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Q177121: Format Tape Command Unavailable in Ntbackup.exe

Article: Q177121
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): winnt:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbhw kbHardware
Last Modified: 10-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

When you are using Windows NT Backup (Ntbackup.exe), the Format Tape command on
the Operations menu may be unavailable for certain types of tapes.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The Ntbackup.exe program included with Windows NT can format only tapes in
floppy disk controller-based tape drives that are DC2000 compatible. The driver
for this type of tape device specifies whether the device supports the format
command. Ntbackup.exe uses this information to determine whether the Format Tape
command is available. Ntbackup.exe cannot format tapes in SCSI controller-based
tape drives.

Note that the Format Tape command is unavailable for some tape drives that do
support the Format Tape command. With these devices, the Format Tape command is
unavailable because formatting the tape would lower the tape capacity. For
example, some Travan tapes have a 800-megabyte (MB) capacity with factory
formatting, but have only a 250-MB capacity if formatted using Ntbackup.exe.

Please consult the tape drive's manufacturer or documentation for information
about how to format tapes if the Format Tape command is unavailable.


Additional query words: prodnt greyed grayed out

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Keywords          : kbhw kbHardware 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTSEntSearch kbWinNTSEnt400 kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : winnt:4.0
Issue type        : kbinfo

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