Deleted virtual machine, corrupt virtual disk, broken snapshot chain or down datastore? We provide recovery services for virtual machines hosted on VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox and many others. We’ll repair the virtual disk, rebuild the snapshot chain, and recover the data inside the VM, all without working on your original data.
If you experience issues with a virtual machine that will not boot, if a snapshot chain breaks, or if a datastore is throwing errors, do not write anything else to this area. Attempting to consolidate your snapshots, attempting to retry a merge, or simply allowing the host to continue in operation could result in overwriting the exact information/data you need; additionally, turning on a VM using a corrupted datastore can exacerbate problems. Note the virtual machine ID along with the disk files and datastore being used. Do nothing else with the VM, files or datastore; leave all areas exactly as they currently exist. Contact us immediately. The initial attempt will be the safest.
The main types of failure we recover from are deleted VMs, broken snapshots, corrupt or invalid disks and datastore issues.
Do you have virtual machines created using VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Citrix, VirtualBox etc.? Regardless of the virtualisation software you utilise, as long as the virtual disk is in some type of format we will be able to assist you. In other words, the specific platform you use will determine how we go about recovering your data and/or your VMs, not if we can assist at all.
We currently support: VMware ESXi, vSphere, Workstation and Fusion · Microsoft Hyper-V · Proxmox VE, Citrix XenServer, XCP-ng, Oracle VirtualBox, KVM and Nutanix · VMDK, VHDX, VHD, VDI and QCOW2 · VMFS, NFS and CSV datastores · snapshots, checkpoints and thin-provisioned disks.
Virtual machine recovery works on two levels (the virtual disk and the data within). Recovery of your virtual machines begins with the safe removal of your virtual disks from the datastore, followed by repair of the virtual disk and/or any snapshot chain. Once repaired, we can mount the virtual disk and begin recovering your guest operating system, databases and files from copies.
Provide details of your setup: hypervisor used, format of virtual disks used etc., which VMs were affected by what. Upon reviewing this information, we will provide a written quote typically inside 48 hours.
We make a read-only copy of all your virtual disk files (VMDK, VHDX, VDI or QCOW2). If the datastore or its underlying storage has failed, we rebuild that first so that nothing is written to your originals.
Should the underlying RAID, NAS or SAN hardware have failed or a physical drive requires repair or imaging, we will complete those repairs and then provide a comprehensive image. In cases where a physical drive needs drive-level repairs, we will require 50% of the quoted price up front prior to commencement.
We repair the virtual disk containing the descriptor, the headers, and the grain tables and rebuild any damaged snapshot or checkpoint chain into a single disk.
We mount the repaired disk and recover the guest file system, whether it’s Windows or Linux, files, SQL and Exchange databases, and application data, while doing repairs as necessary.
We verify that the recovered virtual machines, files and databases can open and are intact before returning them to your possession.
We deliver your recovered VMs and/or data, via new storage and ready to be imported back into operation.
Each virtual machine, from VMware and Hyper-V to Proxmox and all points between, is recovered through repair of the virtual disk, recovery of data in the virtual machines, and restoration of the snapshot chain regardless of what has happened to the host or to the data storage.
Tell us what happened and we’ll get back to you, usually within a working day.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
Pricing is clear and tiered, with a free diagnostic and written quote prior to starting any work.
Examples of recent virtual machine recoveries (identifying details removed): deleted VMs; broken snapshots; corrupt disks; failed datastores. Every result was verified.
The VMDK had been deleted from inventory, but its blocks were still stored. We rebuilt the VMDK and recovered the entire VM.
The AVHDX checkpoint chain had been broken. We rebuilt the AVHDX chain into one VHDX and recovered a consistent, bootable VM.
A power outage caused a problem with the datastore. We rebuilt the VMFS and were able to retrieve all six virtual machines and their data.
The VHDX header was corrupt. We were able to fix the virtual disk and get the SQL databases that were in it back.
The QCOW2 image was corrupted. We were able to fix that and restore the Linux guest and the application data.
The datastore was on a dead array. We rebuilt the RAID and retrieved both the datastore and all VMs on it.
