As a data recovery company we continuously advocate the need and importance of having a tried and tested tape backup plan. However, even tape backups which are the most common and trusted method of data loss prevention, fail and when that happens DataRAID can help. We have advanced data recovery tools and techniques enabling us to repair and recover inaccessible data from most tape storage devices such as DLT, DAT, and other formats.

Tape data recovery is the successful retrieval and copying of data from a tape cartridge that has been damaged due to any of the following:

• Heat and Smoke Damage
• Water Damage - Sprinkler System or Flooded
• Damage Resulting from Dropping the Cartridge
• Data Residing after an EOF Mark (Overwritten)
• Damage Resulting from the Tape Drive
• Damage as a Result of Aging (Past Warranty)
• Damage Resulting from Exposure to Extreme Temperatures or Humidity
• Internal Cartridge Mechanism Failing
• Permanent Errors Residing Mid File

Damage to tape can occur in many different ways. Simple ageing of media can induce effects such as shedding of the oxide layer which obviously is detrimental to both the recovery of data and the equipment on which the tape is being replayed. In order to overcome this problem, DataRAID provides a stabilization service that will allow a deteriorated tape to be replayed a limited number of times, allowing transcription to a different media.

Physical damage to tape, for example media recovered from aircraft crash recorders, can often be reconstituted to a level that will allow replay and acquisition of the data contained on the tape. DataRAID is able to provide expert advice and facilities in this area and has been called upon to do so by many small and large businesses on numerous occasions.

As in all data recovery operations, recovering data from tapes is very specialized, however, we tend to encounter and evaluate mainly two primarily recovery types - Physical and Logical.

Physical Data Recovery is necessary when there is a physical problem with the media or plastics which prevent the data from being read normally. This type of recovery may include dealing with issues such as deteriorating magnetic coatings, cracked or broken reels/cartridge shells, creased tape edges, twisted or folded tape, stretched or broken tape, etc. This recovery type also includes capturing the data from media that has mistakenly subjected to adverse conditions such as water, mud, or other debris. While these physical issues are often difficult to handle, recovery of these types can usually be achieved in the high 98+% range. Also the performance of magnetic media tapes can often be improved by cleaning the tape before a recovery attempt.  The objective of cleaning is to remove as much debris as possible from both the back and front surfaces of the tape which often leads to clogging of magnetic heads and problems associated with physical failure, but are actually contaminated tapes and paths. 

Logical Data Recovery is typically the most difficult and consequently the most expensive. Recovering files logically includes recovering the data portion of a tape that was successfully recorded, but for some unknown reason cannot be read. The recovery of files from this type of problem often requires multiple passes using proprietary software that restores the file to the HDD. If hard errors occur, "dummy blocks" are written in their place and the file fragments are pieced back together and the logically re-created file is written to the appropriate output tape.

Other forms of Logical Data Recovery include tapes that were written with misaligned heads and tapes that contain critical data and were          re-initialized by mistake. All of these problems can be recovered or at least partially recovered using internally developed proprietary software and processes.

Often data recovery is a "One Shot Deal" - make your first attempt  your only attempt with DataRAID.