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PrepareTape function (winbase.h)

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The PrepareTape function prepares the tape to be accessed or removed.

Syntax

DWORD PrepareTape(
  [in] HANDLE hDevice,
  [in] DWORD  dwOperation,
  [in] BOOL   bImmediate
);

Parameters

[in] hDevice

Handle to the device preparing the tape. This handle is created by using the CreateFile function.

[in] dwOperation

Tape device preparation. This parameter can be one of the following values.

Value Meaning
TAPE_FORMAT
5L
 Performs a low-level format of the tape. Currently, only the QIC117 device supports this feature.
TAPE_LOAD
0L
 Loads the tape and moves the tape to the beginning.
TAPE_LOCK
3L
 Locks the tape ejection mechanism so that the tape is not ejected accidentally.
TAPE_TENSION
2L
 Adjusts the tension by moving the tape to the end of the tape and back to the beginning. This option is not supported by all devices. This value is ignored if it is not supported.
TAPE_UNLOAD
1L
 Moves the tape to the beginning for removal from the device. After a successful unload operation, the device returns errors to applications that attempt to access the tape, until the tape is loaded again.
TAPE_UNLOCK
4L
 Unlocks the tape ejection mechanism.

[in] bImmediate

If this parameter is TRUE, the function returns immediately. If it is FALSE, the function does not return until the operation has been completed.

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is NO_ERROR.

If the function fails, it can return one of the following error codes.

Error Description
ERROR_BEGINNING_OF_MEDIA
1102L
 An attempt to access data before the beginning-of-medium marker failed.
ERROR_BUS_RESET
1111L
 A reset condition was detected on the bus.
ERROR_DEVICE_NOT_PARTITIONED
1107L
 The partition information could not be found when a tape was being loaded.
ERROR_END_OF_MEDIA
1100L
 The end-of-tape marker was reached during an operation.
ERROR_FILEMARK_DETECTED
1101L
 A filemark was reached during an operation.
ERROR_INVALID_BLOCK_LENGTH
1106L
 The block size is incorrect on a new tape in a multivolume partition.
ERROR_MEDIA_CHANGED
1110L
 The tape that was in the drive has been replaced or removed.
ERROR_NO_DATA_DETECTED
1104L
 The end-of-data marker was reached during an operation.
ERROR_NO_MEDIA_IN_DRIVE
1112L
 There is no media in the drive.
ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED
50L
 The tape driver does not support a requested function.
ERROR_PARTITION_FAILURE
1105L
 The tape could not be partitioned.
ERROR_SETMARK_DETECTED
1103L
 A setmark was reached during an operation.
ERROR_UNABLE_TO_LOCK_MEDIA
1108L
 An attempt to lock the ejection mechanism failed.
ERROR_UNABLE_TO_UNLOAD_MEDIA
1109L
 An attempt to unload the tape failed.
ERROR_WRITE_PROTECT
19L
 The media is write protected.

Remarks

Some tape devices do not support certain tape operations. See your tape device documentation and use the GetTapeParameters function to determine your tape device's capabilities.

Requirements

Requirement Value
Minimum supported client Windows XP [desktop apps only]
Minimum supported server Windows Server 2003 [desktop apps only]
Target Platform Windows
Header winbase.h (include Windows.h)
Library Kernel32.lib
DLL Kernel32.dll

See also

CreateFile

GetTapeParameters