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How to Recover BKF File

Even after development of many new operating systems in the market, Windows remains the mostly used OS for personal as well as professional usage. In order to avoid loss of data stored in Windows OS, people prefer to take Windows Backup generating BKF file. We are aware that Backup provides the only way to restore data if the user has lost access to the original data. Well, the question is what if we realize that our BKF file itself, from which data needs to be restored is corrupt. In the article, we will be learning way on how to recover corrupt BKF files in Windows OS. 

Possible Causes for the Corruption of BKF Files

Earlier in Windows XP, NTBackup Utility was present that was used to create and restore BKF file. Advance versions like Windows Vista and Windows 8/10 no longer supports this feature making BKF recovery difficult. Like any other file formats, user are likely to face corruption issues in case of Windows BKF files.

Some of the possible reasons that could lead to corruption of BKF files are as follows:

  • Any type of Virus Intrusion on BKF file increases the chance of making the BKF file corrupt, leading to inaccessibility and data loss.

  • Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) Error may lead to loss of some part of BKF data due to presence of missing bit/byte.

  • Loss of Catalog File that is created with each Windows BKF file can be one of the reasons to make associated BKF file inaccessible.

  • Interruption during backup or restore process will lead to issues creating unstable output thereby making BKF file corrupted.

  • Unexpected Power Shutdown can be one of the causes that can make BKF file corrupt, which is why constant power backup arrangement is needed.

  • Crashed Hard Disk or Software/Hardware Failure is also responsible to make the BKF file inaccessible and unsuitable for restoration.

  • BKF File Header Corruption may lead to loss of some relevant information and eventually leads to corruption of BKF file itself.

Methods for BKF File Recovery from Corrupt State 

Now that we know our BKF file is corrupt, let us learn how to recover corrupt BKF files in Windows OS using the ways stated below:

Method 1: –  Manual Approach

 Go to a web browser and download nt5backup.cab that contains three files namely Ntbackup.exe, Ntmsapi.dll & Vssapi.dll or these files can be copied from Windows XP system.

Note: EXE file needs to run to start the application but other DLL files need to be stored in same folder.

This procedure is helpful in case of both the creation and restoration of BKF file.

Limitations of this Method:

  •   This procedure only works for healthy Windows BKF file, not in Corrupt cases.

  •   Not all the features may work in some Windows Operating Systems.

  •   This method is bit complicated for novice user without technical knowledge.

Method 2: –  Third-Party Tool

As we have seen that manual procedure cannot recover data from corrupt Windows Backup file, we need a better solution and it can be achieved by using a BKF Repair Tool. The software has been designed to render the recovery of damaged or corrupt BKF file for data restoration.

  •   Supports both Windows NTBackup and Symantec VERITAS backup files

  •   Multiple modes namely Quick, Advanced and Range based scan supported.

  •   Imposes no limitation on the size of Windows BKF file.

  •   Compatible with Windows 8.1 and all its below versions.​

Conclusion

After studying both the procedures to recover BKF file from corrupt state, it was observed that manual procedure is quite complex and it works only for healthy BKF file. Therefore, the better approach is to use third party tool for the reliable solution on how to recover corrupt BKF files in Windows OS. The tool can recover any corrupt BKF file and extract the original files saving them at user-specified location. The article has also discussed the reasons for the corruption cases in BKF files for the awareness of users.

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