ADR2.60 Drive - Tapes not recognized

[rodlaing]

Have many different Onstream drives in use. Can't seem to get my 2 ADR2.60 IDE drives to recognize tapes. They both have latest firmware. Drives are seen by motherboard bios OK, drivers load properly in OS (XP-Pro & W2K Server). Using Arcservit 2000 with SP4 & patches as needed for other drives to work, just won't acknowledge tapes in drive. Light stays on all the time. I tried the dozen tapes in my ADR2.120 drives which should work without success either. gwoootton, you are "da Man" for all the help you've provided to Onstream owners. Hats off for u. I've read all the onstream threads. Some of my tapes I know worked before. Thinking my tapes might have a header problem as you had discussed before I was successful in downloading your tapefirstaid by copying & pasting into browser. It won't acknowledge my ADR2.60 drive. It looks for ADR drives in the 30 & 50 catagory in the details area of your program. I assume I have to stop all ArcServit services before launching your program. What about MS's Removable storage service?
I've also tried going into the MS's Computer Management/Removable Storage/Libraries and my drive shows up, but it can't access a tape either to inventory into media pool so I can format it. Removable Storage services are running. Any way to wake up these tapes? I've even tried the drive in an XP-Pro box with no backup software loaded trying MS's backup sw. At a loss trying to stay away from trash can. Any help would be appreciated. Thx, Rod

 

[gwootton]

Ok, you say you've tried these tapes in 2 ADR2.60ide drives and in an ADR2.120? Does the ADR2.120 work with 120 tapes? If it does, it's got to be a tape issue, and if tape first aid doesn't work for you, my only thought is to maybe try a new 60GB tape and see if it's recognized by the ADR2.120. If it does, then your dozen tapes aren't going to be salvagable unless we can somehow get that tape first aid working or you talk to a data recovery company who may be able to rewrite the header, but that probably wouldn't be cost effective. If it doesn't, there may be a problem with that ADR2.120 drive, so check that tape in the ADR2.60 drives as well. Other than that...I don't know...Try a new tape, if that doesn't work, all of those drives are going to be at fault. That doesn't make much sense though...

Thanks,
Greg

 

[rodlaing]

Hi Greg, thx for your response. It's the ADR2.60 IDE drives that aren't working. All my 120 drives work fine but now won't recognize all the 60 tapes either where I know it did some of them in the past. I'm wondering if one of the 60 drives is ruining my tapes somehow. Especially the one I never really got to work right. Anyway, the tapefirstaid program is vrs. 1.01 and in help appears to be for converting sc30/50 and Di30 tapes to be used in an ADR50 drive. The program sees the 120 drives in the details area but doesn't recongnize the 120 drive in the main screen where you can use it to initialize the tapes. Is there a version that was written to use in the ADR2 drives? Finding a new 60 tape is becoming a challenge. Thx, Rod

 

[gwootton]

Unfortunately, the tape first aid program was only made for those first gen drives, but is supposed to recognize the ADR2.60 ide as well, but the ADR2.120 is supposed to be able to read and write to the 60GB tapes, so more than likely, it is one of the ADR2.60 drives that's causing the issue, but without being able to reformat them, there is really nothing else you can do except get rid of the problem drive and get more tapes. and yes the 60gb tapes are now difficult to find since the bankrupcy, but i know verbatim made media for the drives as well, so you may still be able to get that media through CDW or something...just a thought. Other than that, i'm at a loss here...

 

[giuz]

Hi, TapeFirstAid will only work with 1st gen tape drives on ASPI compliant systems (Win9x, ME and with some luck Win NT and Win 2000 after installing Winaspi from Adaptec)

1st Gen:
ADR50e, ADR50, SC30e, ADR30, SC50, SC30, USB30, DI30 FAST, DI30

For 2nd gen tape drives use the Tape@Once utility to format (actually erase headers of) media. This uility runs only on Win2000, XP, .NET and higher and does not need ASPI.

http://www.hastec.nl/support/onstream/support/downloads/manuals/installation/Tape_Once/index.html

2nd Gen:
ADR2.120 External SCSI
ADR2.120 SCSI
ADR2.60 USB2
ADR2.60 External SCSI
ADR2.60 SCSI
ADR2.60 IDE

Giuz

 

[rodlaing]

Wow, Super great info from both of you! I was able to purchase another ADR2.60 tape that works in my ADR2.120 drives like its supposed to, but it still won't work in this drive. Does anyone know where I can get firmware version 5.04. I realize that 5.05 is most recent, but after studying the fixes on 5.05, they put a fix in for making drive go into standby mode after 10 seconds and that's what it is doing. After 10 seconds it kicks the tape out only an 1/8" or so,just enough to make the door bump out a shade. Light is solid upon tape insertion like all do but doesn't start blinking before it goes into its standby mode with light staying solid. On another note on previous tapes. The tape@once program saw & said all works well & says its formats the tape (happens very quickly), but I don't think it really is doing it. Didn't revive the old non working tapes. Great try though. I've noticed my other nonworking ADR2.60 tape drive (black one) has a different firmware number. Info ADR2.60ide, 06-VTC03, Flash V34D, E223a270034, production 01/27/03. Is this a test model or something. Should I consider flashing it to 5.05? It also will not recognize a tape. Same problem with both drives which leads me to beleive there is a firmware or driver issue. Seems like they try to make them (ide units)usuable as a scsi device item but deosn't cross over for successful use. Now that remark was way out there. LOL! Is there a way to email hastec.nl for other firmwares on file? Bottom line, I could just have to drives with bad heads. FYI, CA just posted SP5 for Arcservit 2000. That didn't work either. Thx for your time, Rod

