The GetTapeStatus function indicates whether the tape device is ready to process tape commands.
DWORD GetTapeStatus(
  HANDLE hDevice   // handle of open device
);
 
If the tape device is ready to accept appropriate tape-access commands without returning errors, the return value is NO_ERROR.
If the function fails, the return value is one of the following error codes:
| Error code | Description | 
|---|---|
| ERROR_BEGINNING_OF_MEDIA | An attempt to access data before the beginning-of-medium marker failed. | 
| ERROR_BUS_RESET | A reset condition was detected on the bus. | 
| ERROR_END_OF_MEDIA | The end-of-tape marker was reached during an operation. | 
| ERROR_FILEMARK_DETECTED | A filemark was reached during an operation. | 
| ERROR_SETMARK_DETECTED | A setmark was reached during an operation. | 
| ERROR_NO_DATA_DETECTED | The end-of-data marker was reached during an operation. | 
| ERROR_PARTITION_FAILURE | The tape could not be partitioned. | 
| ERROR_INVALID_BLOCK_LENGTH | The block size is incorrect on a new tape in a multivolume partition. | 
| ERROR_DEVICE_NOT_PARTITIONED | The partition information could not be found when a tape was being loaded. | 
| ERROR_MEDIA_CHANGED | The tape that was in the drive has been replaced or removed. | 
| ERROR_NO_MEDIA_IN_DRIVE | There is no media in the drive. | 
| ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED | The tape driver does not support a requested function. | 
| ERROR_UNABLE_TO_LOCK_MEDIA | An attempt to lock the ejection mechanism failed. | 
| ERROR_UNABLE_TO_UNLOAD_MEDIA | An attempt to unload the tape failed. | 
| ERROR_WRITE_PROTECT | The media is write protected. | 
  Windows NT: Requires version 3.1 or later.
  Windows: Unsupported.
  Windows CE: Unsupported.
  Header: Declared in winbase.h.
  Import Library: Use kernel32.lib.
Tape Backup Overview, Tape Backup Functions, CreateFile