Backup Exec 12 services failed to start

If you can't start the Device and Media service there are a few steps to take that should solve your problem in 80% of the cases (below is information specific to Backup Exec 11d - but should be identical with BE12.
1. Make sure the SQL Server (BKUPEXEC) is started - if not try &  start. If it fails to start, troubleshoot SQL using Windows event logs and SQL error logs.

2. Make sure the Backup Exec database files still exist. By default they should be the following files:
C:\Program files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Data\BEDB_dat.mdf
C:\Program files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Data\\BEDB_log.ldf
If these files do not exist, you can extract the datbase files from the Backup Exec CD. You'll find them inside cabinet file WINNT\INSTALL\BE\Backup~1.cab.
They are:
F4864_bedb_log.ldf.06609F4A_77E8_4877_8B18_0B805D349FD8  (extract & rename to bedb_log.ldf)
F4893_bedb_dat.mdf.06609F4A_77E8_4877_8B18_0B805D349FD8 (extract & rename to bedb_dat.mdf)

3. Open a command prompt and run the command "sqlcmd -E -S Servername\BKUPEXEC" (replace servername with the name of your server). You should see a "1>" prompt
Type
   1>use bedb
   2>go
If this returns back to the 1> prompt, you're OK and can go on to step 4
If this produces and error, attach the databases again using the below commands(adapt accordingly if paths of file bedb_dat.mdf and bedb_log.ldf are different):
   1>EXEC sp_attach_db BEDB,
   2>N'C:\Program files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Data\BEDB_dat.mdf',
   3>N'C:\Program files\Symantec\Backup Exec\Data\\BEDB_log.ldf'
   4>Go
Try starting the Device and Media service again.

4. Download the MDAC component checker at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=8f0a8df6-4a21-4b43-bf53-14332ef092c9&displaylang=en. Install and run it. First "Perform Analysis" to determine the version of MDAC installed on your system. Then "Perform analysis against a version". Make sure the version it detected is selected in the dropdown. In the Mismatch column all values should be "None". Only msxml can mismatch without causing problems. Any other mismatches need to be solved by repairing MDAC. To repair MDAC on Windows 2003, right-click c:\windows\inf\mdac.inf and choose install. Reboot.
Make sure the Device and Media service came up.


Your problem could be down to MDAC problem - which get solved in step 4. But go through the other steps first as well.

If this fails, try going back to step 2 and extract the database files from the CD. Replace existing files with the files from the CD. Then repeat step 3

The sqlcmd options are case sensitive to my knowledge. So use sqlcmd -E -S david\bkupexec.
Also did you install Backup Exec with the default parameters - i.e. with a SQL instance called BKUPEXEC?

MDAC 2.1 SP2 is probably not a good version to test against. If you have Windows 2003 SP1, you will want to check against MDAC 2.8 SP2.

And I suppose you're running SP1 or SP2 for Windows 2003?
I suggest you find or download the service pack you currently have installed. If you download it, you can extract the files from it by using the /x flag when executing the exe file you downloaded (see step 5 in http://www.petri.co.il/windows_2003_sp1_slipstreaming.htm).

When the MDAC install then asks you for the Service Pack files, point them to the folder where you extracted them.
Hopefully, doing this will get rid of the file date conflict you get.

By default Exchange doesn't use MDAC.

A backup with NTBackup is maybe a good idea if you're unsure.

And the MDAC component checker checks out fine now against MDAC 2.8?