Best practices for handling VMware Workstation data loss issues

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information on:

• Data loss in a VMware Workstation virtual machine environment related to disk failures and corruption
• Best practices for handling data loss in a VMware Workstation virtual machine
• Data recovery services option to recover the data

Resolution

Understanding data loss issues in a VMware Workstation virtual machine environment

Data stored in the VMware Workstation virtual machine environment may be subjected to virtual disk (vmdk) or filesystem corruption and become inaccessible. Virtual disk corruption may occur due to physical damage to the underlying physical disk drive where the virtual disk is stored. Data corruption may occur due to system memory, operating system, or improper shutting down of the system. Other physical damage scenarios include exposure to extreme conditions such as flood or fire, damage to the electronic circuits/parts from a power surge, abuse from being dropped or mishandled, failure of the drive, or wear and tear of the equipment.

Increasing the chances of data recovery after a failure

To increase the chances of recovering lost data in VMware Workstation:

• Do not install the recovery software on the virtual or physical disk from which you are trying to recover.
• Do not write the recovered data or anything else to the virtual or physical disk from which you are trying to recover.
• Do not allow the usage of the disk from which you are trying to recover. Put the volume offline or shut down the virtual machine.
• Do not work with the only copy of your data/volume/VMDK file. Always take a backup or image and keep it safe for further escalation.
• Do not re-initialize or reformat the problematic disk or volume. Re-initializing or reformatting the disk does not bring your data back, but increases the severity level of data loss.
• Do not try to fix the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) by yourself. Drives are very complex and sensitive devices, so even a simple Printed Circuit Board (PCB) swap is not effective.

Preventing data loss

To prevent data loss in long term:

• Ensure to back up data regularly.
• Ensure to back up data before any major event. Consider having a concrete back up schedule.
• Ensure to verify and test the backup before committing irreversible changes that can cause data loss in the virtual or physical environment.

Data recovery service options

If there is a physical damage to the disk or severe corruption to the virtual or physical volume/filesystem, the data may only be recoverable through specialized data recovery service organizations, such as Seagate Recovery Services. For more information, see Data recovery services for data not recoverable by VMware Technical Support (1015413).