StorageCraft Cannot Consolidate Decompress Failed

StorageCraft is a US company owned by Arcserve focusing on delivering enterprise-grade data file protection, data management, and disaster recovery solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. Due to the popularity of these file recovery solutions, Gillware’s experts are skilled in handling a range of StorageCraft products.

Each StorageCraft solution can run on either a single server or on a dedicated appliance. Our engineers have seen problems with backup files from StorageCraft ShadowProtect and ImageManager. Many of our clients use these solutions to house their own on-premise disaster recovery box so that in the event of any major business continuity issues, systems can be restored via the built-in image manager as quickly as possible.

StorageCraft products all work similarly: they create either scheduled or continuous images of a server. These image files can be saved on external storage or a dedicated backup server. Information can also be written to cloud storage if required. Retention images make it easier for the applications to create an instant VM (virtual machine) if you are affected by an outage. You can launch an instant VM via the image manager containing the last good backup of the system in minutes; you only need a host server to point the image chain at.

Common StorageCraft Error Messages

StorageCraft backup solutions can display a number of error messages. If you receive any of the following messages while attempting to restore a StorageCraft backup; reach out, and a Gillware data recovery engineer can provide additional insight into your problem.

• StorageCraft volume reformatted
• StorageCraft backups missing
• StorageCraft volume unavailable
• Missing StorageCraft chains
• Chain incomplete StorageCraft
• StorageCraft chain incomplete
• StorageCraft not recognized
• StorageCraft image manager chain incomplete
• Missing image chain files StorageCraft
• StorageCraft consolidation failed
• StorageCraft HeadStart Restore(HSR) failed

“Decompress Failed” Error in Image Manager

This issue starts with the “Decompress Failed” warning/error message in the image manager when reading or writing to an image file. You may get this error in the ImageManager GUI or via the command line (if that is your preferred method instead of using ImageManager); it usually occurs after a backup or during a restore attempt. The error means the StorageCraft device cannot read, output, or decompress the image chain file or backup chain folder.

Check Log Files for “Cannot Consolidate”

One of the first steps you should undertake is to confirm the “Decompress Failed” error message, which can be done by examining the backup log files. The default file location is the folder you choose when installing the product (look for a .SPI file). These files can be opened in any text file editor. If you search the log for “Cannot Consolidate,” you will see details of the problem including which backup or image chain is at fault.

Can I Recover My Image File or Image Chain?

This depends on the severity of the issue. There are steps to take before contacting Gillware for data recovery.

Update ImageManager & ShadowProtect

Make sure that ImageManager and ShadowProtect are running on the latest version; if not, update them via the application. These steps can fix known issues and ensure you are using the latest optimized StorageCraft releases.

Image-V

StorageCraft bundles a verification tool called Image-V. Look for the image.exe application in your installation folder. The tool scans a single path or the entire backup chain folder. If the verification tool fails, then you have just confirmed the backup file is corrupt or unreadable. It is advisable to run a chkdsk on the system hard disk just in case there are any block-level issues at the disk layer.

Check for a Copy

If you are still experiencing the error or an issue, check if you have a replicated copy of the data. If you do not use data retention (backups of your backup files), then run the ImageQP program. This tool comes with ImageManager and ShadowProtect and validates the backup image chain. If you are still getting an error after these initial checks, contact the Gillware Data Recovery Team at 877-624-7206 or email [email protected].

Gillware StorageCraft Backup and Backup Chain Recovery

If you completed all the pre-checks and still have the issue, Gillware can take on the error and get back your files. Image chain corruption is a hugely frustrating problem, especially when it affects an entire path of critical backups. Gillware will provide a free shipping label for the StorageCraft system; this will be sent to our Data Recovery Lab in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, each device is cataloged and sent for an initial inspection to assess the problem. We will provide a quote, answer any questions, and proceed with recovery after customer approval.

These failures can be caused by either a hardware fault or logical corruption. If the fault is hardware-based, physical intervention might be necessary. It could be a failed component, but it will most likely be a damaged disk. We may have to rebuild the disk using one of the items from our spare parts library or clean the disk platters using our in-house burnishing tool.

If the issue is logical, our in-house proprietary data recovery platform known as Hombre takes over. Hombre will image the disks and rebuild the data using metadata scattered all over the disks. In most scenarios, the data is there but needs to be logically compiled into new readable image files.

The issue could also be based on user error. If you need to undelete StorageCraft backups, forgot StorageCraft backup password, experienced a StorageCraft cyberattack, or suffered a StorageCraft ransomware attack; the skilled data recovery engineers at Gillware can provide assistance.

The recovered image file can be uploaded to our customer portal on the Gillware website, or we can arrange for the information to be delivered back to the customer for a small fee.