How to open the vmdk extension. VMDK - how to open a file. Opening a VHD in VirtualBox

The name of the format comes from Virtual Machine Disk, and it is used to store files and data of a virtual machine. In addition to virtual machine files, vmdk can contain local PC backup data. Its structure is similar to a real hard drive; it can be formatted into any file system and contain any data. When creating a virtual machine, you can give it access to a specific partition, in which case the vmdk contains information about the partitions that the virtual machine can access.

What free programs can open a vmdk file?

1. – free application for working with disk images such as iso, but the utility also allows you to mount virtual hard disks vmdk. The program interface is extremely simple, moreover, latest version it has been redesigned, and now working in the program has become much more convenient! You can mount vmdk in the same way as any other image - just select the image in the list and click “mount”. After that, you can do whatever you want with it - create, edit, delete and view files, or you can even format it into a different file system.
2. is a utility aimed at virtualizing desktop computers, allowing you to install additional operating systems on your local computer without partitioning the disk or performing a reboot. It has a simple and user-friendly interface, so find the desired function won't be difficult. In order to connect a disk in vmdk format with the operating system installed on it, when creating a virtual machine you need to specify the path to this disk. You can also connect the disk to an already created and running system.

What kind of file is this - VMDK?

Files with the extension .VMDK contain data in the form of a virtual disk representing the content hard drive VMware virtual machine. The VMDK disk can be accessed in the same way as a physical disk can be accessed using virtualization software. Disk configuration, such as fixed or growing capacity, can be done using the Virtual Disk Manager utility. Earlier versions of the software used the .DSK extension.

Naming VMDK files can be tricky. The main disk file is simply name.vmdk, but it can be saved in parts, where each part of the file is named -s [

Program(s) that can open a file .VMDK

Windows

MacOS

Linux

How to open VMDK files

If a situation arises in which you cannot open the VMDK file on your computer, there may be several reasons. The first and at the same time the most important (it occurs most often) is the absence of a corresponding application serving the VMDK among those installed on your computer.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been completed - programs for servicing the VMDK file can be found below. Now you just need to download and install the appropriate application.

In the further part of this page you will find other possible reasons causing problems with VMDK files.

Possible problems with files in the VMDK format

The inability to open and work with the VMDK file should not mean at all that we do not have the appropriate software installed on our computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to work with the VMware Virtual Disk Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.

• The VMDK file which is being opened has been corrupted.
• Incorrect VMDK file associations in registry entries.
• Accidental deletion of the VMDK extension description from the Windows registry
• Incomplete installation of an application that supports the VMDK format
• The VMDK file which is being opened is infected with undesirable malware.
• There is too little space on your computer to open the VMDK file.
• Drivers of the equipment used by the computer to open the VMDK file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of the above reasons are not present in your case (or have already been ruled out), the VMDK file should work with your programs without any problems. If the problem with the VMDK file is still not resolved, this may mean that in this case there is another, rare problem with the VMDK file. In this case, the only thing left is the help of a specialist.

Once installed on a VHD virtual hard disk, the second Windows operating system is in no way inferior to the one located on another partition of the disk. On the contrary, the first has two significant advantages over the second. Firstly, For Windows installations there is no need to redistribute disk space to a VHD disk if there is initially no extra empty disk partition for the second operating system.

The VHD disk is created as part of the Windows installation process using the command line, and with its help it is mounted into the system in order to be visible among the partitions for installing the system. Secondly, you can work with a second Windows installed on a virtual VHD disk either by directly loading it on the computer or using hypervisor programs.

Any operating system installed on the VHD can be opened within programs And and work with them in the same way as with any systems created using these programs. Moreover, both programs natively provide the ability to create operating systems using a VHD disk. VirtualBox openly allows you to select the VHD format when creating a virtual machine hard drive. But in the VMware Workstation program, although such a moment is provided, there is no usable selection menu, as is the case with VirtualBox. Extension ". vhd" for the hard disk being created, you need to register it manually, replacing the preinstalled one ".vmdk" – "native" VMware Workstation virtual hard disk format .

