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Backup / Restore to different server - "Media family is incorrectly formed"

Answered Backup / Restore to different server - "Media family is incorrectly formed"

  • Sunday, January 23, 2011 7:55 PM
     
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    I am very new to using MS SQL Server.  I offered to help a friend out not knowing what I was getting into.

    I have a .bak database, I downloaded and installed MS SQL Server Express 2005 - 9.00.1399.06 and I using Management Studios.

    I right click on Databases, select Restore Database - select FROM Device: and I get this error.

    TITLE: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express
------------------------------

An exception occurred while executing a Transact-SQL statement or batch. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Express.ConnectionInfo)

------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The media family on device 'F:\afmfirearmsdb.bak' is incorrectly formed. SQL Server cannot process this media family.
RESTORE HEADERONLY is terminating abnormally. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 3241)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&ProdVer=09.00.1399&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=3241&LinkId=20476

    And when I run the following command that I found on these forums

    RESTORE VERIFYONLY FROM DISK='f:\afmfirearmsdb.bak'

    I get this error:

    Msg 3241, Level 16, State 7, Line 1
The media family on device 'f:\afmfirearmsdb.bak' is incorrectly formed. SQL Server cannot process this media family.
Msg 3013, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
VERIFY DATABASE is terminating abnormally.

    I am very much a noob when it comes to working with this stuff, so all the help would be awesome.

     

    Thanks

     

All Replies

  • Monday, January 24, 2011 12:21 AM
     
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    Seems like the backup file is corrupted. You can do a RESTORE VERIFYONLY to confirm if the backup file is usable.

     

    RESTORE VERIFYONLY
    FROM DISK='F:\afmfirearmsdb.bak'

    GO

    IF @@ERROR = 0
    BEGIN
       PRINT ‘Backup usable'
    END
    ELSE
    BEGIN
        PRINT ‘Backup not usable'
    END
    GO

     

    Also, please install the latest service packs and try restoring.

     

     
  • Monday, January 24, 2011 2:25 AM
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    Where did the afmfirearmsdb.bak file come from?  This error can occur when you attempt to restore a database backup that was taken with SQL Server 2008 onto a server running SQL Server 2005.  If the backup is from 2008, you will need to use SQL Server 2008 Express to restore it - backups (and databases) are not backwards compatible with older versions.
     
  • Monday, January 24, 2011 2:30 AM
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    Where did the afmfirearmsdb.bak file come from?  This error can occur when you attempt to restore a database backup that was taken with SQL Server 2008 onto a server running SQL Server 2005.  If the backup is from 2008, you will need to use SQL Server 2008 Express to restore it - backups (and databases) are not backwards compatible with older versions.

    Correct. Restore Headeronly can tell the information about the backup.

    RESTORE HEADERONLY FROM DISK='f:\afmfirearmsdb.bak'
    if above also fails then the backup media is corrupted.
    Balmukund Lakhani | Please mark solved if I've answered your question, vote for it as helpful to help other user's find a solution quicker
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  • Monday, January 24, 2011 2:44 AM
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    It's worth noting that running RESTORE HEADERONLY on 2005 (or 2000 - I tried both) will still not be able to read the header of a 2008 backup - the same error message will appear.
     
  • Sunday, March 11, 2012 4:55 PM
     
     
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    How did u get the bak file. If you download from ftp, use binary mode to download. Then restore. Hope it will help.
     
  • Wednesday, August 01, 2012 4:51 AM
     
     
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    hello dsimi..

    How to download in binary mode?

    I don't know exactly ftp and binary mode. Pls explain me detail if u can

    Thanks a lot!

    • Proposed As Answer by Arun C O Thursday, August 02, 2012 4:38 PM
    • Unproposed As Answer by Arun C O Thursday, August 02, 2012 4:38 PM
    •