Learn how to create a VM with Existing VMDK via Vmware. Our VMware Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

VMware Create VM with Existing VMDK

VMware is well known for its software solutions for creating and managing virtual machines. One key component of Vmware is the Virtual Machine Disk File or VMDK file. It serves as the backbone of a virtual machine.

A VMDK file is a specification of the VM file format used by VMware. It represents a complete and independent VM, with all the data and settings for the VM to function.

It is like a virtual hard disk that stores the contents of our VM, including the OS, applications, and user data.

How to Create a VM from a VMDK File

Creating a new VM from an existing VMDK file is an easy process with VMware Workstation:

1. To begin with, open VMware Workstation and head to Virtual Machine under New in the File section.
2. Then, choose Custom and click Next.
3. After that, select the hardware compatibility and click Next.
4. Next, choose “I will install the Operating System later” and click Next.
5. Now, we must choose the guest OS and version, and click Next.
6. After that, we have to enter a name and location for the VM, and click Next.
7. Next, adjust the hardware settings as needed, and click Next.
8. At this point, we have to select “Use an Existing Virtual Disk” and click Next.
9. Then, go to the location of the existing .vmdk file and select it.
10. Finally, review the summary and click Finish to create the VM.

How to add a VMDK File to an Existing VM

If you already have a virtual machine and want to add a VMDK file to it, follow these steps:

1. Open the VMware Workstation and the desired virtual machine.
2. Then, power off the VM and click on the VM menu.
3. After that, choose Settings, go to Hardware, and click Add.
4. Select Hard Disk and click Next.
5. Now, choose “Use an existing virtual disk” and click Next.
6. Then, go to the location of the .vmdk file and select it.
7. Finally, click OK to add the disk to the VM.

Extracting Content from VMDK Files

Did you there are several methods to extract content from VMDK files?

Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. Attaching a VMDK to an existing VM:

   We can attach a VMDK file to another functional VM to access its contents.
2. Using 7-Zip:

   This free tool can extract the contents of VMDK files on Windows, Linux, and other operating systems.
3. VMware Workstation Player:

   We can mount VMDK files directly as volumes under Windows using VMware Workstation Player.
4. Linux Reader:

   This tool can mount VMDK files right out of the box on Linux systems.

At the end of the day, VMDK files let users create, manage, and extract content from VM with ease.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to create a VM with Existing VMDK via Vmware.