Consider a scenario wherein you have the responsibility of taking routine backups in your organization. As a usual practice, you tend to create the backups over the network to save time and then, save it on the server. However, when you try to restore the BKF file for a particular user you are unable to do so.

Cause:
The most likely reason for this situation is that the BKF file may have got corrupted while you were transferring it to your system after creating the backup. Such problems are referred to as CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) errors.

CRC is an error-checking method in which a character is randomly generated during data transfer. And after data transfer, this character is matched with the character produced at the other end. If both the characters match then the data transfer is successful. However, the data transfer is considered as unsuccessful in the event of a mismatch, which is commonly referred to as CRC error. The BKF file is intact; however, you cannot restore data from that file.

Resolution:
To resolve this problem, you should check if you have got any updated backup of the BKF file. If yes, then restore data from that BKF file to get your data back. If this is not so, then you should use a third-party BKF recovery software to repair BKF file. Such BKF repair tools are read-only in nature and do not overwrite the existing data while scanning.

Stellar Phoenix BKF Recovery is BKF repair software that is able to repair BKF file from all instances of BKF corruption. It repairs the BKF files created in Windows Server 2003, XP, and 2000. Also, this BKF recovery utility successfully repairs the BKF files created using Backup Exec. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, 2003 Server, XP, and Server 2000.

Let’s assume a scenario in which you have an external hard disk that you want to format using your Windows 2000 system. You create a BKF file of the data that you want to retain for future use. When you attempt to restore the file after formatting the hard disk, you fail to do so. An error message is displayed as a result, that is:

“[Unrecognized Media]

The backup file is unusable. You must erase it, or choose another file.”

After this error message, you can only click on the OK button to close the message box.

Cause:

The root cause of this error message is that the BKF file has corrupted and, now, is in an invalid Windows 2000 backup file format. There could be various reasons for BKF corruption such as virus infections, power outages, incomplete or interrupted backup process, etc. As the BKF file is corrupt, you are unable to restore data from it.

Resolution:

You should always check the backup reports and event logs to determine that backup has been created properly. Now as is stated, Windows does not provide any in-built utility to repair BKF files. So, to repair corrupted BKF file you should use a third-party MS backup repair tool. Such read-only tools repair the BKF files without overwriting the original contents using fast yet sophisticated scanning algorithms.

Stellar Phoenix BKF Recovery is a BKF repair tool that enables you to repair corrupted BKF files from all instances of corruption. It is capable of repairing the BKF files created in Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003. This backup repair tool also recovers BKF files created by Backup Exec tool from Veritas and Symantec Software. It is easy-to-use software that does not require any prior high-end knowledge to repair the corrupted BKF file. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Think of a situation where you try to restore your files using NTBackup utility. But, to your surprise,  the files are not getting restored properly and you then encounter some error messages.

After this, you are left helpless as the .bkf file cannot be used further to restore the backed up data.

Cause:

The main causes for the unusual behavior of the .bkf file are:

• A third-party backup software has set the below mentioned value to 1 while getting installed. But, the NTBackup utility sets it to 0.

“HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ntbackup\Backup Engine\Backup files inuse”

Actually the main issue is that you have tried to backup those files which were open, due to which the .bkf file has become corrupted.

• Another reason why you were not able to restore your files is because of missing files from the .bkf file. This happens when the value of the above mentioned entry is set to 0, the backup utility skips the open files, as a result of which some files might be missing while restoring from the .bkf file.

Resolution:

Consider the following steps to resolve the problem:

• Firstly, you need to set the following value to 0.  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ntbackup\Backup Engine\Backup files inuse.

• And make sure that the file is consistent before you backup.

In most cases, you will be able to resolve the issues using these measures. But, if the .bkf file is corrupt, then the only way by which your data can be retrieved is by using a powerful BKF repair software. Incorporating high-end scanning algorithms these applications repair BKF file with full efficiency., Additionally, these tools are embedded with interactive graphical user interface that makes them user-friendly and self-explanatory.

Consider a practical scenario – Sometimes, when you try to create a .bkf file using Windows NTBackup on a FAT or FAT32 based file system, the following error message appears:

“[Insert media]
The fixed media is full. You cannot back up all of the specified data to this disk device.
The backup operation will stop.”

After this error message, the backup operation stops and the .bkf file gets inaccessible. As a result, you may not be able to restore your data from the file.

