defective tape media

[lardum]

I have a LTO Ultrium 3 tape media which is broken in the way that when you insert the tape the tape drive cant pull out the magnetic tape. From what i can see there is a pin holding the magnetic tape which is loose.

Anyone know if there are any companies repairing the actual tape enclosure? I don't think there is something wrong with the magnetic tape itself.

 

[Jesper12]

If the leader pin is damaged then replace the media! The pin is attached to the physical media and although it probably could be 'repaired' the price of a new piece of media is so low, that a repair is just not worth the time or effort.

The only reason to investigate this option should be to restore mission critical data from the tape - and even that, I wouldn't trust to some fella with a stick of glue and a pair of scissors.

Jesper

 

[lardum]

I will of course replace the media however i need to get hold of the data on that tape. That's the reason i'm asking

 

[Jesper12]

Is the drive working fine with other media and is the media having the same problem in other drives? - Just to isolate to the specific media. The pin itself is fairly sturdy and could only be caused by either the drive or handling, unless it suffered from a production problem.
Initially have a look at the pin itself - actually helps if you can take the cover of your tape drive and have a look how the leader and leader pin engages - or fails to engage.
If the pin is sluggish, then the tape might be ripped just behind the leader pin, or a problem with the glue holding the pin in place.

Anyways – if the importance of the data, doesn’t allow for experiments, try calling a recovery company (ontrack, altrium etc.) and get a quote - they will usually recover the data fairly quickly and if it's just a leader broken, then the cost should be reasonable

 

[LeeMason]

Depending where you are you could contact

http://www.jigstor.co.uk.

They can do one-off repairs on tape drives, etc.


Lee Mason
Optimal Projects Ltd

http://www.opl.co.uk

http://www.backupsanywhere.com

 

[lardum]

E-mailed

http://www.jigstor.co.uk

yesterday, still no response.

Can someone give me some recommendations on companies that does this kind of operations?

 

[Martin999]

These guys ...

http://www.emaglink.co.uk/

Based in Wales, excellent service.

Failing that - you can get "pin replacement" kits - easy to use, and allow a "one off" use of the media to recover data.

Martin