RESTORE Problem - Invalid Microsoft Tape Format Backup Set

[JohnBoulding]

Hi

I operate a SQL Server 2000 on Server 2003 and do daily backups as follows:

I select Database and overwrite existing media and create the backup file in a directory of the C drive. Pretty standard stuff and in accordance with Microsofts recommendations in MSDN.

I have a development environment at home and occasionally restore the production database for testing.

To restore I copy the production backup file to the same directory on my home computer as on the production machine.

I then select restore and it has always worked fine....until last week when I got a message:

The file on device C:/Backup/SQL_Backup is not a valid Microsoft Tape Format Backup Set. RESTORE TERMINATED.

I have rerun the backup on the production with verify and it is OK.

I have restored a backup from a week ago and it restores OK.

What should I do now ? Any ideas ?

John Boulding

 

[philhege]

Perhaps the set was corrupted when you copied it to your personal machine. Did you try to copy it again? How do you transport the files?

Phil Hegedusich
Senior Programmer/Analyst
IIMAK

http://www.iimak.com

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Pity the insomniac dyslexic agnostic. He stays up all night, wondering if there really is a dog.

 

[JohnBoulding]

Hi

Firstly thanks for replying

I have 4 recent backups, the first restores fine but the last 3 don't. The last one was verified during backup.

I copy the file to a USB flash disk and copy onto my home computer. Pretty standard stuff.

I have not changed the production server or home server in some time and have been successful in restoring up to now.

I am really mystified as I originally thought the backup set was corrupt. But when I Backup with verify it says it is OK.

I have done some research on the error on the web but cannot find anyone with this same issue.

Does the message mean the backup is corrupt ? Is this the only possibility ?

Regards

John

 

[philhege]

Does anything else copy successfully from the USB drive? Have you tried burning the files to CD and copying that way? The data is being corrupted in transit somehow. You just have to find the culprit. SQL doesn't give false corruption alerts; if it says it's broken, it's broken.

 

[TonyKhela]

Hi,

I have exactly the same issue, except using SQL 2005 backups.

I backup a db on server1 and verify. It's fine.
I copy to usb external drive and copy to server2, and its now 'corrupted'.

This happens the other way to too. ie. from server2 to usb drive to server1.

The file has same size and date.
restore headeronly from disk='c:\myback.bak'
shows 'incomlete' in databasename field.

Any ideas, anyone??

TK

 

[TonyKhela]

Hi,
I tried the follwoing:
backup database BOBJECMS to disk='D:\BAK\BOBJECMS\BOBJECMS.bak' with init, format

It worked for me.

TK