EraseTape function (winbase.h)

Article
10/13/2021

The EraseTape function erases all or part of a tape.

Syntax

DWORD EraseTape(
  [in] HANDLE hDevice,
  [in] DWORD  dwEraseType,
  [in] BOOL   bImmediate
);

Parameters

[in] hDevice

Handle to the device where the tape is to be erased. This handle is created by using the CreateFile function.

[in] dwEraseType

Erasing technique. This parameter can be one of the following values.

Value	Meaning
TAPE_ERASE_LONG 1L	Erases the tape from the current position to the end of the current partition.
TAPE_ERASE_SHORT 0L	Writes an erase gap or end-of-data marker at the current position.

[in] bImmediate

If this parameter is TRUE, the function returns immediately; if it is FALSE, the function does not return until the erase 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 code	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. To determine your tape device's capabilities, see your tape device documentation and use the GetTapeParameters function.

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