Chapter 7 Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Suggestions

BE DESTROYED. If the tape drive passes the diagnostic write/read test, perform backup again. If the tape drive fails the diagnostic, the drive may be bad. Contact Customer Support.

Tape is Write Protected

The following troubleshooting steps start when software logged a TapeAlert message. The TapeAlert message can be viewed either on the main console screen or in the backup software’s log file. There may be more than one TapeAlert message per backup failure event.

1The TapeAlert message or backup log shows, “You are trying to write to a write-protected cartridge. Remove the write-protection or use another tape.

Eject the tape from the drive and move the write protect tab to the enable position. Reinsert the tape and restart the backup.

2If the TapeAlert message or backup log shows, “The memory in the tape cartridge has failed, which reduces performance. Do not use the cartridge for further backup operations.” a Cartridge Memory chip failure may have occurred in the tape cartridge or a tape drive failure may have occurred. Use another tape to perform a backup. (This message may be seen with, “You have loaded a cartridge of a type that is read-only in this drive. The cartridge will appear as write-protected.”)

3Insert a second tape and restart the backup. The backup should be successful. The first tape cannot be used for further backups. If you insert a second tape for a backup and other tape alert messages appear in the backup software again, the tape drive may be bad.

4If you start a backup and the software displays a message on the console a message similar to “Overwrite protection is set to ______. Click OK to overwrite the media or insert new media that can be overwritten.” it indicates a software-related problem. Refer to the backup software instructions on overwrite and append settings.

Miscellaneous TapeAlert Messages

1If either of the following messages appears:

The tape drive has a hardware fault: 1 Eject the tape or magazine.

2 Reset the drive.

3 Restart the operation.

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Quantum LTO-3 manual Tape is Write Protected, Miscellaneous TapeAlert Messages