Deleting snapshot from VMWare

[jmoore541]

I have VMWare running and I deleted a snapshot to try to free up some disk space. Now when I try to run, I get an error that it can't find a file: CADellVM-000001.vmdk. I guess I deleted the extra file. I tried to create my own version of that file and no luck getting Windows to boot.

I then tried to make a new instance from scratch. I saved the files with a different name and in a different folder. When I try to run that, it starts to boot, then just dies. When I try to restart, it complains about an exclusive lock.

The first one that my daughter was using has some pictures and other data. That's the original one that I screwed up by deleting a file. I have the virtual disk files, is there some way I can re-use it or am I hosed?

 

[steveza]

I think you are in a bad place with those virtual disks. A .vmdk file is a virtual disk which could also be created when you suspend a guest virtual machine (stop it without shutting down). Snapshots normally have .VMSN extensions - well they do in VMWare ESX server, I haven't created one in fusion yet.

Do you have any vmdk files left? You could try creating a new virtual machine and specifying that vmdk as the disk. May not work but that's your only shot at this point - or a disk recovery tool

 

[jmoore541]

Thanks. I have all the files: CADellVM-s001.vmdk through CADellVM-s013.vmdk. There is a small file CADellVM.vmdk that has this in it:

# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
CID=9bc9ae83
parentCID=6833259e
createType="twoGbMaxExtentSparse"
parentFileNameHint="CADellVM-000001.vmdk"
# Extent description
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s001.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s002.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s003.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s004.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s005.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s006.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s007.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s008.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s009.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s010.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s011.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "CADellVM-s012.vmdk"
RW 58752 SPARSE "CADellVM-s013.vmdk"

# The Disk Data Base
#DDB

ddb.toolsVersion = "7362"

 

[steveza]

parentFileNameHint="CADellVM-000001.vmdk"

That was the one you deleted right? I think the files 1 - 13 are the disk expansion files which each added a little bit of data onto the parent. I can try out a few things wiht my VM but without the parent I don't rate the chances of recovering the VM.

 

[Neil321]

That was the one you deleted right? I think the files 1 - 13 are the disk expansion files which each added a little bit of data onto the parent. I can try out a few things wiht my VM but without the parent I don't rate the chances of recovering the VM.

Steveza with regards to the OP,shouldn't fusion have warned him that he might be shutting
his VM down incorrectly?.Ive nearly done this in the past but got a warning come up,cant
remember what it was exactly as it was ages ago,but i know i got one

 

[steveza]

You should get a message if you mess with the disk files while VMWare is running but if you quit it and then do some crazy deleting - you are on your own.

 

[Neil321]

You should get a message if you mess with the disk files while VMWare is running but if you quit it and then do some crazy deleting - you are on your own.

Ok gotcha