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ERROR_PARTITION_FAILURE
tape could not be partitioned.
ERROR_PARTITION_FAILURE means that the drive or medium could not create or change the requested tape partition layout. In this case, the decisive context is initializing partition-capable tape media, together with drive model, firmware, medium type, partition capability, and requested layout.
Where the result appears
- initializing partition-capable tape media.
- backup products configuring fixed or selectable partitions.
- media preparation and library workflows.
- vendor utilities issuing low-level tape partition commands.
Typical causes
- the drive or cartridge does not support the requested partition mode.
- requested sizes or counts exceed media capabilities.
- media is write-protected, damaged, incompatible, or not at the required position.
- the drive rejected the command because of current state or existing recorded data.
Evidence to collect
- drive model, firmware, medium type, partition capability, and requested layout.
- write-protect status, load point, reservation/ownership, and sense data.
- vendor documentation and supported partition modes.
- whether the medium contains data that policy requires preserving.
For this condition, begin the investigation with drive model, firmware, medium type, partition capability, and requested layout. Correlate it with write-protect status, load point, reservation/ownership, and sense data and check whether the drive or cartridge does not support the requested partition mode. Capture the original this result immediately after the failing call so later cleanup does not replace the thread-local error value.
Handling and recovery
Do not erase or repartition automatically after failure. Confirm compatibility and the intended destruction policy, then use a supported layout. If the operation is part of automated media preparation, quarantine the cartridge when capability or health cannot be established.
Any retry policy for this Win32 error should be tied to evidence that requested sizes or counts exceed media capabilities has changed. Before another attempt, verify vendor documentation and supported partition modes. If the drive rejected the command because of current state or existing recorded data still applies, stop the retry sequence and preserve the first diagnostic event.
Common misinterpretation
Partition failure here concerns tape-media partitions, not disk partition tables such as GPT or MBR.
Guidance for developers
When surfacing this result through another layer, retain its Win32 domain, numeric value, and the operation described by backup products configuring fixed or selectable partitions. A useful telemetry record also includes whether the medium contains data that policy requires preserving. For the-related handling, decisions must use the numeric value and documented API contract rather than localized wording.
A focused test should reproduce the condition in which media is write-protected, damaged, incompatible, or not at the required position, assert this result, and confirm that the program releases resources associated with media preparation and library workflows. The recovery test should also verify that drive model, firmware, medium type, partition capability, and requested layout is refreshed before the operation resumes.
References
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