File level restore shows "Unsupported VBM format" error

[timp]

Support Case ID: 07239061

Using the free version of Veeam Agent for Windows, I have a full backup followed by several incremental backups of a computer that has since been wiped (bad judgment call on my part!). When I download the Veeam Agent onto my new computer and plug in the backup drive to do a file level restore to get the data I need from my old computer, it gives me this "Unsupported VBM format" error when I select the metadata backup file. If I directly try to open and restore from the vbk (the full back up which is really too old to give me everything I need) it gives me the same error.
I'm really confused because I know that the last time the backup job was run on the old computer it said it had finished the job successfully. I think that old computer may have had an older version of Veeam (probably 5?) so I tried downloading versions 5 and 4 from the website in case there was an issue with backwards compatibility but they also gave me the same error.
Even if the last incremental backup is corrupted for some reason, the next to last one would give me everything I need. Can you please help me? I have a lot of critical information stuck on there now that my old computer is wiped!
Also, in case it matters, the old computer was Windows 10 Pro and the new computer is Windows 11 Home.

I've looked in other posts in this forum and none of them seemed to have my exact situation and none of the solutions seemed to work. I even tried downloading and installing the VBR 12 Console, but when I ran the program after installation, it wanted me to point it to a backup server but I don't have that info to give it. Or should I have installed the full VBR program from the ISO download and not just the Console?

(FYI: I tried to get a paid version so I could access technical support but I couldn't figure it out apart from just getting a 30-day trial license which was advertised as having access to technical support, but in the end it always forced me into the free version of tech support for some reason. I'm very frustrated with this company right now. It feels like they committed an error with their software and now it's holding my data hostage. Has Veeam become ransomware?!)

[david.domask]

Hi Timothy,

Welcome to the forums, and sorry to hear about the current situation.

First, I recommend regarding the evaluation license, please open a Licensing case and let the Support Licensing Team check why you can't open a technical case with the evaluation.

Regarding the challenges with restoring from the backup, let's wait until the Support case issue is resolved and for Support to review the logs and situation.

[timp]

Support Case ID: 07239061

Update: I still have not received any help from Veeam tech support, but I was able to finally get VBR 12 Console Community Edition working on my personal laptop by uninstalling the Veeam components I had installed previously (I don't know if that's necessary) and then reinstalling VBR but choosing to install the full VBR system instead of just the Console. Then when I opened the console and used the default server settings it worked.

As per this post: post407325.html#p407325 I was able to open the vbk file using guest file restore in the VBR console. But it gave me this error when I tried to open one of the incremental (vib) backup points:

Only the partial restore point for FIB [6745a759-2205-4cd2-b172-8ec8f7e60ef8 (6f611204-0b81-df41-80ae-bf1f11b11a09)\c36e0ad0-3630-4283-ab52-4f29edb760d5] can be created.
Cannot process remote mount commands.
Shared memory connection was closed.
Cannot open a remote backup for the file level restore.
Storages: [E:\VeeamBackup\Tim's HP Backup\Tim's HP Backup2024-04-20T230630.vib].
Agent failed to process method {Mount.GenericMount}.

Looking at instruction online, I can only find examples of people restoring from vbk's using the VBR guest file restore method. Is it impossible to use VBR guest file restore to restore from a vib?

[timp]

Support Case ID: 07239061

Update: the VBR indeed can read and restore from incremental backup points (vib files)! I tested it on my the backup of my wife's computer (which is operating normally in the Veeam Agent for Windows program) and it worked. So whatever is causing the error when reading the backup of my computer using the Veeam Agent is apparently also causing the VBR Console to not be able to read the vib files. But the strange thing is that the Veeam Agent wouldn't read my vbk either. But VBR will read the vbk but not the vib's.

[david.domask]

Hi Timothy,

Glad to hear there was some progress on the restore; I checked the case and looks like it's still marked as a Free case, so I would advise create a 2nd case of Licensing type as I suggested earlier to see if it can be changed to a Paid case with an Evaluation license.

[timp]

I can't submit a license support request because that requires a support ID and my trial license .lic file doesn't show a support ID. Only a license ID. So I just opened a second general support ticket explaining how I want to submit a paid-type support case with my trial license (as it seems to be advertised and a member of the sales team confirmed should be the case) but the website is not letting me. I gave them my license ID and we'll see what they say. The case ID for this new one is 07242356.

[david.domask]

Thanks for the update Timothy; I can see my colleague from our Licensing team is reviewing the issue, so let's see what the result is on this.