Datastore missing or unmounted
ESXi reports an inaccessible, unresolved, inactive or absent VMFS datastore.
Virtual infrastructure recovery
VMware data recovery.
Recover ESXi hosts, VMFS datastores, VMDK virtual disks, deleted virtual machines and snapshot chains from failed RAID, SAN, NAS and local storage.
VMFS5 & VMFS6VMDK & snapshotsStorage-first recovery
Do not recreate or resignature the datastore
Stop writes and preserve the underlying RAID, LUN, NAS volume or local disks before repair attempts.
When virtual infrastructure disappears
VMware recovery starts beneath the hypervisor.
VMFS, VMDK and snapshot problems are often symptoms of a deeper RAID, SAN, NAS or media failure.
Virtual machines deleted
VM folders, configuration files or VMDKs were removed, overwritten or lost during administration.
VMDK or snapshot corruption
Virtual disks fail to open, snapshot chains are broken or descriptor files are missing.
RAID, SAN or NAS failure
The shared or local storage beneath VMware is degraded, offline or incorrectly rebuilt.
Failed migration or expansion
Storage vMotion, datastore growth, LUN migration or reconfiguration interrupted access.
Formatting or reinstallation
ESXi was reinstalled, storage was initialized or a datastore was recreated over the original layout.
VMware recovery coverage
Datastore to guest application.
We preserve and reconstruct the underlying storage before recovering virtual machines and validating guest data.
- VMFS5 and VMFS6 datastore reconstruction
- VMDK flat, thin and thick virtual disks
- Deleted virtual machines and VM folders
- Snapshot chains and descriptor reconstruction
- Local RAID, SAN, iSCSI and NAS-backed storage
- Guest file systems, databases and application data
VMFS5, VMFS6 and extents
Missing, unmounted, corrupt, deleted and partially overwritten datastore structures.
VMDK and descriptor recovery
Flat, thin and thick disks, missing descriptors and fragmented virtual-machine files.
Snapshot chain analysis
Delta disks, broken chains, missing parents and consolidation-related corruption.
RAID, SAN, iSCSI and NAS
Reconstruction of the physical or shared storage that presents VMware datastores.
Capability matrix
Recoverability depends on every layer.
Storage reconstruction, VMFS recovery and guest validation are assessed separately.
| VMware scenario | Storage reconstruction | VMFS / VMDK recovery | Guest validation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missing or unmounted VMFS datastore | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deleted virtual machine folder | ✓ | ✓ | Case based |
| Missing VMDK descriptor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Broken snapshot chain | ✓ | ✓ | Case based |
| Failed RAID beneath ESXi | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Formatted or recreated datastore | ✓ | Case based | Case based |
| SAN or iSCSI LUN failure | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guest database corruption | ✓ | ✓ | Application based |
Controlled workflow
Reconstruct the storage before touching the VM.
This separates media and array damage from datastore, virtual-disk and guest-level corruption.
Map the virtual infrastructure
We document ESXi hosts, datastore names, storage presentation, RAID or SAN layout, VM inventory and the actions taken before failure.
Preserve the underlying storage
RAID members, LUNs, NAS volumes or local disks are acquired safely before VMFS or VMDK analysis begins.
Reconstruct VMFS and datastore layout
Partition offsets, VMFS metadata, extents and volume relationships are rebuilt virtually without writing to source storage.
Recover VMs, VMDKs and snapshots
Virtual-machine folders, descriptors, flat files and snapshot chains are reconstructed according to consistency and business priority.
Validate guest systems and data
Recovered virtual disks are checked, and critical databases or file systems are assessed before secure delivery or migration.
Protect the recovery path
What not to do after VMware storage failure.
Administrative fixes that create new metadata can overwrite deleted VMFS records and VMDK blocks.
Formatting can overwrite the original VMFS structures and virtual-machine metadata.
Resolve the underlying storage and snapshot/LUN state before changing datastore identity.
Installation writes may overwrite VM folders, descriptors and guest data.
A damaged chain must be mapped before operations that merge or remove delta disks.
Virtualization ecosystem
Experience across common virtual platforms.
This page focuses on VMware, while our storage-first recovery process also supports related hypervisor environments and shared enterprise storage.
VMware ESXi
Microsoft Hyper-V
Proxmox VE
Citrix Hypervisor
Nutanix AHV
Red Hat VirtualizationVMware ESXi • Microsoft Hyper-V • Proxmox VE • Citrix Hypervisor • Nutanix AHV • Red Hat Virtualization
All trademarks and logos belong to their respective owners. They are displayed only to identify commonly handled products. Mind Merge is an independent professional data recovery company and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the manufacturers shown.
VMware recovery FAQ
Questions from infrastructure teams.
Preserve host logs, datastore names, VM inventory, RAID details and every action already attempted.
Can a deleted VMware virtual machine be recovered?+
Sometimes. Recovery depends on whether the VMFS metadata and VMDK blocks remain intact and whether new virtual machines, snapshots or datastore operations have overwritten them.
Can you recover an unmounted VMFS datastore?+
Yes, in many cases. We analyse the storage beneath the datastore, VMFS metadata, partition offsets and extents before attempting virtual reconstruction.
Can a VMDK be recovered when the descriptor is missing?+
Often yes. A descriptor can sometimes be reconstructed from the flat virtual disk, geometry and VM configuration, provided the underlying data extent is intact.
What should we do after VMware datastore failure?+
Stop writes, avoid resignaturing, formatting, creating a new datastore or reinstalling ESXi on the affected storage. Preserve host logs, RAID details and the VM inventory.
Do you support VMware storage on SAN or NAS?+
Yes. We can assess VMFS on local RAID, SAN and iSCSI LUNs, as well as virtual machines stored on supported NAS file systems. The underlying storage must be preserved first.
Can databases inside recovered VMs be validated?+
Yes. After VMDK recovery, database and guest file-system consistency can be assessed separately. Successful storage recovery does not automatically guarantee application-level consistency.
VMware environment offline?
Protect the datastore before trying another fix.
Contact Mind Merge before formatting, recreating, resignaturing or writing to the affected storage.