Remove the physical drives or unmap the LUN containing the deleted VMDK from the ESXi host.
By following these methods and best practices, you can increase the chances of recovering your deleted VMDK files and preventing future data loss. recover vmdk deleted
If the -flat.vmdk is still there, you can recreate a new descriptor file that points to the existing data. Remove the physical drives or unmap the LUN
Stop all write operations to the storage volume immediately. Continued disk activity can overwrite the deleted VMDK blocks, making recovery impossible. recover vmdk deleted
Delete the temporary flat file that was created: rm temp-flat.vmdk Step 5: Register and Validate
Implementing protective measures minimizes downtime and reduces the risk of accidental data deletion. Prevention Strategy Action Item