Unable to catalog - have tried everything on website, any help would be wonderful! Want my files :(

[buletman]

I am unfortunately the victim of ransomware. So I felt like "No problem, I have my backups"...first issue was the services would not start, even in Local System mode, so I uninstalled 2010, downloaded again from symantec, went through install, got everything updated, was able to get all services to start.

I see my bkf files in media and devices. I inventory, which seems to complete successfully. When I try to catalog, it appears to work for first 20 minutes, then bam - I am hit with errors - typically "e0000900 - The requested media is not listed in the media index and could not be mounted. To add the media's catalog information to the disk-based catalogs, run an inventory operation on the media and resubmit the Catalog operation." But I have seen a couple of different ones. Yes, I have renamed catalog library after disabling services, yes I have unchecked the box about catalog using media device...

I am pulling out my hair because I know the data is there, in those BKF files, and yet I can't access it. I have even tried Stellar BKF extraction app, but unfortunately all file names are "unknown" so it is next to useless for me. And go figure, support eded 17 days ago so veritas/symantec is 0 help. 

Why must I jump through hoops to access these files - why isn't there an easy way to just "extract" them?

If anyone can help, it'd be greatly appreciated! (And yes, I am aware I am in need of bringing things up to 2017, and this is my cue, however I need a starting place, and getting my files back would be nice!)

[Colin_Weaver]

Backup Exec 2010 and earlier allowed append on BKF files which affects catalogs

Basically if job 1 uses 1.5 BKF files, job 2 bkf files but is append after job 1 so you get 3.5 bkf fiels uses and thsi continues for some time then you could end up with a very large family of BKF files cossing multiple backup jobs including one or more jobs from weeks/months ago where the backup sets had been overwritten due to their ag and the BKF files re-used.

Now when it comes to the catalogs, when a backup sets cross/span from one bkf file to another, the defaukt catalog operation will try to find all of the BKF files that relate to the set in question and if it can't find then BKF file (or finds it but because it has been overwritten has a different internal identifier when accessed) then you will get errors during the job. if yiou have a sequence going back in time of multiple sets in the family crossing/spanning BKF files  then the actually mising BKF fiel might be a verty old one, but the catalog job is stil trying to find it and fails.

You error appears to show the a chained BKF file is missing - which might mean you have it, but is has not been inventored it yet, or you don't have it at all.

There is a solution

1) Make sure all BKF fiese that you have available, have been inventoried

2) Disable the setting to "Request all media in the sequence for catalog operations"

3) Catalog the BKF files again.

With this setting enabled you might end up with some partial catalogs as it should only read the data you have on available BKFs and not request others, but this should give a restore capability (as long as you change any date filters when looking at the restoree window to match teh timescales you are after.)

BTW I hope your BKF files were not also hit with Ransom Ware (which we have seen) as if that happens there is nothing you can do inside of BE that will help.

Note: Backup Exec 2012 and later no longer allow append to disk media, which reduces the chance of hitting the spaned media onot older BKFs issues and does mean that if you are missing a BKF then the backup set you are looking at will remain incomplete but it would not then affact any other sets.