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ERROR_DEVICE_NOT_PARTITIONED
tape partition information could not be found when loading a tape.
ERROR_DEVICE_NOT_PARTITIONED means that a tape operation expected partitioned media, but the loaded cartridge did not expose the required partition information.
Where the result appears
- Restore jobs targeting a named tape partition.
- partition-aware backup products.
- media copied, erased, or initialized by another system.
- drives that emulate or translate partition support.
Typical causes
- the cartridge was never partitioned.
- partition metadata was erased, damaged, or written in an incompatible format.
- the wrong medium was loaded.
- the drive or firmware does not support the expected partition scheme.
What to collect
- media identity, drive model/firmware, expected partition count, and catalog record.
- results of capability and partition queries.
- recent erase, format, migration, or media-cloning operations.
- sense information and whether another drive can read the partitions.
Handling and recovery
Confirm that the job selected the correct cartridge and that partitioning is actually part of its format. Do not create new partitions on media that may contain recoverable data. Route unknown or damaged media to controlled inspection.
Common misinterpretation
The term “device” refers to sequential media in this context; it is not a general statement that the Windows disk lacks a partition table.
References
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