Windows 10 and 11 PCs don't support the Windows NT data. So, you won't be able to access its data backup stored on an LTO tape. You will need to use a specialized tape data recovery software to recover inaccessible data backups from a magnetic tape cartridge.
Not many users use the Windows NT backup utility now, as it has become obsolete. Yet, there are some users on the internet looking for a way to access their data archived on old LTO tapes using this discontinued backup utility.
As the archives on the tape are written using a utility that is not supported on modern Windows OS (Windows 10 or 11), they become unreadable or inaccessible. So, if you are one of the few users trying to access data on such tapes, then this article is for you. Here, you'll find out a way to read the NT Backup tapes on existing OS and recover inaccessible data from the tapes using a specialized LTO tape data recovery software.
What is Windows NT Backup?
Windows NT Backup is a backup utility introduced in 1993 with Windows NT 3.51. It was made available as both a GUI-based utility and a command-line utility called "ntbackup". Using either of the utilities, users can create and manage data backups in different storage media. It stored data backups in BKF format on floppy and zip drives, and in MTF format on magnetic LTO tapes.
The "ntbackup" command was an alternative way to start the backup utility. It was used via the Command Prompt to create and restore backups.
It used two features to make the backup process efficient – Shadow Copy to create data backups and Task Scheduler to schedule them.
Read More: How to Recover Data from an LTO Tape that is Backed up in Veritas Backup Exec?
Why are Users not able to open NT Backup Data on Windows 11 and 10?
The existing Windows OS' (Windows 10 and 11) no longer support the dated utility (Windows NT Backup). Therefore, magnetic tapes with archives created using Windows NT have become inaccessible. Moreover, if users try to access data on such tapes, they encounter the following error: The procedure entry point SetCatalogState could not be located in the dynamic link library
There are, however, other reasons as well, which could make the Windows NT backup on LTO tapes inaccessible:
- Backup configuration issues
- Missing catalog files
- Incompatibility between the tape cartridge and the drive
- Incorrect leader pin position
- Improper connections between the LTO tape drive and the host system
How to Recover Windows NT Backup from LTO Tape Cartridges?
As the utility (Windows NT Backup) with which the data archive was created on the tape is no longer supported, you can use a powerful LTO tape data recovery software to recover the data from inaccessible LTO tape. For this, you can rely on Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit. It is an advanced tool that recovers data backups from LTO tapes without any hassle.
Highlights of Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit:
- Pay-per-use license plan; 1 Tape = 1 license
- Recovers archives from LTO tapes with 100% precision
- Extracts data from a magnetic tape cartridge as an image dump (.tape)
- Recovers missing files and folders from tape archives with ease
- Restores backups from tapes with missing catalog files
- Retrieves all types of data - documents, images, videos, database files (SQL/MySQL), mailbox files (MBOX, OST, PST), legal and compliance documents, etc.
- Supports all the generations of Ultrium tape from LTO-1 to LTO-9
- Compatible with a wide range of tape parsers – Windows NT, HPE Data Protector, ArGest (BRU), TAR, Tivoli Storage Manager, Veritas, Symantec, and more.
- Supports LTO tape cartridges and drives of all major brands, including IBM, HPE, Quantum, Oracle, Dell, and EMC.
Follow this step-by-step video to see how Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit recovers data backups from LTO tape cartridges.
Conclusion
Old or discontinued tape parsers like Windows NT Backup are no longer compatible with current OS' (Windows 10 and 11). Hence, the data backups stored on such LTO tapes become inaccessible.
Therefore, it becomes important to safely retrieve the files. For that, you can use an apt tool like Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit. It is a powerful LTO tape data recovery software that lets you recover data from magnetic tape cartridges that have archives created using tape data parsers like Windows NT Backup. This tool scans the magnetic tape, reads the files and folders, and recovers them with 100% accuracy and precision.
Related Reads
Magnetic Tape Storage – Should it be Backed Up or Archived?
How to Recover Data from LTO Tape backed up using Tivoli Storage Manager?
How to Recover LTO Tape Data from Arcserve (Full, Incremental, and Differential)?
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