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DLT
& Tape Media Data Recovery |
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 Tapes,
are the most popular and commonly trusted medium used to safeguard and archive
data, however and unfortunately tape backups can, on rare occasion do fail.
Server and Personal
Computer Tape Backup systems using 4mm DAT, Travan, Exabyte 8mm, LTO and the
various QIC formats can be rendered useless once the data stored on them is no
longer accessible.
If you have lost tape data due
to software problems or backup failures, overwritten tape media, tape drive
failure, or physical tape damage, trust the SMR tape recovery experts to have
the tools and resources necessary salvage the data that others consider
unrecoverable.
There are many different ways to
damage a tape. Aging can induce effects such as flaking of the oxide layer. To
overcome this situation, SMR offers a stabilization service that will allow a
deteriorated tape to be replayed a limited number of times, enough for it to be
transcribed to different media.
Physical damage, such as media recovered
from aircraft “black boxes,” can often be reconstituted to a level that will
allow replay. SMR provides expertise and facilities in this specialty, and has
been called upon to do so on many occasions.
Tape data recovery is the
successful retrieval and copying of data from tape cartridges that have been
damaged due to any of the following:
Common Failure Types for Recovery:
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Heat, Fire,
Sunlight, and Smoke Damage |
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Water and
Humidity Damage |
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Impact
Damage/Broken Cartridge |
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Overwriting |
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Damage from
the Tape Drive |
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Damage as a
Result of Aging (Past Warranty) |
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Damage from
Extreme Temperatures or Humidity |
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Internal
Cartridge Mechanism Failing |
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Permanent
Errors Residing Mid File |
As in all data recovery operations, recovering data
from tapes is very focused and encompasses essentially two recovery types -
Physical and Logical.
Physical Data Recovery is
necessary when there is a physical problem with the iron oxides or plastic
polymers which prevents the data from being read normally. This type of recovery
may include dealing with issues such as decomposing magnetic coatings, cracked
or broken reels/cartridges, broken/stretched/creased/twisted/folded tape, etc.
While these physical issues are challenging to deal with, recovery from these
types can usually be achieved in nearly 100% of all cases.
Logical Data Recovery is more
challenging, therefore more costly. Recovering files logically includes
recovering the data portion of a tape that was successfully recorded, but for
now cannot be read. The recovery of these files often requires multiple passes
using proprietary software to restore the file. The file fragments are pieced
back together and the logically recreated file is written on the appropriate
output tape.
Other forms of logical data
recovery include tapes that were written with misaligned heads, and tapes that
were mistakenly reinitialized. Each can be recovered, at least partially, using
our exclusive software and procedures. With data recovery, you often only get
one chance to do it right – so give it your best shot: Our in-house recovery
service necessitates the shipping of your non-functioning tapes to our location
in order for our techs and engineers to assess what steps need to be taken to
recover the data. Once we have determined what is recoverable and obtained your
OK, the restoration begins.
After the process is complete,
we ship your data via your choice of media (i.e. External USB Hard drive, CD,
DVD, or via a secure FTP connection of up to 2GB).
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