BE 12 will not read/write/erase tapes - unable to decrypt

[Colossus610]

HP LTO Ultrium-4 with Backup Exec 12 fully patched working fine since July started failing Monday with the cryptic and so-far-not-found-anywhere-online error messages-

Final error: 0xe0008130 - The tape drive is unable to decrypt the data on the tape. It may have been encrypted by some other application that Backup Exec is unable to read.
Final error category: Backup Device Errors

Yes, the job had been running with an Encryption key but I have pulled a test restore once a week since installation to verify media/data viability with no issues.

I cannot Erase, Inventory, Label or Catalog any of my media-same error and no "some other applications" have touched this media.

All show as ? unrecognized Media.

Nothing else was changed, no firmware updates on the drive, no chaneges to drive settings, I doubt Windows Updates would affect BE in this manner...

I have already performed a full uninstall with removal of db and catalogs, reinstalled and reset same encryption key to no avail.

Aside from possibly degaussing a full month's worth of 100 dollar tapes(Do I ship em out and be without tapes, buy a degausser or buy a whole new month's worth of tapes?), I'm at a loss here.

Does anyone else have any advice or input?

[Colossus610]

Correction /edit:

ONE tape shows as previously labelled and actually works- backup/inventory/label etc.

Guess it's definitely not the drive.

[Alex-tcguys]

I'm having this same issue, BE12.5, just happened since the new year.

 Job has been running with Encryption Key, Dell LTO Ultrium-4, fully patched, and jobs for "Monday" have always worked up until now.

I can't do anything to the tape, label, erase, catalog, inventory, etc.

It has to be a symantec bug.  The question is, how to format or do something to the tape in order to at least make it usable again?  I don't even care about my data..  just want to be able to use the tape.

Let me know if you hear of anything at all!  I have a case open with Symantec, but guy had me do a quick/long inventory quite a few times..  so, I think it's a hopeless case.

Thanks!

Alex

The Computer Guys, Michigan

[Colossus610]

I guess you could consider this a bump with additional info:

I did just learn something- LTO media cannot be re-used after degaussing, so scratch that whole idea.

GI Joe once said that knowing was half the battle. Learning experience this one was...'nuf said.

Well, regardless of 700 bucks later and a new set of tapes,I still have 13 tapes that are unusable unless someone with knowledge greater than my own offers advice on this issue.

Message Edited by Colossus610 on 01-29-2009 08:02 PM

[Alex-tcguys]

Use Dell's rwrite.exe to write 100 MB to the drive, and you'll be able to do quick/long erase and label after that.  I know it sounds too easy, but that's what I found from my experience.  Obviously your data won't be accessible, but at least you don't lose your tapes!

Let me know if it works.  If so, you owe me a beer :p

[Colossus610]

Thanks for the info, I'm actually expecting a whole new set of tapes and an additonal server today, and as I will be moving the management/backup roles to this new server and will have to label the new media anyway, I'll give that a try.

If it works, I'll probably do some drinking of my own. But as for yours, I may have to drink it myself and send you a drunkenly typed/slurred email, thereby sharing the experience as well I can 'remotely'.