The only point in which the VHD disc will be inferior is "relatives" formats of VMware Workstation and VirtualBox programs - respectively, VMDK And VDI, this is the full use of disk space. Whereas virtual hard disks programs - VMDK And VDI– compress virtual machine data to save space on a real computer. In particular, VMware Workstation virtual machines on a physical hard drive take up almost half the space available to guest operating systems.

So, we have an operating system installed on a virtual VHD disk.

How can I open it inside the main operating system using the VMware Workstation and VirtualBox hypervisor programs?

Opening a VHD in

In the main window of VMware Workstation, we start the process of opening a new virtual machine. This can be done either using a visual button on the home tab of the program or in the menu.

The wizard for creating a new virtual machine will start, and in its first window, click on the custom configuration type.

Click in the program version compatibility settings window.

We do not install the operating system, therefore, there cannot be any download source. Select the third item – system installation later. Let's press.

In our case, we have a VHD disk with Windows 8.1 installed, and we select it in the lists of operating systems and their versions. Let's press.

We name the virtual machine and indicate its location on the computer. Working files will be stored in the specified location . The VHD disk itself, naturally, will be located where it was. Let's press.

In our case, there are as many as four cores, so with a generous gesture from the master’s shoulder, we will give two of them to the virtual machine. Let's press.

But a generous gesture in terms of random access memory will not work. We select only the necessary minimum - 1 GB . Let's press.

Preset network type NAT in our case it fits. Let's press.

We don’t change the controller type either. I/O. Let's press.

The same applies to the type of disk - leave it preinstalled SCSI. Let's press.

Finally, we have reached the point of changing preset parameters. In the virtual disk selection window, we need the second option - . Let's press.

In the next window, click the button review and indicate the path to VHD file. By default, VMware Workstation does not want to see this file format , presenting only files of our own production. And to see the VHD file, in the Explorer window you need to set option to show all files .

Having specified the path for placing the VHD disk, click.

The virtual machine setup is complete.

Let's return to the main VMware Workstation window and see the new virtual machine in the list of existing ones. Let's launch it.

The Windows startup process will begin with the system adapting to the operating conditions of the hypervisor. Drivers, system settings, and Windows 8.1 Metro applications will be updated. In some cases, starting a virtual machine may be accompanied by a Windows Recovery Environment window. In this case, you just need to select continued use of the system.

The system will boot soon.

Opening a VHD in VirtualBox

In VirtualBox, the process of opening a VHD file is simpler. In the main program window, click the button. Then in the first window of the new virtual machine creation wizard that launches, we ask it Name, select operating system and her version. Click "Next".

We indicate RAM size. Click "Next".

In the virtual hard disk selection window, as in the previous case, select using an existing disk. Use the browse button to indicate the path to VHD file. Let's press.

We return to the main VirtualBox window and launch the newly created virtual machine.

VirtualBox will also adapt the guest operating system to its specific operating conditions - drivers will be installed, system settings will be applied, etc.

In a minute or two, in the program window we will see the same Windows installed on the VHD disk.

What kind of file is this - VMDK?

Files with the .VMDK extension contain data in the form of a virtual disk that represents the contents of the hard disk of a VMware virtual machine. The VMDK disk can be accessed in the same way as a physical disk can be accessed using virtualization software. Disk configuration, such as fixed or growing capacity, can be done using the Virtual Disk Manager utility. Earlier versions of the software used the .DSK extension.

Naming VMDK files can be tricky. The main disk file is simply name.vmdk, but it can be saved in parts, where each part of the file is named -s [

Program(s) that can open a file .VMDK

Windows

MacOS

Linux

If a situation arises in which you cannot open the VMDK file on your computer, there may be several reasons. The first and at the same time the most important (it occurs most often) is the absence of a corresponding application serving the VMDK among those installed on your computer.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been completed - programs for servicing the VMDK file can be found below. Now you just need to download and install the appropriate application.

