If you manage to recover the VMDK file, the job isn't necessarily done. You may encounter errors when powering on the VM.
It starts with a cold knot in your stomach. You’re cleaning up a datastore, deleting a stray ISO or an old log folder, when your fingers move on autopilot. Delete. Confirm. Then you see it: the .vmdk file is gone.
This guide covers the recovery process, ranging from simple "undelete" methods to professional forensic recovery.