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From: dsmith@csusac.csus.edu (Dick Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.att
Subject: Re: Help with tape cardrige in 3b2/400
Message-ID: <1990Jul8.160822.14124@csusac.csus.edu>
Date: 8 Jul 90 16:08:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: California State University, Sacramento
Lines: 34

I would like to add to the suggestions from Art Gentry.

>In article <1990Jul5.195559.6587@agate.berkeley.edu> ilan343@violet.berkeley.edu writes:
>>I having problems with the tape drive in a 3B2/400, actually the drive
>>in unusable.
>>
>> [symptoms description deleted for brevity]
>>
>>Can any kind soul give me a hint if this hardware or software related?
>>Is there an easy fix I could try ?
>>
>What the error is telling you is the driver cannot "open" the drive.
>This is typically caused by one of the following:
>
>1) tape is write protected
>2) tape is defective
>3) kernel or device file is pointing to the wrone major/minor device
>4) tape drive is defective
>
>If when you attempt to write to or read from the tape, the access light
>comes on, then forget #3;  look for a protected tape or defective unit.
>
>Art

I had the same error messages and after trying several tapes I looked
at the heads and descovered them to be covered with oxide. After cleaning
everything worked perfectly.

dick
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