When you send the unit in for its free diagnostic, let us know what happened with the unit. An engineer will review the unit and confirm your quote in writing prior to starting on your recovery.
Before you post or drop off your device, please get a quote from us by phone or with the form. Once we receive your device, our recovery process can start. Safely pack your device, include your name and contact information within the packaging and ship it to us. After performing your free diagnostic, we’ll send you a written confirmation of the exact price of our services prior to starting any work.
If you decide to post it, we would advise using a trackable and insured postal service. Or if you prefer to drop it off, we are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and you don’t need an appointment. Just pack the unit as described in step one before dropping it off.
Would you like a little more background information prior to sending it? Fill in the form to provide more details about your problem; an engineer will evaluate it and reply with a customised quote.
We’ll be in touch shortly. If it’s urgent, call 0191 406 1051.
Frequently asked questions about recovering a virtual machine.
Typically, yes, as long as you are quick about it. Once you have deleted your virtual machine (VM), its virtual disk blocks will normally remain in place until they are rewritten. If you stop the host from writing to the datastore before contacting us, we can rebuild your virtual disk and then restore your entire VM. The quicker you get back to us, the sooner you will be able to access your machine again.
Virtually never. In nearly all cases where a VM refuses to start up there is either a corrupted virtual disk, a broken snapshot chain, a missing configuration file or some other problem but typically the information stored within the virtual machine itself is fine. As such once we have repaired the VMDK/VHDX files and rebuilt any missing parts of the snapshot chain we should be able to recover both the machine and its contained information.
Yes, this is probably one of the most common reasons why a VM fails to run. When a snapshot or checkpoint chain is removed without being properly merged/combined, etc., the VM may refuse to boot up. We can take each individual delta disk and combine them into a single VMDK/VHDX virtual disk which will allow you to successfully boot up your VM.
Generally, yes. We restore virtual disks by repairing the descriptor, headers, grain table and block map at the format level for all formats (VMDK, VHDX, VHD, VDI and QCOW2) and then mount the disk and recover the guest file systems and data within the mounted disk.
A standalone virtual machine (VM) or virtual disk on healthy storage will start at £800 plus VAT. A complete datastore or host with several VMs will start at £1,200 plus VAT based upon both the storage and the amount of effort required. Each job begins with a free diagnostic and a written quote, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
Yes, on most jobs. In cases where low-level repair of the disk will be required we require a 50% deposit up front to begin recovery services, however the remainder of the cost is only due after successful completion of the recovery service, therefore if we cannot complete your recovery then you would never have paid the remaining amount.
All platforms: ESXi and vSphere (VMware), Hyper-V (Microsoft), Proxmox, Citrix, VirtualBox, KVM and Nutanix; as well as all of the different formats of virtual disks: VMDK, VHDX, VHD, VDI and QCOW2. It is the platform that will decide how to proceed with recovery not if recovery can occur.
Yes. If you have lost the RAID, NAS or SAN that underlies your virtual machines, we first recover that underlying storage and then rebuild your datastore and each of your virtual machines on that rebuilt datastore. Both layers are ones in which we can assist.
Yes. We recover and mount the virtual disks and restore the guest operating systems including all of its files (Windows, Linux etc.) SQL Server/Exchange databases, app data and any other type of file; repairing as necessary and testing that files are accessible prior to their return to you.
When working with single VMs or disks, a 3 to 4 working day turnaround is generally achieved. In the case of a complete datastore or host or any job where the storage has failed, there’s a turnaround of 4 to 7 working days. A free diagnosis usually takes place in 48 hours while urgent jobs can often be given a priority.
When the storage is working properly, you can choose to send the disk files to us on a drive by post, or deliver them to us (fully insured) either by post or personally to our Newcastle location Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. For RAID disks, please label them with their bay number, and indicate your name, organisation, address, phone number, and email so that we can register them and give you a quotation before working on them.
Diagnostic is free, our pricing is tiered with a minimum charge of £800. In most cases you only pay if we recover your data. All types of VMs can be recovered (VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox etc.), all types of disks and data can be recovered. Start recovering now.