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From: cdl@mplvax.EDU (Carl Lowenstein)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Need HELP recovering files from tar damage
Keywords: tar corrupt file
Message-ID: <970@mplvax.EDU>
Date: 16 Jul 89 18:47:32 GMT
References: <4385@merlin.usc.edu> <18567@mimsy.UUCP> <11668@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU>
Reply-To: cdl@mplvax.ucsd.edu.UUCP (Carl Lowenstein)
Organization: U.C. San Diego, Marine Physical Laboratory
Lines: 17

In article <11668@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> pvo@oce.orst.edu (Paul V O'Neill) writes:

>Keep in mind that if you made the c/x error while at BOT, or anywhere on
>track 1 of a QIC tape, that the drive turned on it's FULL WIDTH erase head
>as it was writing to track 1 and also wiped anything you had further on
>down the line in tracks 2 - 9.

Do these QIC cartridges not have some kind of mechanical write lock that
signals to the drive electronics?  One could save a great deal of grief
by exercising the write lock, assuming that it really works.
Maybe that's the only good feature of the DEC TK50 cartridge, the write-lock
mechanism out front where it can be switched over.  Much easier than the
write-enable ring on a standard 9-track tape.
-- 
	carl lowenstein		marine physical lab	u.c. san diego
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