Fix “Restore Database is Terminating Abnormally” SQL Server Error 3013

Microsoft SQL Server is the most widely used database management system. It also provides flexibility to the database administrator to store and organize data. But sometimes users may face various issues while working with the SQL Server. There is one such error, “restore database is terminating abnormally”. This error interrupts the normal functioning of SQL Server and may cause the loss of data. 

Thus, in the upcoming section, we are going to explain a step-by-step procedure to fix SQL Server error 3013. Before that, let us discuss this error message and all the possible reasons behind the occurrence of this issue.

Know What “Restore Database Terminating Abnormally” Indicates

This error generates SQL Server error 3013, when the backup process to a tape device or restoration process from a tape device is under the process. This error message varies according to the version of Microsoft SQL Server a user is currently working with. Here is a user query to get a better idea of how the error affects their workflow:

“While restoring the database from SQL Server, I received the error message “restore database is terminating abnormally”. Searching for why this is happening, I found that my server is running out of space. I tried to fix this issue, but it was worthless, and getting the same error message. If someone knows the workaround to resolve this error, please let me know.”

Let’s now take a look at the error message that is displayed on the server when the error occurs. This message will help us understand the error better to find the optimal solutions for effective repair. 

In the instance of a restoration of these two files, i.e., Data and Log files at the same time, this error code 3013 is encountered. Thus, to overcome this issue, users must know the common reasons for the occurrence of such errors.

Common Reasons for ‘Restore Database is Terminating Abnormally’ Error

The main reason behind the occurrence of this SQL Server error 3013 message is an inability of the database to read the file mark, which is available in the backup device, or the inaccessibility of the file mark itself. Before proceeding further, first, let us understand what a file mark is.

The file mark in an element is also considered a backup device that does not save users’ data. To organize and integrate the storage patterns, the file marks, and divide the partition into smaller parts. Their initial task is to split the data of all individual files that are saved in a backup device.

Here are some other reasons due to which the ‘SQL Server Error 3013: Restore Database is Terminating Abnormally‘ error message occurs:

• Media failure in which the data backup has been stored.
• Write failure occurs during the execution of the backup process at the same time
• Connectivity loss occurred during the network backup procedure.

Fix “Restore Database is Terminating Abnormally” Error Manually

Go through the steps below by which users can resolve SQL Server error 3013 in an absolute way. Let us have a look:

Step 1: This error can be fixed by the manual deletion of the backup and verifying that the server performs the new backup to a device. We can use the given command to overwrite the existing backup with a new one.

BACKUP DATABASE Database_Name 
TO DISK = 'C:\Database_Name.bak'
WITH FORMAT;

Step 2: On the other hand, if the error – Restore Database is Terminating Abnormally occurs because of the backup restoration process, then it is possible to restore the data present within the backup device by mentioning the file number. Run the query below to retrieve data from the backup file and resolve SQL Server error 3013.

RESTORE HEADERONLY
FROM DISK = 'C:\Database_Name.bak';

Step 3: To indicate a particular set of backups for data restoration, run the command below:

RESTORE DATABASE Database_Name;
FROM DISK = 'C:\Database_Name.bak'
WITH FILE = FileNumber;

Final Words

After considering the users’ query on how to fix the Restore database is terminating abnormally error 3013? We have come up with this article. Here, we discussed manual methods by which users can easily remove SQL Server error 3013 and continue with the restoration process. However, sometimes these manual solutions do not work and lead to data loss. For that, we recommended a reliable solution for efficient error repair. You can simply download it and run it on your system.

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