 

[gwootton]

Rod,

hastec.nl is a VAR who just happened to be nice enough to put all that stuff on their website, i'm not sure whether they even have previous versions available. I'd say flash both of the drives again over to 5.05. It sounds like your drives are going a little crazy if it's kicking it out just enough so that the head and the tape don't reach each other. You have a really weird problem. You might want to try hooking them to a different system for testing purposes just to see if it behaves the same way...I haven't seen it often, but I have seen the drives be affected by certain motherboards. Don't remember which ones though...

-Greg

 

[rodlaing]

gwootton you NAILED IT! I've been able to get both ADR2.60 drives to work in W2K Server with Arcservit 2K sp5 with a new used tape I picked up off ebay (thanks to "dkpowell&quot that also works in my ADR2.120 drives. My other tapes must have been ruined somehow through all this because some of them worked at one time. This is great news!!! The lesson from this is that the ADR2.60 drives will not work in XP-Pro, period, with present driver/firmware structure. Man, that took too many hours! Many thx for your help & time to both of you! Rod

 

[jonbloom]

Rod,

I'm just using NTBackup with XP pro but my ARD2.60 USB works like a dream!

Jon.

 

[gwootton]

glad i could help.

 

[rodlaing]

04May15 - Update
I was able to recover 15 tapes that I thought had gone bad. I was reading another thread where a guy had Onstream tape trouble on reading a tape so he took the tape apart, rewound it some, put it back together and it worked. I gave it a try & IT WORKDED. Evedently, one of my ADR60 drives is malfunctioning by rewinding the tapes too far past the header on the tape. I had 2 that had gone all the way & come loose at the end. Thx to supper glue, they are working now. I noticed that with ARCserve 2000 software that the tapes I had trouble with, the light would blink 4 times and then again. It would blink quick, longer, longer, quick and redo it forever. When you start rewinding the tapes it feels hard to turn. Unit may not be able to turn the tape to go to its header?
Here's how to fix em:
Flip the tape over, unscrew the 4 small philips head screws and pull the metal bottom up and away. The tape inside is connected to bottom of metal. Note that there are 2 flat metal strips bent to act as a retainer for the 2 round spools on the metal chunk to stay stable. These must set back in their place for putting it back together. Now flip over the metal housing and take a look. My tape appeared to be rewound all the way because most of the tape was on end farthest from the open tape end. The small plastic spool with very little tape on it is the one you have to stick your finger on top and turn counterclockwise to wind some more tape back on it. It can take a bit and I found you have to rewind it almost all the way out to where tape almost is out on plastic spool as wide as the small spool is. Don't! touch any tape with your fingers, it will leave a slight film of oil from your skin on the tape and ruin the head on your tape drive! Now carefully put it back together. Mack sure your 2 flat metal retainers are in their grooves and then slowly move the metal chunk back down on top of plastic housing being sure to line up the screw holes on way down so your 2 retainers stay in position. Put your 4 screws back together and put her in da drive. You should notice your drive reacts differently by light staying on for some time & then short blinks as it is trying to read. Should recongnize your tape with some patience. Good luck, Rod
If you only have one ADR60 drive and it happens again, it may be your drive. Be sure to ck your firmware & get it up to date. The hastnec site

http://www.hastec.nl/drivers/onstream/support.

gets a big "ATTA BOY" for all of us out there they have helped.

 

[mrscary]

I am glad that someone else benefited from my taking the tapes apart!

You know - the more I look at other tape systems (£1000 for 40Gb!) the more I wonder why Onstream ain't been bought out!

They offer excellent value for money...

Hollingside Technologies, Making Technology work for you.

http://www.hollingside.com

 

[precisiontape]

Anyone else had the problem with the Onstream ADR2.60IDE of it just kicking the tape back out of the drive under XP Pro. I can't get the drive to keep the tape. I'm thinking of getting another tape to try, but would appreciate it if anyone else has encountered this problem. Kicks tape out within a couple of seconds.

 

[JDimes]

Hi. I am trying to get a copy of the Tape first aid program to possible fix a problem I am having with my current tapes. If anybody knows where it can be downloaded or if somebody has a copy that could be sent I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks joseph@gzd.com.au

 

[stegosaurus]

Hello Rodlaing!
Am having the exact same trouble with my tapes and ADR2.60 drives: I tried the thing with rewinding tape onto spool, didnt work: Drive would keep slowly rewinding up to a point, then stop and eject tape away from head with LED still on. Took tape apart, it had rewound about halfway through the spool I just manually wound! Am wondering of guy whom I bought this from through E-bay was the schmuck and "Bulk Erased" the dang Tapes before sending it to me... Might you know of a way to re-format this tape from scratch?