Tape Recovery - Overwritten Data

• Your tape is reported as blank but you know there was data on it.
• A scheduled backup started when you went to restore from a tape.

These are common scenarios that we have seen and from which we have successfully recovered data.

Altirium use modified hardware and specialised recovery techniques to gain access to previously recorded data stored on the tape. Once the data can be accessed and read from the tape the recovered data then requires further processing to restore the original files that were backed up.

In most cases the data on the tape is stored in a proprietary format that can be understood only by the backup software. Because the data is incomplete it cannot simply be written back out to tape for the originating software to restore it.

At Altirium we develop software that allow us to restore files from proprietary backup formats. This gives us the capability to deal with problems that may occur within the data or develop solutions for new formats as and when they arise.

Whilst data that has been physically overwritten cannot be recovered. It is still possible to recover beyond newly recorded data.

Above: Recoverable data from overwritten helical scan recording.

Above: Recoverable data from overwritten serpentine recording.

Unlike video tapes, that play from start to end of tape regardless of any new or old recording, most data storage tape technologies prevent access to previously recorded data beyond the new recording. We are able to circumvent these restrictions and recover previously recorded data.