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Tape Data Recovery

Tape Data Recovery Services

Since 2007, Secure Data Recovery has delivered tape data recovery for organizations dealing with physical tape damage, logical corruption, degraded media, and damaged catalogs. We handle large-scale migration projects, restore deleted files, repair severely damaged tapes, and convert recovered data into usable formats using specialized hardware and software.

Our team can also streamline tape data processing to reduce the burden on IT staff. Contact us to discuss your tape recovery requirements.

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800-388-1266

Our customers rate our services:

4.9 of 5

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We Helped Thousands Get Their Lost data back

With over 7,196 satisfied customers & counting, we are proud to provide the service and results that exceed customer expectations.

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Professional Recovery Services for Any Tape

We recover data from physically damaged, degraded, and logically corrupted tape media, supporting both single-tape recoveries and full-library projects. Every case is handled securely by experienced recovery engineers, with strong security controls in place. We invest in dedicated research and development to support complex tape recovery needs, from a single cartridge to an entire tape library. Our team works with legacy and current tape technologies, enterprise backup environments, and large-scale recovery projects to help organizations restore data efficiently and securely.

Supported tape formats include:

LTO
DAT
DLT and SDLT
DDS
4mm

8mm
Exabyte
DC2000 and Travan
AIT
IBM tape formats

Supported backup software environments:

Backup Exec
Retrospect
EMC NetWorker
Legato

Commvault
Acronis
NetVault
HP Data Protector

Whether your organization is facing RAID failures, server failures, backup corruption, or data loss from older media, our team has the expertise to minimize downtime and restore critical data. Call 800- 388-1266 or contact us to start your tape recovery project.

Tape data recovery for complex failure scenarios

Tape failures can occur in any backup environment, regardless of format or age. We help organizations recover data from tapes affected by every type of failure. Whether you need to restore data from a small tape set or a large archive, our team provides data recovery services to help reduce downtime and support business continuity.

Common tape data loss scenarios we handle include:

Humidity, moisture damage, or natural disasters
Physical impact damage and broken cartridge components
Permanent read errors within backup data and corruption
Accidental overwrites or ransomware attacks
Cartridge damage caused by tape drive failure
Flipped, twisted, broken, or stretched tape
Oxide loss and storage-related media decay

We support both individual tape recoveries and enterprise-scale migration archive projects, with flexible turnaround options and risk-free diagnostics. Call us at 800-388-1266 today to get started.

Tape Data Migration Services

Our Tape Data Migration Services help IT professionals and corporate customers recover, catalog, and transfer data from legacy backup tapes when the tape condition is unknown, the backup software is unidentified, or the original tape drive and hardware are no longer available.

We can scan tape headers, identify formats, catalog contents, and extract data from a single tape or thousands of tapes, then migrate it to modern, easy-to-access storage such as a NAS or external hard drive. Whether you are an IT manager dealing with obsolete backup systems, a business facing compliance or eDiscovery needs, or an organization trying to unlock critical archived data, our experienced team can handle the entire process securely and efficiently.

Call us now at 800-388-1266 to discuss your tape migration project.

Warning signs of tape media degradation

Tape media degradation can lead to backup failures, unreadable cartridges, and permanent data loss if left unchecked. For IT teams managing long-term archives and backup infrastructure, recognizing the warning signs of tape failure is critical to protecting recoverability and reducing downtime. The symptoms below are some of the most common indicators that tape data recovery or tape repair may be needed.

Read or write errors during backup or restore
Slow tape performance or repeated retries
CRC errors or checksum failures
Unreadable cartridges
Backup jobs that fail without a clear software issue
Excessive tape noise during operation
Media that sheds oxide or leaves debris in the drive
Frequent drive cleaning requests

If your team sees any of these issues, stop using the affected tape and avoid repeated recovery attempts in the tape drive. Continued use can make media damage worse and reduce the chance of a successful recovery. Isolate the tape, document the errors, and have the media evaluated as soon as possible.

Contact us at 800-388-1266 today to discuss the symptoms, review your tape environment, and start a secure recovery plan.

Our Tape Data Recovery Process

Every tape case includes a risk free diagnostic so your team can understand the condition of the media, the likely recovery outcome, and the recommended next steps before approving service.

Consultation: Speak with our recovery specialists 24x7 for a free consultation and quote. We review the media type, failure symptoms, backup environment, and recovery priorities.
Evaluation: Your tapes are examined by experienced engineers in our secure labs to determine the extent of physical damage, media degradation, catalog issues, or logical corruption.
Header Scan and Cataloging: If you are unsure which tapes contain the required data, we can scan and catalog each cartridge. You receive a detailed report showing available backup sessions and the likely location of targeted data.
Review and Approval: We provide a full evaluation report with the recovery scope, expected results, and pricing. Work begins once you approve the case.
Tape Recovery and Data Delivery: Our engineers repair damaged tapes when needed, recover accessible data, and extract files into a usable format for your environment. Recovered data is returned through a secure delivery method based on your requirements.

Flexible Service Options

Every case is a digital disaster for our customers. After almost two decades, we are still committed to helping people avoid permanent data loss. That is why we have several data recovery options and plans that fit our customers’ budgets and timeframes. These figures represent our typical data recovery services:

Standard Service

Diagnostics within 72 hours
Turnaround between 5 and 9 business days

Expedited Service

Diagnostics within 24 hours
Turnaround between 2 and 4 days

Emergency Data Loss?

Don't panic! Our Emergency Data Recovery services can quickly and securely restore your lost data, so you can get back to business.

800-388-1266

In addition to in-lab cleanroom services, we offer remote recovery options, where we can use a network connection to restore your data.

Needs us to come to you? We offer on-site data recovery services, where we can bring our cutting-edge tools directly to your location anywhere, anytime. Call us now to speak to an expert.

