If the datastore mounts but VMs fail to register, run:
But let this be a lesson: in the datacenter, the most dangerous button is the one marked "Delete." Know your tools, test your recovery process, and always, always double-check your target. recover deleted vmfs partition
It happens in a split second. A tired system administrator, a misclick in fdisk , an automated script aimed at the wrong LUN. One moment, your datastore is humming along, hosting critical virtual machines. The next moment—it’s gone. The partition table entry for your VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) volume has been deleted. If the datastore mounts but VMs fail to
esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all If the partition reappears but shows as "Not a valid VMFS volume," check the partition ID. ESXi requires the partition type to be 0xFB . Use fdisk -l from the ESXi shell (if you have it enabled) to verify. One moment, your datastore is humming along, hosting
The actual VMFS volume—with its file allocation tables, directories, and virtual disk files—remains physically intact on the storage device until something overwrites it. The moment you realize the error, to that LUN or disk. Every new write risks destroying the very data you want to save. Step 1: Assessment and Forensic Imaging Before attempting any recovery, create a forensic image of the affected device. Use dd or ddrescue on a Linux host: