Two Simple Methods to Repair Damaged and Corrupt VHD Files

Read time 7 minutes

The virtual world is a vast and complex place. Within it are countless digital files that make up the fabric of its existence. Among these files are the virtual hard drives, or VHDs.

When a VHD becomes damaged or corrupt, it can result in data inaccessibility. The file may be damaged beyond repair, leading to permanent deletion from the virtual world.

Fortunately, there are experts who know how to repair corrupted VHDs. Let’s discuss what this VHD file is all about, its reasons for corruption, and how can you solve it using PowerShell commands locally on your machine.

Know About VHD File

VHD is a format for Virtual Hard Disk Drive. It is primarily used for backing up a system image. The data on your hard drive can also be stored in VHD. But a VHD file is vulnerable to corruption issues that make it unavailable to be used on a Virtual Machine. You can also remove a VHD from a virtual machine when it has fulfilled its purpose.

There could be many possible reasons for the corruption of VHD files, like:

• Virus infection: It is a very common reason behind the corruption of VHD files. Once a system is attacked, it ruins files on the system, including the VHD files.
• Failure of storage media: Due to corruption or failure of storage media, the files become inaccessible, and with that VHD file also gets corrupted.
• Abrupt system shutdown: Accidental or sudden closure of your computer can cause severe damage to the software and hardware of your PC. Also, if the Virtual Machine is active at that moment, it may lead to the corruption or damage of the VHD file.
• Paused state of Virtual Machines: If we do not notice the early signs of VM (Virtual Machines) failure or paused state of Virtual Machines, it leads to VHD file damage.
• Due to human errors: Intentional/accidental deletion or removal of stored files, registry modification errors, force shutdown of the system, and improper disk management are some of the human errors that can damage VHD files.

As we have discussed VHD files and the reasons for corruption and damage in a VHD file, let’s move towards the solution. As we have studied and researched, we have come up with the two best solutions to deal with this scenario. Have a look at the solutions and the processes mentioned below:

Many VHD repair methods can be performed to restore your virtual hard disks after corruption issues. Here, the commands used to scan and restore the VHD file are explained one by one.

1. Command to scan an image for corruption
   • Command: Dism /Online /Clean-Image /CheckHealth
   • Description: This command scans the file completely to check for corruption.
2. Command for checking an image for corruption
   • Command: Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
   • Description: This command will check whether the image file is corrupted or not and will specify whether it can be repaired or not.
3. Command for repairing and restoring from corruption
   • Command: Dism /Online /Clean-Image /RestoreHealth
   • Description: This command will automatically perform the repair if it finds corruption.
     

Another way to fix a VHD file is by creating a virtual server. This method is very cost-effective also. Virtual servers are hosted on an operating system and are designed to share software as well as hardware resources. Without making any further delay, let’s learn how to do this:

1. Start with creating a virtual server.
2. Once created, connect a hard drive to it. You can add it by clicking on the Settings option.
3. After the successful addition of the hard drive, browse the desired VHD file for further process.
4. Once done, make a click on the Virtual Disk Wizard and select a Compact.
5. Check the box next to Convert it to a fixed size virtual hard disk.
6. Once you have performed all the above steps successfully, save the VHD file at the desired location on your system.

So, this is how you can fix a damaged VHD file with two different methods. There are possible chances that one of these two methods would work for you. But in any case, if none of them is providing you the results you desire, we would recommend you to read further.

The manual techniques to repair VHD files from damages and corruption are not that easy; sometimes, even PowerShell commands do not work. In such a case, it is best that you go for a third-party tool, Kernel for VHD Recovery. It is a professional tool specially designed to recover VHD files from severe corruption and damages. The important features of the VHD Recovery tool include recovery of lost and permanently deleted files, retrieval of data from corrupt VHD partitions, quick file searching for specific files after recovery, user-friendly and interactive GUI, and more. Hence, I strongly recommend using the trial version of this software to experience the features and decide for yourself.

For better assistance with the tool process, given below are the detailed steps to guide you throughout the process:

1. Open Kernel VHD Recovery tool.
Download trial 100% Secure
2. Click Select (1), open the damaged or corrupt VHD file, and click on the Quick Scan (2) button.
   
   Note: You can try Extensive Scan and File Trace modes in case if the VHD file is corrupt or damaged badly.
3. Select Virtual Hard Disk 0 (1) and click Next (2).
4. Select Partition (0) and click Scan (2).
   
   Note: All partitions in the VHD will be listed in the left section if you’ve created multiple partitions.
5. Once the scan is complete, Kernel VHD Recovery will display all VHD file content, as shown below.

   Tick-mark all or required file(s) and folder(s) (1) and click on theRecover (2) button.
   
   Note: To make sure of file integrity and data hierarchy, you may preview items by clicking on them.

6. Select a location to save and click Ok.
7. Wait for the recovery process to complete, and click the Ok.

Kernel VHD Recovery tool has completed the Virtual Hard Disk file recovery successfully.

Conclusion

If you have a damaged or corrupt VHD file, there are several methods you can use to try and repair it. The first step is to identify the cause of the damage. Once you know what’s causing the problem, you can start looking for appropriate solutions. We have outlined the simple methods to repair your damaged or corrupt VHD files. Hopefully, one of these worked for you, and your data is now safe and accessible. If all else fails, you may look for the Kernel VHD Recovery tool.

This software is designed to be user-friendly, so even those with limited technical experience can use it effectively. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can have your VHD files up and running again in no time. Try this kernel tool VHD Viewer, for free and tell us about your experience.