In the remainder of this page, you will find other possible reasons causing problems with VMDK files.

Possible problems with files in the VMDK format

The inability to open and work with the VMDK file should not mean at all that we do not have the appropriate software installed on our computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to work with the VMware Virtual Disk Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.

• The VMDK file which is being opened has been corrupted.
• Incorrect VMDK file associations in registry entries.
• Accidental deletion of the VMDK extension description from the Windows registry
• Incomplete installation of an application that supports the VMDK format
• The VMDK file which is being opened is infected with undesirable malware.
• There is too little space on your computer to open the VMDK file.
• Drivers of the equipment used by the computer to open the VMDK file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of the above reasons are not present in your case (or have already been ruled out), the VMDK file should work with your programs without any problems. If the problem with the VMDK file is still not resolved, this may mean that in this case there is another, rare problem with the VMDK file. In this case, the only thing left is the help of a specialist.

In this material we will talk about the VMDK extension. How to open materials of this type will also be discussed in detail below. We are talking about a virtual machine disk file. The developer of this solution is VMware.

Description

Basic solution

Other options

In this material we will talk about the VMDK extension. How to open materials of this type will also be discussed in detail below. We are talking about a disk file. The developer of this solution is VMware.

Description

The VMDK file gets its name from the phrase Virtual Machine Disk. This element is intended for use in virtual machines as a disk image. The one we are interested in is documented and open. It is similar in content and structure to a hard drive. Virtual media can consist of a single or several files of the format we are interested in. You can, for example, specify that the virtual disk should be divided into parts with a capacity of 1 GB. In this case, the number of files directly depends on the size of the media. The file we are interested in may contain data about disk partitions.

Basic solution

So, we have a file in VMDK format. The VMware Workstation application will help you figure out how to open it. We are talking about a tool that allows you to personal computer run multiple operating systems simultaneously. To do this, the application emulates a separate PC. As a result, it becomes possible to perform almost any action with it that is accessible to a regular computer. In particular, we are talking about installing applications and operating systems.

Given software allows you to test a variety of solutions running any available OS. In this case, you will not have to disrupt the operation of the main platform already installed on your computer. It is possible to run applications simultaneously on different operating systems without rebooting the computer. You can test and also fix new programs in a special environment.

The tool allows you to demonstrate the compatibility of the application with various platforms. It is possible to create a reference architecture before deploying it to production environments. The tool allows you to consolidate virtual computers. Current versions of this application support 64-bit platforms. A separate tool has been created for the MacOS operating system called VMware Fusion. We are talking about software created to allow the X environment to run programs created for other platforms.

The application significantly expands the capabilities of the Mac operating system. You can maximize the performance of programs created for third-party platforms. A simple interface makes work convenient and fast. You can also take advantage of the unique features of the Mavericks environment available on Windows. In particular, a Mac user can operate multiple monitors that are connected to the computer. The described tool allows you to enjoy the capabilities of Windows. The program successfully uses the computing power of processors and optimized modules. Thus, Windows applications work reliably in conjunction with Mac programs.

Other options

Let's continue the conversation about the VMDK format. You already know how to open files of this type, but the solution described above is not the only one. One of the following applications can also help us: VMware Player, WinMount, Sun xVM, VMware Server, Suse studio, QEMU, Oracle VirtualBox, Parallels Workstation, Gilles Vollant WinImage. Now you know what VMDK is, how to open it was also discussed.

Most common cause The problem with opening the VMDK file is simply the lack of appropriate applications installed on your computer. In this case, it is enough to find, download and install an application that serves files in the VMDK format - such programs are available below.

If you have a VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) file that contains one or more VMware virtual machine partitions, you can mount it as a disk in the Windows operating system. There are several ways to connect a vmdk disk in Window.

