After further research today I still have yet to see anything on
this issue.... Anyone have a suggestion I am dead in the water on
this one and have no support calls to Microsoft.

Different service pack levels?????

The servers are both on service pack 1 for Windows server  2003. This
farm only have 2 servers. One is the SQL server with sharepoint  not
even installed and the other hosts all sharepoint components  including
the front  end web  server. I am running  the backup  on this server and
I am trying to use the restore  function on this exact same server and
its returning the same error  without even trying to move it somewhere
else. I run the spsbackup  utility to the
\\ipaddress\backupsShare\backupname and when I restore I use
\\ipaddress\backupShare\backupname.xml and when I expand the nodes it
returns that same "\\serverName\backups\backupFileName_SITE.SPB cannot
> be found or accessed. The component cannot be restored." error. I
have looked in the event logs and nothing is being logged there. I
have tried deleting the files and recreating them but they still give
me the same error. The index files (second node under all server
components) says ready. But the actual backup of the content keeps
returning that error. And yes the files are there. I am running all
of the latest windows updates and SP 2 for shareopint. This server is
barely a month old.

Here are two notes from the *Disaster Recovery in sharepoint  Products and
Technologies *document located at:

www.microsoft.com/.../c2861881x.ms\
px

I'm not sure if they pertain to your situation exactly or not, but maybe
they will help.

In the *To restore  a portal  site from the SharePoint Portal server  Data
Backup and Restore utility *section:
1. If a portal site must be restored and the databases for the portal site
still exist in SQL Server, you must enter new database  names for the portal
site's database because the SharePoint Portal Server Data Backup and Restore
utility cannot restore over an existing database.

2. You must unextend the virtual server for the portal site before
restoring the portal site on the first front-end Web server with the
SharePoint Portal Server Data Backup and Restore utility. Once you have done
this, you only have to extend the virtual server on the other front-end Web
servers.

You're not trying to restore over an existing database, are you?

Well, i would change the file  you are looking for to

\\serverName\backups\backupFileName_SITE.XML
<file:///\\serverName\backups\backupFileName_SITE.XML>

I take it when you are pointing spsbackup  at the backup  you are
selecting the xml file is what I am saying ?

Also .... dumb as it sounds, you have checked the files are there ?

Finally, have you checked the permissions on the folder the files reside
in

Other than that, not a clue