THere were certain tape manufacturers and plastic/metal clip marks and wear patters that were typical of certain types of drives reading certain types of tapes. Maybe high resolution photos of a few used tapes will reveal clues. A tape ejected 30 times will have certain patterns of wear in certain places. I have lots of different types of tapes, I am happy to compare your used tape photos with anything I might have that would be similar. Not a guaranteed solution, but it might help narrow down candidate systems. Bill
On Fri, Dec 30, 2022 at 8:01 PM Chuck Guzis via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On 12/30/22 12:17, John Herron via cctalk wrote: > > This may be a larger conversation than I intend but how would you all > > generally start if you ha backup tapes that you wanted to try and > > read/restore? > > > > Supposedly they're Amiga qic tapes. I'm a little worried about the > > structural integrity of the tapes. Not knowing what software was used, > > would this be a literal job for something like tar via a Linux system? > Then > > see if I can interpret the dump and sort out files afterwards? > > > > I might see if a local group wants to help play with this effort since I > > think I only have 1 drive in unknown condition. > The tape substrate itself, being mylar, is very durable, but it's toast > if stretched. Most likely, the internal tension band has either gone > slack or has broken and should be replaced, or else tape tangles can > result. Most importantly, details are necessary (what kind of carts, > what drive manufacturer and model, etc.) There are lots of potential > variations. To be frank, I hate the damned stuff. > > --Chuck > > > -- > --Chuck > > Sent from my digital computer >
