# Disk DescriptorFile version=1 CID=ffffffff parentCID=ffffffff createType="vmfs"
The need to recover a VMDK from a flat file may arise due to various reasons such as: recover vmdk from flat
🔁 Pro tip: Always backup both .vmdk and -flat.vmdk together. recover vmdk from flat
| Tool | Method | |------|--------| | (ESXi) | vmkfstools -i source-flat.vmdk recovered.vmdk | | VMDK descriptor generator | Scripts (Python/PowerShell) that auto-calc geometry | | DiskInternals VMFS Recovery | GUI tool to reconstruct descriptor | | R-Studio | Detects and rebuilds missing VMDK descriptors | recover vmdk from flat