[Solved] SQL Server Error 3013/3266: Backup Database Abnormal Termination

Overview of MS SQL Server Error Codes 3013 and 3266

Error 3013/3266 may occur when attempting to back up a database to disk or tape, or restore from disk or tape. Different SQL users might receive different messages when they encounter this error.

For SQL Server 7.0 users:

For SQL Server 2000 users:

For SQL Server 2005 users:

What could cause error codes 3013 or 3266?

The "BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally" error can be caused by several factors. Let's take a look at them:

• Media failure on the backup storage.
• A write failure occurs while the backup is in progress.
• A connection is lost during a network backup.
• Insufficient space. The database is 2 GB and the individual databases are greater than 2 GB, and you are restoring to the existing database.
• The database cannot read the file marker on the backup device, or the file marker is inaccessible.

Method 1: Manually Fix MS SQL Error 3013

To fix the error manually, follow the solutions below:

1. Erase or wipe the device

To resolve this issue, you must delete or erase the device so that you can create a new backup of the device. Before deleting or erasing data, back up your database.

Back up the database mydatabase to disk 'C:\MyDatabase.bak' with the FORMAT option.

2. Run the Query Analyzer

If this error message appears during a restore operation, you might be able to retrieve other backup sets from the device by specifying the file number. Run the following command in Query Analyzer to retrieve the backup:

Restore header information only from the disk 'C:\MyDatabase.bak'

Each backup set has an entry in the output. To specify a particular backup set, use the following code:

RESTORE DATABASE mydatabase FROM DISK = 'C:\MyDatabase.bak' WITH FILE = FileNumber

Important: FileNumber is the number of the backup set that you want to restore.

Method 2: Repair Microsoft SQL Error 3013 Using SQL Recovery Tool

What to do if error 3013 persists even after implementing all manual solutions? You can recover data from the corrupted .bak file. You should try to fix this error by using the MS SQL Recovery tool. It is an excellent database repair software that fixes corrupted MDF or NDF SQL Server databases and resolves SQL database issues. Additionally, it can:

• Repairs corrupt SQL Server database components – Tables, Triggers, Indexes, Keys, Rules and Stored Procedures.
• Recovers deleted records from SQL databases.
• Saves database scan results to resume data recovery at later stage.
• Exports repaired files to CSV, MDF, HTML and MDF formats.

Follow these steps to repair your database and resolve the error:

Step 1: Select the corrupted database to be recovered

< li > Launch the MS SQL Recovery tool. < li > Select the corrupt database file by clicking on 'Browse' (two dots) or 'Search'. < li > After selecting the file, click on 'Repair' to initiate the analysis process.

Caution: You must stop the SQL Server service before you use this utility.

Step 2: Repairing the corrupted database

• The software displays all recoverable items in a tree-like structure. These items are listed in the left pane.
• Select the component that you want to retrieve. In the window, click the Export button.

Select Database Objects

Step 3: Export to a database or script

• Choose to export the database objects to a database, or choose to export the project as a script. • If you chose to Export to Database, type the required information and select the target database.

A window will appear, asking for the credentials to connect to the server and where to save the recovery project. Click “OK” to start the repair process.

Important: You must restart the SQL Server service before clicking OK.