Connecting vmdk file in Windows Explorer

The Windows operating system has built-in support for VMDK files. If you are using an operating room Windows system 7 or higher, you can mount the VMDK file directly through Windows Explorer.

To do this, you need to go to the directory where the VMDK file is stored. In Windows Explorer, right-click the file and select "Map Virtual Disk".

In the “Map Virtual Disk” window, select the letter that will be assigned to the disk and click “OK”.

To disconnect a virtual disk, right-click on the disk and select “Disconnect Virtual Disk”.

VMware Workstation is desktop virtualization software from VMware. It has a built-in function for connecting vmdk images - “Map Virtual Disks”, with which you can also mount and open a VMDK file. If you can’t open the VMDK file using the first method we described (Windows Explorer), then you can definitely do it using VMware Workstation.

It's quite simple, go to the "File" menu and select "Map Virtual Disks..." from the drop-down list.

Mounting the VMDK using the vSphere Disk Development Kit

VMware-mount is a console utility that you can use to mount VMDK disks without using a GUI. This utility is included in the development package vSphere Disk Development Kit, so to use it you will need to install it.

To mount the VMDK file (saved in the C:\temp directory) in read-only mode, use the following command:

vmware-mount.exe X: “C:\Temp\TestVM.vmdk”

If the VMDK file contains more than one partition, you can use the /v:x option to mount other volumes:

vmware-mount.exe /v:2 X: “C:\Temp\TestVM.vmdk”

If you need write capability, use the "/m:w" option. This can be used, for example, if you need to replace a damaged system file.

vmware-mount.exe /m:w X: “C:\Temp\TestVM.vmdk”

If you want to display all connected virtual disks, you must use the option /L:

vmware-mount.exe /L

The command line is very easy to use and quite functional.

Using OSFMount to mount vmdk

OSFMount is a free third-party utility that mounts not only ISO image files, but also VMDK files. It works on almost all versions of Windows.

This utility is quite easy to use. Just click the “Mount new...” button located at the bottom of the window, select the vmdk file and specify the connection parameters.

The table below provides useful information about the .vmdk file extension. It answers questions such as:

• What is a file? vmdk?
• What software do I need to open the file. vmdk?
• Like a file. vmdk be opened, edited or printed?
• How to convert. vmdk files to a different format?

We hope you find this page a useful and valuable resource!

1 extensions and 0 aliases found in the database

✅ VMware Virtual Disk File

Description (in English):
VMDK file is a VMWare Virtual Disk File. VMware products use the VMDK(Virtual Machine Disk Format) file format to store a virtual machine"s hard-disk images.

MIME type: application/octet-stream

Magic number: -

Magic number: -

Sample: -

VMDK aliases:

VMDK related links:

VMDK related extensions:

VirtualBox Virtual Disk Image

VMware Virtual Machine Snapshot Metadata

Fast Virtual Disk

VMware Virtual Machine Snapshot State Data

VMware Virtual Machine Suspended State

VMware Virtual Machine Team Data

VMware Virtual Machine NVRAM Data

VMware Virtual Machine Configuration

VMware Virtual Machine Team Member Configuration

Other file types may also use the file extension .vmdk.

🚫 The .vmdk file extension is often given incorrectly!

According to Search our site, these typos were the most common last year:

mdk , vmk , vdk , vmrk , vmd

Is it possible that the filename extension is incorrect?

We found the following similar file extensions in our database:

🔴 Can't open .vmdk file?

When you double-click a file to open it, Windows checks the file name extension. If Windows recognizes a filename extension, the file opens in a program that is associated with that filename extension. When Windows does not recognize the file name extension, the following message appears:

Windows can't open this file:

Example.vmdk

To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to open it...

If you don't know how to set up file associations .vmdk, check .

🔴 Is it possible to change the file extension?

Changing the file name and file extension is not a good idea. When you change a file extension, you change the way programs on your computer read the file. The problem is that changing the file extension does not change the file format.

if you have helpful information o file extension .vmdk, !

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