Cant find file: .MYI MySQL Error and Recovery

MyISAM is a standard storage engine used for MySQL that is based on older ISAM code. A MyISAM table is made of three files: .frm, .MYI and .MYD. MYI (MYIndex) is the index file that MyISAM uses to store table indexes. But at times, you observe that system is unable to open the .MYI file. The most likely reason behind such behavior can be .MYI file corruption. As a result, you cant access the database and hence need to restore lost information from backup. In such situations, if you find your database backup as invalid or incomplete or the backup is non-existent,

applications can be used for repairing and restoring the database.

You might receive the below error message with your MyISAM table:

"cant find file: .MYI"

Here, tablename refers to the name of affected MyISAM table.

Cause

The index file (.MYI) of table is damaged or corrupted. It can get corrupt due to unexpected shutdown, improper locking of table, errors in MyISAM code, network errors, hard disk issues and similar other reasons.

Solution

To rectify the above issue, you need to perform these steps in order:

• First, you need to check the database table for corruption using one of the following commands with valid options:

 CHECK TABLE tablename

 myisamchk *.MYI

 mysqlcheck *.MYI

• If the above commands detect corruption, you need to repair the database. To accomplish the same, you can use following command:

 REPAIR TABLE tablename

 myisamchk *.MYI

 mysqlcheck *.MYI

Before you try to repair the table, it is recommended to take its backup.

• If you still receive the same corruption error messages, you should delete the damaged database table and restore the lost data from latest backup. But if you observe that database backup is not up to the mark, you need to use

tools.

MySQL Database Recovery software are effective applications that are designed to scan and repair damaged MySQL databases. They offer advanced repair options, to-the-point documentation, interactive interface and different support options. These tools implement powerful scanning algorithms for efficiently repairing the affected database objects.

Stellar Phoenix Database Recovery For MySQL is the premier and most powerful MySQL Repair tool that offers efficient repair and restoration of damaged MySQL databases. It natively supports both InnoDB (.ibdata, .ibd and .frm) and MyISAM (.myd, .myi and .frm) files. The software is compatible with MySQL 5.x. It supports recovery from MySQL database installed on Windows as well as Linux platforms. This MySQL Database Recovery software is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000.