subject: Recovering Corrupted Bkf File In Windows 7 [print this page] We all know how important it is to safeguard our valuable data against various threats of data loss. For this purpose, the Windows NT (Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003) users have the option to backup their data using the NTBackup utility. This utility, which creates the backup in a .bkf file, is archived and restored using the Backup option in Windows. However, sometimes the BKF file can get corrupt due to various reasons making you unable to restore it. Windows does not provide any in-built utility to repair BKF files. So, in such cases you should use a third-party BKF repair software to repair BKF file.
Consider a scenario wherein you want to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7. You create a backup of all your data in a BKF file and format the system drive and install Windows 7. However, when you try to restore the BKF file you are not able to do so. Then, you install Windows XP to make it a dual boot system. Now, when you try to restore the BKF file you are unable to restore it. An error message is displayed, that is:
The backup file contains unrecognized data and cannot be used.
Cause:
The cause of this situation is that the NTBackup utility is not supported in Windows 7. Therefore, the BKF files cannot be restored in the later version than Windows XP. However, when you try to restore the BKF file in Windows XP even then it fails to do so. This may be because of the fact that the BKF file may have got corrupt due to various reasons such as virus infections, media errors, CRC errors, interruptions while creating backup, etc.
Resolution:
To restore the BKF file in a Windows 7 system, you need to download the NT Backup Restore Utility for Windows 7 by navigating to the following URL.
After downloading and installing the utility, you should run NTBackup-RestoreUtility by following the Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | NTBackup-RestoreUtility path.
However, if you are not able to restore the data it means that the BKF file is corrupt. In such cases, you should use a third-party BKF repair tool to repair the corrupted BKF file. Such tools are read-only in nature and do not overwrite the original BKF file while performing BKF repair.
