Re: SCO and old 8mm Tapes

From: Jim Lambert (jaylamb_ert@futrx.com)
Date: 04/21/03 

From: "Jim Lambert" <jaylamb_ert@futrx.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2003 10:25:16 -0500

"Bill Vermillion" <bv@wjv.comREMOVE> wrote in message
news:HDLq29.1K6o@wjv.com...
> In article <8k9-ursZ3cB@zocki.toppoint.de>,
> Rainer Zocholl <UseNet-Posting-72771-@zocki.toppoint.de> wrote:
> > (Jim Lambert) 16.04.03 in /comp/unix/sco/misc:
>
> > After some years the magnets on the tape becomes weak
> > or the adhesive (glue) forgets what for it is and you get
> > only iron dust and a transparent foil...(and a damaged new drive)
> > (that worst scenario i only had with floppy discs, yet).
>
> The 'magnets on the tape do not become weak'. You can have other
> problem with the coatings but the only way you will lose and
> magnetic characterisics is on a tape that is stored above
> recommended temperatures, or played and not recorded in a system
> that has some part of the path magnetized.
>
> >So it is recommended to copy important data every 3 years to
> >a "state of the art" medium.
>
> That of course is absolutely correct. Many people have found that
> after awhile there are no more working devices to be able read
> older magnetic tapes.
>
> On a non-data problem a friend of mine is waiting for a
> transfer-house to rebuild an old 1/2" VTR to be able to transfer
> video tapes from the late '60s to a modern mediums. Another friend
> had a pair of 2" quad machines that someone else purchased to use
> for parts. There are literlally tons and tons of network video on
> old 2" quad tape and the machines that can read them are getting to
> be quite scarce. Those old beasts had abou the best video of
> anything available until the digital revolution. But it took an
> expert to keep them tweaked properly.
>
> Sorry for the drift but those are good examples - not to mention
> the tons of tape over at the cape where there are no 7-track
> data devices to read them. I remember seeing the 5 and 7 track
> machines at local suprlus houses years ago where they worth more as
> scrap then.
>
> Bill
>
> --
> Bill Vermillion - bv @ wjv . com

Thanks all for the advice. I'm just going to buy a reconditioned 8mm
Exabyte and see if I can get the data. It wasn't life-or-death that I keep
the data up-to-date, infact I was under the impression I would NEVER need it
again. LOL, guess I learned the hard way.

Jim

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