MISSING 1 device Symantec Backup Exec

Event ID: 33152
Adamm Mover Error: GetDriveInfo Failure!
Error = ERROR_INVALID_HANDLE
Drive = “MISSING 1”
{A6ADEA19-C0DD-4A06-BF81-1125C7B0984D}
Media = “”
{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
Read Mode: SingleBlock(0), ScsiPass(0)
Write Mode: SingleBlock(0), ScsiPass(0)

The above error started popping up in my Microsoft log files seemingly out of nowhere. And in Backup Exec 12.5, I noticed that I now had an extra device listed called “MISSING 1”, whose status was Offline. Using Google I was able to find alot of people with the same problem as I, but none with the proper solution, probably because they were approaching it from the wrong direction. I too tried many “fixes” through Backup Exec, but none worked because it wasn’t an issue with the software, but the settings on the hardware itself. 

Turns out, the phantom device (MISSING 1) was occuring due to having the library setup for two tape drives, while the system only had one tape drive physically installed inside. (I seem to recall performing a firmware update on the tape library at some point before this, which likely caused some settings to revert, causing the error.)

The solution to “MISSING 1”:

To fix the issue of the Backup Exec missing tape drive you need to punch a few buttons on the control board of the tape library:
1. Go to the tape library and press the menu key
2. Select Configuration –>Select Drive –>Select T2
3. Set Enabled to NO.  Press Exit
4. Press Menu
5. Select Configuration –>Select Advanced –>Select Library –>Select A.
6. Change Drive Last to p…T1.  Press exit
7. Scroll up to Enable and set to YES. Press exit
8. Press the menu key twice to exit the menu system

System / Setup:
Windows Server 2003 Standard SP2 32bit
Qualstar RLS-8236
Symantec Backup Exec 12.5