How do I recover files from a corrupt VDI file?

Question

Is it possible to repair a corrupt VDI file? The OS on the VDI (XP) doesn't boot at all, it just hangs at a black screen. I was getting file errors before on its last boot, but now its not working at all.

Sector viewer shows 'Invalid partition table Error loading operating system Missing operating system'. I tried mounting the file from the host OS, but it just says that the drive isn't formatted. I don't need to be able to run the VDI, but I do need some files that are on it.

Is there any way to recover files from the corrupt VDI file?

Solution 1

Most of the time a crash while running a VM with VirtualBox will corrupt the profile, not the VDI.

Try making a fresh profile and add the existing VDI as the disk. You could also try a scandisk on the host system if you haven't.

Solution 2

In my case the VDI crashed within a new profile too.

Do the following steps to rescue data:

1. create a new profile with your .vdi to rescue as a harddisk
2. download a linux live CD (like puppy, xubunu...) and add it as a live-cd image to the new profile
3. start the VM
4. mount the .vdi file (in my case it was sda2) and rescue your files as you like (send them as email to yourself)

have fun

Comments

[madmaze]

last time you ran the VM was it shut down correctly?

[Cheeto]

Can you boot it with an ISO then either repair the OS installation or retrieve your files?

[user727382]

Can confirm this worked for me. Created a new VM using the same VDI. Up and running again.

[VitOne]

Well I'll be damned this actually worked.

[Eamorr]

This worked for my. I kept getting "read only" errors when trying to boot my VM. After several attempts, I switched it off and created a new VM with the troublesome VDI image. I was able to boot up! Then I shut down cleanly, and rebooted the broken VM - everything worked again!!!

[Tim]

In my case, I just removed the problematic VHD disk and then added it again. Worked. Runned scandisk and other tools just for sure.

[Peter Wippermann]

He "plugged" the VDI hard drive into a Linux OS and copied all the files he would still need. Then he setup a fresh new Windows XP installation and copied the files he had just rescued before.

[Mike Robinson]

I have also seen this to be a "false alarm!" Quite recently, VirtualBox ominously told me that the main-hard-drive VDI file of a Linux VM was "unavailable," and yet the VM subsequently booted just fine. There was, in fact, nothing wrong with the disk at all.