Why Choose Us to Recover Damaged Tape Media

We maintain deep expertise across a wide range of tape technologies, backup platforms, and legacy media environments, giving our engineers the technical insight needed to recover data from failed tapes, damaged cartridges, and degraded archives. With specialized tools and proven recovery methods, we can repair damaged tapes, recover data from unreadable media, rebuild backup structures, and extract files into usable formats.

Trust our team to handle your tape media securely and professionally.

Premier Data Recovery Partner with Major Brands
SSAE 18 SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 Audited Process
ISO 9001:2015 Certified Quality Management System
Remote and Onsite Tape Data Recovery
Convenient Nationwide Locations or Free Inbound Shipping

Your Data is Safe & Secure With Us

Our verified and secure process safeguards your data at every stage of recovery, including the secure destruction of damaged devices.

We undergo regular SSAE 18 audits to demonstrate how we store and manage data while restoring files. Furthermore, we adopt the latest strategies to defend against cyber threats. Our team also follows FIPS-validated data handling practices from start to finish.

We even return your data on encrypted drives or over secure servers to prevent unauthorized access in transit. It shows our commitment to ensuring personal and private data stays that way.

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Tape Data Recovery Reviews

Average rating 4.9

Rating based on 10 reviews

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ray sneed

Dec 03, 2025

Great customer service

Jake from Secure Data Recovery was a delight to deal with. He was helpful and patient and professional in all of our interactions. He was quick on communication and went above and beyond in order to try and get us the best experience.

Sami Tabikh

Aug 23, 2025

30 year old magtape

I wanted data off a reel of 30 year old 8-track magtape. Secure Data Recovery had the equipment and expertise to recover and repair the data. Their representative Timothy Rutan was friendly, knowledgeable and professional. I highly recommend their services.

2020LTT

Aug 27, 2024

Jake Gambatese was GREAT!

We had some old corporate tapes from the 1990s, and he saved the data in a format that we could read today. Highly recommend!

LTO Tape Data Recovery

Secure Data Recovery Services provides LTO tape data recovery for all LTO Ultrium formats, including LTO 1, LTO 2, LTO 3, LTO 4, LTO 5, LTO 6, LTO 7, LTO 8, and LTO 9. We operate secure recovery labs equipped to handle physical tape damage, media degradation, logical corruption, and failed backup restores across enterprise LTO environments.

As the most widely used tape format in modern backup infrastructure, LTO is often the backbone of long term retention and disaster recovery. Our engineers can recover data from standalone cartridges, tape libraries, and large scale archives, regardless of file type, backup software, or tape configuration.

IBM AS-400 Tape Data Recovery

We provide professional recovery and migration services for AS/400 environments, helping organizations reduce downtime after tape failure or a major backup incident. Our team has completed many large scale AS/400 and IBM migration projects, so we already have the tools, workflows, and processes in place to begin work quickly.

Our engineers have experience with IBM i, i5/OS, and related IBM operating environments, as well as supporting UNIX and Linux systems that interact with enterprise backup workflows. We assess both physical media damage and logical data issues to build a recovery plan that fits the tape format, backup structure, and business requirements of each case.

We also have extensive experience working with encrypted and compressed backup data, which supports faster and more predictable recovery timelines.

DAT Tape Data Recovery

We provide professional DAT tape repair and data recovery services for all DAT cartridge types. Our engineers support complex cases involving damaged media, read failures, corruption, mid file errors, and unspooled or torn tape. We also offer tape conversion and tape duplication when recovered data needs to be migrated to a more accessible or modern format.

DAT media often fails due to age, storage conditions, drive misalignment, or repeated read attempts after an error appears. In many cases, the cartridge itself is only part of the problem, and the recovery process also requires analysis of the tape structure, backup set integrity, and software compatibility. Our labs are equipped to stabilize damaged DAT media, recover accessible data, and extract it into usable formats for review or restoration.

How To Recover .BKF Windows Backup Files for Free?

Need to repair corrupted BKF or MSBackup files from otherwise functional tape media? Try SecureRecovery for Backup, a free tool developed by our data migration and recovery team. It repairs damaged files created by Windows Backup and supports VERITAS Backup Exec BKF files. Install it on any Windows system, select the affected files, and run the repair process. Recovered data is saved in the original folder structure.

Features:

Supports Microsoft® Windows Backup XP SP1, XP SP2, XP SP3, 2003, and 2000
Supports VERITAS Backup Exec for Windows Servers
Recovers folder structure
Recovers individual files

Download Your Copy for Free

Please note that our free data recovery utilities are provided as-is and should be used at your own risk.

about us

Secure Data Recovery was founded in Los Angeles, California in 2007, we began with a single location and a simple mission: to ensure no one has to lose their valuable data to unexpected hard drive failures or accidents.

Today, we are a leader in the data recovery service industry, maintaining a 96% success rate across all storage devices. We have labs across North America and the United Kingdom. And we have helped over 100,000 customers worldwide, from Fortune 500 companies to home users.

Yet, our personalized approach remains the same. Our certified engineers know the importance of data and treat each case with the utmost care. Because we still believe that no one has to lose priceless files or memories.

Find Secure Data Recovery near you

Secure Data Recovery has a nationwide network of certified cleanrooms and convenient locations. You can access our services at over 150 locations across the U.S.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Ready to talk?

Our core value is to support you in every way possible. Whether it’s answering your questions, setting up a case for your failed media, or sharing as much information as we can about the data recovery process - even if you decide not to use our services.

If you’re experiencing data loss, don’t hesitate to reach out to us right now.

Talk To an Expert

Ready to talk?

If you’re experiencing data loss, don’t hesitate to reach out to us right now.

Talk To an Expert