How to Recover/Repair VHDX File using PowerShell – 9 Easy Steps

An unexpected power disruption affected operations across several Hyper-V hosts. The sudden power failure has led to virtual machine failures. The only solution is to recover and repair VHDX file. Manual methods involve multiple steps and are complicated. A more practical solution is to use the VDI Recovery Tool. This advanced tool helps recovers and repairs VHDX file corruption. Before moving forward, it is important to understand the need to recover or repair the corrupt VHDX file.

VHDX (Virtual Hard Disk v2) is a virtual disk used by Hyper-V to run virtual machines. It supports large storage capacity and offers better performance.

What Causes VHDX File Corruption?

It is important to recover files from VHDX to maintain continued access to virtual machines for essential tasks. Below are the main reasons why one should address it:

• Unexpected power failures while working with the VHDX file may result in file corruption.
• Hardware issues such as failing hard drives or bad sectors cause damage to the VHDX file structure.
• Forcefully shutting down the computer damages the virtual hard disk. 
• VHDX Files may get corrupted if there is incomplete migration, cloning, etc.
• If there’s an interaction of any antivirus programs while the VHDX file is running, it might cause file errors.
• A bug in Hyper-V or defects in the Windows server may lead to file corruption and crashes.

Why Is There a Need to Repair Corrupt Hyper-V VHDX Files?

The need to recover and repair the VHDX files is a necessity because it contains important data that is used by virtual machines. When the file gets corrupted, it can affect the access to important applications and stored data. The following are the reasons why we should consider repairing the VHDX Files: 

• VHDX files store virtual hard disk data for Hyper-V virtual machines. When the file gets corrupted, it may prevent the virtual machine from starting. This can even lead to data loss.
• Repairing the VHDX file is useful rather than rebuilding it from scratch. A sudden power failure, disk errors, or hardware issues can cause the VHDX file to get corrupted. 

How to Repair VHDX File Using PowerShell?

Use PowerShell commands when there’s only a slight file corruption or error. Also, make sure to take a backup of your VHDX File before attempting this method. 

Use the following steps to repair the corrupted VHDX files: 

1. Press Win+R and type PowerShell.
2. Run this command to create a backup copy of the corrupted VHDX File:

Copy-Item -Path “C:\Path\To\Corrupted.vhdx” -Destination “D:\Backup\Corrupted_Backup.vhdx”

3. Run the below command to mount the VHDX file:

Mount-VHD -Path “C:\Path\To\Your\VM.vhdx” -ReadOnly

4. Run this command to identify the issue:

Get-Volume Get-Disk

5. Check if there is any file error by running this command:

chkdsk Z:

6. Always dismount the VHDX after checking by running this command:

Dismount-VHD -Path “C:\Path\To\Your\VM.vhdx”

Drawbacks: This method is not suitable for severe or deep corruption. Also, there is no way to fix the VHDX structure using PowerShell commands. 

An Automated Tool to Repair VHDX File

The VDI Recovery Tool resolves the limitations of traditional recovery techniques. It recovers and repairs VHDX file corruption. This tool also offers multiple recovery modes to retrieve deleted or lost data. Furthermore, it also has a built-in auto-search feature to search the VHDX file on the system. 

Here is the step-by-step guide to repair corrupt Hyper-V VHDX files:

1. Download and launch the tool.
2. Now, select the disk type: Dynamic Disk or Fixed Disk.
3. Browse to select the corrupted VHDX file and click on Open.
4. View the File information and click Next to continue.
5. Pick the Scanning Mode and other features as per your needs and click Next.
6. Select the Volume to repair the data and click on Next.
7. After that, Select Recovery Mode. The scanning process will start. Press Ok.
8. Check the preview after scanning your files.
9. Choose the location to save your resultant file and click Ok.

Conclusion

The issue of VHDX file corruption causes virtual machine shutdowns and hinders workflow continuity. Through this blog, we’ve addressed methods to repair VHDX files. Manually repairing it by using PowerShell commands is not suitable for severe file corruptions. Instead of manually trying this complex method, a dedicated VDI Recovery Tool will be an ideal solution. It repairs corrupt or damaged VDI files, provides different recovery modes, recovers deleted VDI files, etc. 

Related Post: Repair Corrupted VHD Files.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q- How to run CHKDSK on VHDX?

Ans- First, mount the VHDX file and then run the chkdsk command in PowerShell on the drive. Run these commands to repair corrupt Hyper-V VHDX files:

Mount-VHD -Path “C:\Path\To\Your\Disk.vhdx” -ReadOnlychkdsk Z: /f

Q- How do I open a VHDX file?

Ans- Press Win+X and select Disk Management > Action > Attach VHDX. Browse the file and click Ok.

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