Cause:

This error message appears because FAT or FAT32 file systems have the maximum size limit of 4 GB. So, when the .bkf file’s size exceeds this size limit, the error message appears and the .bkf file corrupts.

Resolution:

Consider the following measures to resolve the issue:

NTFS file system has the maximum capacity of 16 GB. So try creating the .bkf file using NTFS file system. To convert the file system to NTFS, use the following command:
convert <Drive:> /FS=NTFS
However, if the .bkf file gets corrupted, then the only way to resolve the issue would be to use a good-quality BKF repair software. These advanced applications incorporate most efficient scanning mechanisms to repair BKF file systematically. In addition, these utilities are embedded with interactive graphical user interface that makes them user-friendly and self-explanatory and hence do not require any prior technical skills.

A .bkf file can get corrupted due to numerous reasons. Some of them are:

• Virus infection.
• Power outage.
• Improper or unexpected system shutdown.
• Application Malfunction.
• System malfunction

When a bkf file gets corrupted, you may receive any one of the following error message:

• “An inconsistency was encountered on the requested media.”
• “The backup file is unusable. You must erase it, or choose another file.”
• “The fixed media is full. You cannot back up all of the specified data to this disk device. The backup operation will stop.”
• “The backup file contains unrecognized data and cannot be used.”
• “There is no information contained in the file.”

When any of the above error message appears, the bkf file becomes inaccessible. Consequently, you may not be able to use the bkf file to restore your data.

Resolution:

To resolve all the corruption related issues in bkf file, you need to go for a powerful BKF repair tool to repair BKF file completely. These applications incorporate highly proficient scanning mechanisms to enable you retrieve your data from the corrupted bkf file with ease. Additionally, these tools are embedded with intuitive graphical user interface that makes them easy to use and understand without any prior technical skills.

Consider a situation – In a FAT or FAT 32 file system, when you use Windows NTBackup utility to backup your data, the following error message may appear:

“The fixed media is full. You cannot back up all of the specified data to this disk device.”

When this error message flashes, the backup operation stops, preventing you from adding more files in the backup.

Cause:

The above mentioned error message occurs in the computers using FAT or FAT32 file system. This is because FAT or FAT32 have limited capacity of 4GB and if the .bkf file attempts to exceed this limit, the error message appears. In addition, .bkf file can get corrupt, if you are not concerned about the file.

Resolution:

Follow the steps given below to workaround the issue:
NTFS file system supports maximum file size of about 16 exabytes. So, try to convert to NTFS using the Convert <Drive:> /FS=NTFS command.
Then, locate the .bkf file on the NTFS partition.
Reduce the size of the .bkf file.

In most cases, the above given steps  help you to resolve the issue and also prevent your .bkf file from getting corrupt. But, if you procrastinate in following the above given measures, then your .bkf file might come under threat of corruption. Once, the .bkf file gets corrupted, then the only way out would be to repair BKF file to retrieve your data. To do so, you need to use a powerful BKF repair software that employ sophisticated algorithms to scan and repair the corrupted BKF file accurately. Designed by highly qualified experts, these tools provide interactive graphical user interface that makes them user-friendly and self-explanatory.

Though, NTBackup may free you from the stress of worrying about your data but, sometimes it may prove futile. For instance – In some cases, when you try to restore your data from the BKF file, the following error message appears:

“The backup file contains unrecognized data and cannot be used”

After this error message, you may not be able to use the backup file, no matter how many times you try to access it.

Cause:

Possible causes for the above mentioned error message are:

• If the BKF file is backed up on servers, then the problem could be related to mapping, permissions, or ownership.
• Large size of the BKF file could be a reason for the problem.
• Other reason could be be corruption of the BKF file, which occurs due to unexpected system shutdown, virus infected files, etc.

Resolution:

After BKF file corruption, you cannot use it to restore your data. At this point, the need of the hour is to find out a proper solution for the above problem. However, in this case, the issue can be resolved by repairing the BKF file. Thus, to repair BKF file, you need to use an effective third-party application known as BKF repair software. These applications perform accurate backup file repair by incorporating highly influential scanning mechanisms. Embedded with intuitive graphical user interface, these tools are user-friendly and self-explanatory and do not require any prior technical understanding.

