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Problems using raw partition access VMDK

Posted: 31. Dec 2008, 19:23
by helehele
Everything went well creating such image, but nothing changed in the winxp host drive after I copied files to it in the winxp guest. Afterward every time I boot the host os, it runs CHKDSK for the drive I specified accessible when creating the vmdk however, and then the files I copied in the guest shows up.
Is it a common issue and therefore not recommended using a raw disk/part access VMDK in a windows guest on a windows host?

Posted: 31. Dec 2008, 20:26
by Sasquatch
The danger with RAW Disk Access is that if you mount the drive in the Host while the Guest is writing to it, it can corrupt the entire file system on that drive/partition. That's also why you get the checkdisk each boot of the VM. To unmount a drive in a Windows Host, go to the computer management console and remove the drive letter of the partition/drive that you have set as RAW Disk.

Posted: 3. Jan 2009, 01:16
by helehele
Sasquatch wrote:The danger with RAW Disk Access is that if you mount the drive in the Host while the Guest is writing to it, it can corrupt the entire file system on that drive/partition. That's also why you get the checkdisk each boot of the VM. To unmount a drive in a Windows Host, go to the computer management console and remove the drive letter of the partition/drive that you have set as RAW Disk.
Ahh, thanks.
But on which I got the CHKDSK each boot was the host, not the VM. Did you type wrong?

Posted: 4. Jan 2009, 21:19
by Sasquatch
I misread it, so in that way, it's not written wrong. The same theory applies though ;).