We recover from all tape media:
| LTO | DLT | SuperDLT |
| AIT | QIC | 1/2" Open Reel |
| Cartridges | Mini data catridge | SLR |
| SAIT | DAT | VXA |
| More |
Common causes of tape failure and data loss
Corruption: operational error, expired tapes, mishandling of the tape or accidental overwrites caused by inserting or partially formatting the wrong tape
Physical damage: broken tapes, dirty drives and damage caused by fire, flood or other natural disaster
Software upgrades: inability for data on tape to be read by new application or servers
Ontrack rescues tape
Even though tape has a great longevity for data storage, a lot can happen to make the data on them inaccessible. Our engineering team has seen it all. Some of our recoveries include:
- Overwritten tapes (including DLT)
- Quick-erased or partially overwritten data from LTO (Ultrium) tape media
- Snapped or burnt tapes
- Tapes damaged by chemicals and smoke
- Software problems or backup failures
- Tapes immersed in flood water and mud
- Intentional or accidental physical damage
Process for tape recovery
Data Recovery from tape is anything but basic. Our Ontrack Data Recovery R&D team has been building up tape recovery knowledge and resources for over 25 years. Our process below has proven success.
- Tape recoveries are performed in dust-free cleanroom environments
- Tapes and tape drives are carefully dismounted, examined and processed
- Proprietary tools are used to read and recover around any physically damaged areas
- We are able to quickly image failing tapes to ensure the most complete data recovery possible
Warning: Attempting to recover tape data on your own, or through an inexperienced data recovery provider, may lead to further damage. Select a data recovery provider with the resources, expertise and experience you can trust.
Forensic recovery
Urgent restore request for a litigation? We recover legally sound data from tape media to satisfy litigation requests. Tapes contain a snapshot of data which was present on a system at a point in time. This could include information which is no longer available in 'active' storage, especially if – in the anticipation of an investigation - efforts have been made by a suspect to manipulate or remove potentially incriminating evidence from the live system. However, this evidence can still be found via a forensic investigation of the tapes. We can recover forensically sound data quickly when urgent restore requests arise.
Comprehensive tape services
When it comes to tape, we are the data experts. This does not stop with data recovery. We also offer other custom tapes services to assist you in saving time, resources and money.
More Information