to analyse the I/O from guest - like Perfmon of Windows

1. 2. Identify Applications at OS - which can generate I/O

1. 3. Once you are sure that nothing is wrong with OS - then check for Backup or AV solution problems

If a virtual disk becomes corrupted, inspect or fix it using the vmkfstools command.

-x|--fix [check|repair]

For example,

vmkfstools -x check /vmfs/volumes/my_datastore/my_disk.vmdk

DiskInternals VMFS Recovery

Step One:

Install VHD recovery tool from the official webpage and install it on your PC. After installation, connect the disk that contains the corrupted VMDK files you want to recover, then launch VMFS Recovery.

Tip: You can access the VMDK disk via SSH connections, iSCSI or Fiber Channel interface connections, or booting Windows to ESX / ESXi from an external drive and then launch the VMFS Recovery utility.

Step Two:

Select the disk with the VMDK files when the Recovery Wizard appears automatically. Choose a scanning mode - Fast Recovery Mode or Full Recovery Mode.

Step Three:

Allow DiskInternals VMFS Recovery to scan the disk and discover all the files you have ever saved on it. At the end of the scan, the deleted/lost files (including VMWare delete flat file) are indicated with a RED asterisk.

Note: DiskInternals VMFS Recovery free version lets you preview the recovered files but won't let you save them back to another storage. To save the recovered files, you must upgrade to the DiskInternals VMFS Recovery Pro version.