SQL Server database restore error: specified cast is not valid. (SqlManagerUI)

Question

I am using SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard (version 10.50.1600.1) for my production website and SQL Server Express edition with Advanced Services (v10.50.1600.1) for my localho

Answer 1

Below can be 2 reasons for this issue:

1. Backup taken on SQL 2012 and Restore Headeronly was done in SQL 2008 R2

2. Backup media is corrupted.

If we run below command, we can find actual error always:

restore headeronly
from disk = 'C:\Users\Public\Database.bak'

Give complete location of your database file in the quot

Hope it helps

Answer 2

The GUI can be fickle at times. The error you got when using T-SQL is because you're trying to overwrite an existing database, but did not specify to overwrite/replace the existing database. The following might work:

Use Master
Go
RESTORE DATABASE Publications
  FROM DISK = 'C:\Publications_backup_2012_10_15_010004_5648316.bak'
  WITH 
    MOVE 'Publications' TO 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.SQLEXPRESS2008R2\MSSQL\DATA\Publications.mdf',--adjust path
    MOVE 'Publications_log' TO 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.SQLEXPRESS2008R2\MSSQL\DATA\Publications.ldf'
, REPLACE -- Add REPLACE to specify the existing database which should be overwritten.

Answer 3

Could be because of restoring SQL Server 2012 version backup file into SQL Server 2008 R2 or even less.

Answer 4

Finally got this error to go away on a restore. I moved to SQL2012 out of frustration, but I guess this would probably still work on 2008R2. I had to use the logical names:

RESTORE FILELISTONLY
FROM DISK = ‘location of your.bak file’

And from there I ran a restore statement with MOVE using logical names.

RESTORE DATABASE database1
FROM DISK = '\\database path\database.bak'
WITH
MOVE 'File_Data' TO 'E:\location\database.mdf',
MOVE 'File_DOCS' TO 'E:\location\database_1.ndf',
MOVE 'file' TO 'E:\location\database_2.ndf',
MOVE 'file' TO 'E:\location\database_3.ndf',
MOVE 'file_Log' TO 'E:\location\database.ldf'

When it was done restoring, I almost wept with joy.

Good luck!