Retrocomputing Stack Exchange
Retrocomputing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [magnetic-tape]

For questions about magnetic tape storage formats

This tag covers any data storage mechanism that uses magnetic tape.

Different manufacturers used different formats - both hardware and software.

Use this tag for any magnetic tape format. See also and .

30 questions
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7 answers

Why were closed tape loops never a popular storage medium (or were they)?

Tape storage is, in some sense, the most successful technology across all of IT, being first used in the 1950s and AFAIK still unbeaten today in its niche. Though the success is mostly because tape can be wound up so compactly, it also seems to be…
leftaroundabout
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11
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2 answers

Reading old QIC-80 tape using Linux with ftape

I have an old Colorado 250MB tape drive, which connects to the PC's floppy controller, that I'd like to use to read a QIC-80 cartridge. I know that very old versions of the Linux kernel used to have the ftape driver built into them (which would…
Dmitry Brant
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5
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1 answer

Why does a DECtape have 576 blocks?

Information online states that a 18/36-bit DECtape holds 576 blocks. People claim it may be possible to add a few more blocks, but no more. Where does this number come from? Is there a hard limit on the length of the tape?
Lars Brinkhoff
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4
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0 answers

Is there information available to diagnose DLT2000/4000 POST errors?

I'm trying to read some DLT CompactTape IIIXL tapes. The Quantum TH3AA (DLT2000XT) drive I have was last working in 2018 but on powerup all the lights illuminate then the lights on the left go out but the lights on the right flash. I picked up a…
Wildcat Matt
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