Tape backup question / recovery

[ConozoComputers]

I have someone who had a tape backup from 2003. It’s a Sony SDT-11000 that uses DDS tapes. Neither of us have any idea what software she used to backup because their hard drive crashed and it was not recoverable. Is there generic software to be able to recover data from these tapes. It does not show up as a drive that I can access but is installed in the device manager. As you can tell I have never used tape backups before.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

If you could use some software to browse/inventory the drive....perhaps it was Backup Exec (which was very popular)...you can read backup exec files with good old NT Backup (built into Windows up to XP/2003). What OS are you trying to read it from?

 

[ConozoComputers]

Windows XP Pro and thats what was on the system before. I did download a trial of Backup Exec as a wild guess attempt but it requires Windows server to install.

So i just opened NT backup to restore files and it says there is a 4mm DDS device but i cannot select anything from it, i'm not at that computer and only connected remotely right now so its possible the tape in there currently doesn't have anything on it. Is it that easy to just select the files you want to restore.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Do they have other tapes to try to read?

Generally fairly easy to select files to restore..can restore to alternate locations too. Since there's no archive database (since it's a fresh install) you'll have to catalog/inventory the existing tapes.

There is a chance (not knowing the previous backup software) that the prior backup setup encrypted the backups....if so, without that key, you won't have any chance.

 

[coffee]

Ok, Hold on. The back up is from 2003? So what? We are talking almost 10 years old? What makes you think the tape is still good? Normally I do believe that tapes really only last about 5 years. Probably all the oxide is gonna start coming off when you go to read it. So, Atleast get a cleaning tape and have it ready.
This link below will explain tape backups with linux. Its worth a shot to try and read the contents of the drive with the mt command. Just use a bootable cd and see if its even readable. You might get lucky.

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-tape-backup-with-mt-and-tar-command-howto/

 

[citizensmith]

I'm think that model was bundled with backup exec dekstop and a 60 day trial of the server version.
You cant tell from the original post, but just cos the technoolgy is old skool doesn't mean it isnt still used on the machine it "came with".

 

[jaydeee]

Guess you'll be ok with windows 2003 default backup facility.
I have tried it and it works.
Good luck.

 

[ConozoComputers]

Thanks for the reply everybody. I was able to recover a backup from 2007 using NT Backup. Yes you heard that right, 2007, but they have a lot of documents and forms that haven't changed in years so it will help them believe it or not.