Format Tape Command Unavailable for Certain Tapes Using Ntbackup.exe
Article ID: 177121
Article Last Modified on 10/31/2006
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition
This article was previously published under Q177121
SUMMARY
When you are using Windows NT Backup (Ntbackup.exe), the Format Tape
command on the Operations menu may be unavailable for certain types of
tapes.
MORE INFORMATION
The Ntbackup.exe program included with Windows NT can format only tapes in
floppy disk controller-based tape drives that are DC2000 compatible. The
driver for this type of tape device specifies whether the device supports
the format command. Ntbackup.exe uses this information to determine
whether the Format Tape command is available. Ntbackup.exe cannot format
tapes in SCSI controller-based tape drives.
Note that the Format Tape command is unavailable for some tape drives that
do support the Format Tape command. With these devices, the Format Tape
command is unavailable because formatting the tape would lower the tape
capacity. For example, some Travan tapes have a 800-megabyte (MB) capacity
with factory formatting, but have only a 250-MB capacity if formatted
using Ntbackup.exe.
Please consult the tape drive's manufacturer or documentation for
information about how to format tapes if the Format Tape command is
unavailable.
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