For instance – Sometimes, while trying to restore the data from a .bkf file using Ntbackup.exe tool, you encounter the following error message:

“Unable to restore”

After this error message, the restoration process gets discarded or terminated. Consequently, the data present in the .bkf file becomes inaccessible resulting in critical data loss scenario.

Cause:

The problem mainly occurs when Ntbackup.exe encounters an invalid or unknown data stream. The unknown data stream may be the result of a third-party .bkf file containing data streams with Stream ID’s, which are unknown for Ntbackup.exe tool. The Ntbackup.exe tool fails to skip the invalid data stream, due to which the restoration process stops and an error message appears.

Resolution:

You can resolve the problem by obtaining the latest service pack for Windows 2000. But, in some cases, the problem does not get resolved even after obtaining the service pack. In such situations, you need to repair BKF completely to retrieve all the information or data from the corrupted BKF file. To do so, a third-party application known as BKF Repair software will enable you to effectively recover your data from the corrupted or damaged BKF file. These applications employ highly sophisticated methods to extract the data from the BKF file. Furnished with interactive graphical user interface, these tools are user-friendly and self-explanatory without any prior technical understanding.

For instance – Sometimes, When you try to view the BKF file by double clicking on it, the following error message appears:

“There is no information contained in the file.”

After this error message flashes, the BKF file becomes inaccessible and fails to restore using NTBackup tool. Also, you encounter the same error message each time you try to restore the data from the BKF file.

Cause:

• The error message may also occur when after creating a backup file  you install MS Windows operating system with a different product key. Due to a different product key, the registry settings of the file may change, causing inaccessibility of BKF file.
• The above mentioned error message appears when the BKF file is corrupt or damaged. Corruption of BKF file may occur due to virus, operating system malfunctioning, missing catalog file, simultaneous execution of Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) during backup creation, etc.

Resolution:

To resolve the issue and to make the BKF file accessible, you need to repair the corrupted or damaged BKF file using a high-quality third-party tool, known as BKF repair tool. This tool Repair BKF File completely by employing highly influential scanning algorithms. Being non-destructive in nature, the application retrieves your data accurately without altering the contents of the file. Such utilities are designed by qualified and proficient experts who furnish these applications with interactive graphical user interface, making them easy to use and understand.

Stellar Phoenix BKF Recovery is an advanced software that completely repairs and restores the corrupted or damaged BKF file in all instances of corruption. The BKF repair tool is supports BKF files created with Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 backup utilities and even repairs files created with Backup Exec     by VERITAS software. The read-only tool is found to be compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2003, and 2000 operating systems.

When you see the BKF files, which are created using concurrent execution of several backup processes,you will discover that the catalog files are missing from the Restore tab under the NTBackup utility. Catalogfiles of BKF file allow the NTBackup utility to restore your critical data from the BKF file.Although, all the backup operations complete successfully without showing any error message while backingup the data, but when you try to restore the data, you might encounter an error message related to unrecognizable and unusable file. Some of these error messages can be as given below:
.    The backup file contains unrecognized data and cannot be used
.    The backup file is unusable. You must erase it, or choose another file
.    An inconsistency was encountered on the requested media

At this point of time, you can’t re-create missing catalog files while other BKF files, which were created concurrently, already exist under the Restore tab of the NTBackup tool. Thus, you can’t restore the data from BKF file stored on your backup media.
Root of this problem
NTBackup tool creates catalog files for every BKF file and of every backup operation which is completed.

These files are stored in the following folder on your Windows computer:

%SystemRoot%\Documents and Settings\Account\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\NTBackup\catalogs

The Catalog files are shown under the Restore tab of NTBackup utility, so that you can select the part of backup file that you want to restore.

When you create more than one backup at a time, the catalog files share identical timestamp attribute. In thiscase, the backup set that was attributed first, emerges under the Restore tab. Other backups started concurrently do not appear under the Restore tab and you can’t add them manually. This process corrupts BKF file and bkf repair becomes necessary to achieve precise recovery. This is best possible using powerful and advanced third party bkf recovery software.

Stellar Phoenix BKF Recovery software can effectively Repair BKF Files created using NTBackup tool. The software is compatible with BKF files created with Windows XP, 2003 and 2000.  It supports Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, 2003 and 2000. It is also compatible with BKF files created using Backup Exec tool by VERITAS software.