Tape Analysis

LTO & 3592 tape analysis service - in detail

This service analyses the tape's CM (cartridge memory), an RF chip within the tape, to test for problems recorded on it. This is a non-invasive analysis that does not damage the tape or the data stored on it, as it simply reads the RFID chip. This ensures that your valuable data is written to high-quality tapes. Tapes do degrade through use and conditions in the operational and storage environments, so isn’t it better to find out before you have a permanent read or write error? This way, you can identify and replace failing tapes before they cause problems or data loss. Additionally, it will help you determine if a particular drive is failing, especially if you have multiple drives. Ask us for a quote on this service for your LTO tapes as they come up for re-use!

VHS tape cleaning and re-tensioning services

If your VHS tapes hold invaluable life memories and are experiencing issues, we can clean and restore them. Provided the VHS tape recorder/player heads are in good condition, this process will help restore the picture quality.

Life of an LTO Tape

Did you know that the LTO cartridge has many definitions of its safe lifetime use, all of which are very difficult to compare with most tape usage? The best way to use an LTO tape is to write to it once and store it in the correct environment (20 degrees centigrade +/- 2 degrees, 40-60% Relative Humidity, and a dust-free environment). It should last 30 years under these conditions. 1,000 passes measure the life of an LTO tape when used many times. A pass is where a tape changes direction in a read or write process. This translates to between 100 and 260 uses, after which the tape is recommended for retirement and replacement. You can get a longer lifespan than this, but read and write errors increase, and eventually, a full data restore becomes questionable. All tapes must be acclimated to the environment in which they will be used for 24 hours after receiving them! This will extend their life and reduce errors.