[Info-vax] DLT Tape degaussing services

[Rich Jordan]

On Mar 13, 11:53 am, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net>
wrote:
> Rich Jordan wrote:
> > Anyone know of a service, preferably NW chicago burbs, that offers
> > this service?  We have a stack of DLT-IV tapes that need to get wiped
> > and Yahoo/google searches for the area are coming up empty.
>
> Simply degaussing DLT tapes is not a good idea.  They have some sort of
> "formatting" or a "clock track" that is necessary for proper operation.
> Once degaussed, they may never work again.
>
> Simply INITIALIZE the tapes and they should be rendered unreadable by
> normal means.
>
> I know a guy on Long Island whose business is reading damaged or
> deteriorating media and who probably knows more about the subject than
> just about anyone.  His name is Chris Mulller and his business is called
> Muller Media Conversions or something similar.  If you are interested, I
> can probably find a phone number for him!

I can try looking him up online, thanks.

The docs that came with the VS80 DLT drive state that media that has
been written by a DLT8000 drive cannot be used or read on the VS80
until it is degaussed; it even specifies the strength of the equipment
needed to do the job.  I already know its stronger than a pair of big
heavy old hard drive head positioning magnets, even though they can
hold each-other to opposite sides of a cartridge and take major effort
to remove.

Unfortunately the VS is 'value line' and one of its crippling features
is the inability to format/init a tape written by a 'real' DLT8000.
In fact the tape will not even stay loaded; the drive rejects it.

The pile of 'extras' is large enough, and the tapes new enough, to
make it worth the effort to try; both our customers using DLTs are
using VS80 drives and getting a pile of spare media cheap would be a
real boon these days.  Assuming degaussing is cheap (or even available
despite what the manual states).  I found a couple distant places but
so far their cost, with shipping factored in, is 80+% of what we can
pick up new sealed media for so no bargain.