TK50 tapes for "free"

From: Jerome Fine <jhfine_at_idirect.com>
Date: Mon Nov 6 20:40:22 2000

>Chuck McManis wrote:

> >If a tape is used in the TK70 for writing - which means that the TK50 will
> >not be able to read the data - is it still possible to put the tape in a TK50
> >drive and start using it as a TK50 tape? Namely, does the TK50 drive
> >object to using a tape that has been written upon in a TK70 drive?
> Once written by a TK70 it stays that way until its bulk erased. I was told
> that just inserting a blank tape into the drive would cause it to write a
> "header" that identified it as a TKxx tape. This I don't know but I have
> done the experiment you propose and the only way to get the TK50 to talk to
> it was to bulk erase it.

Jerome Fine replies:

Thank you. So I understand that a TK50 drive will not accept a tape that
a TK70 drive has actually used. But then, what happens after the TK50
drive has attempted to "use" that tape? Can the TK70 drive still actually
use the tape or must it be bulk erased again before either the TK50 or
the TK70 can actually "use" the tape? By "use", I mean at least try an
INIT command - asuming that the drive thinks that the tape is online!

Sincerely yours,

Jerome Fine
Received on Mon Nov 06 2000 - 20:40:22 GMT