“ Hello everyone while accessing virtual machine it was showing a message like this: File Win2012.vmdk was not found. I am facing this kind of problem. Can any tell me how can I recover and repair the .vmdk file data?

If the above, query seems to be familiar to you and if you stuck in the same situation then you are at the right place. I suggest you read the entire article and you will get the best possible answer how to resolve from that issue .vmdk file not found error.

We know that nowadays, the Virtual machine is used by small and large-scale organisations. VMDK is a file format stands for Vmware virtual machine disk file created by the Vmware software. The entire data of the virtual machine is stored in the .vmdk file format. Virtual machines files are stored in either the virtual machine directory or the working directory. Like the physical hard drive, the virtual machine disk files may also prone to corruption. So in this article, we will provide you the various possible reason for corruption. We will discuss how to recover data from the VMDK files from the hard disk of the operating system. We will describe this process with the help of manual and automated solution. Let’s start,

Reasons for File VMDK Was Not Found Error

Hypervisors may not power on executing a corrupt VMDK file. Below are the main reasons of VMware unable to open file .vmdk the system cannot find the file specified error.

1. VMDK file may be corrupted due to hardware and software failure.
2. Virtual machine disk may also be corrupted due to human error, computer system malware, power surges etc.
3. VMDK file may be corrupted if descriptor file is missing.
4. Virtual machine file may be corrupted if the description section of the VMDK flat file is incorrect.
5. If VMDK or VMDK flat file is corrupt.

If in case of missing virtual machine disk file when user power on virtual machine disk file it displays some of the following errors like this

• “ Failed to power on. A file was not found “
• “ Unable to find the file”
• “ The system cannot find the file specified”

Manual Method to Resolve .vmdk File Not Found Error

The manual method can be used to restore the data from the corrupted VMDK files. But the manual method has some limitations. This requires strong technical hands to perform the entire process. In that case, the user can use third-party software which helps to restore the data in just a few clicks.

Here are steps to resolve VMware VMDK file not found

The user have connect the device that contains the backup of the .vmdk file to your computer.

1. Go to “start” and choose “ Control Panel”.
2. Select” system and maintenance” and choose “Backup and restore”
3. Then select “Restore My files” Button in the backup and restore centre window will display–>>Select” Browse by file button.
4. Choose the VMDK file and click” Next.”
5. Choose” in the original location” or click “Browse” to select a new destination for the file that you have restored.
6. Click on “Restore option” to start the process of restoring the VMDK file.

NOTE– The above manual method is a lengthy process and difficult to perform. It requires a strong technical knowledge to perform the entire process. So to overcome this problem the user can refer third-party solution to recover the data.

Automated Solution to Resolve .vmdk File Not Found Error

We know that recovering .vmdk file with the help of manual process is difficult to perform. In that case, the user can recover the virtual machine data with the help of Vmware recovery software. It is a standalone application to repair and recover Vmware virtual machine data from corrupted VMDK files.

Steps to recover virtual machine VMDK file

1. Download and install the software.
2. Click on File and then.
3. Click on Scan option.
4. The user can preview the VMDK file data.
5. Now click on extract button in order to save the VMDK file data at the desired location.

The Bottom Line

The above article thoroughly describes the problem .vmdk file not found error. One such query is mentioned in the above segment. We have discussed the several reasons for corruption issues of the VMDK file. As we have there is the manual as well as an automated solution to repair VMDK file. But there are many drawbacks of the manual method. It is highly recommended to use the automated solution as it is more reliable.