Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!purdue!i.cc.purdue.edu!j.cc.purdue.edu!pur-ee!iuvax!inuxc!ihnp4!gargoyle!ddsw1!michael
From: michael@ddsw1.UUCP (Michael Duebner)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: PDP to VAX transfers
Message-ID: <737@ddsw1.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 88 05:13:51 GMT
References: <106@mcs1.UUCP> <880211062125.96b@CitHex.Caltech.Edu>
Reply-To: michael@ddsw1.UUCP (Michael Duebner)
Organization: AERA Tech Services, Buffalo Grove, IL
Lines: 35

In article <880211062125.96b@CitHex.Caltech.Edu> carl@CITHEX.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick) writes:
>
> > The TK-70 tape drive uses a TK-52K cartridge.  This cartridge can also be 
> > written to on the older TK-50 drive.  You can even read this tape back on
> > the TK-70.  The problem comes in when you want to write information to the
> > tape again using the TK-70.  Well, it dosn't work!.  The TK-70 thinks you
> > are trying to scam it, using TK-50K low density media in a high density drive
> > is a no no.  The drive comes up software write protected, the little red
> > light on the front of the drive even glows, and all of the /OVERRIDE 
> > parameters in the world can't convince it otherwise.  The moral of this 
> > story is that we are now the proud owners of two TK-52K tape cartridges
> > that have been converted to TK-50 use only.
>
>The recommended procedure for converting them back for TK-52K use is to
>put them in a bulk eraser.

Well, that sounded like a real good idea, so I tried it.  My results are
very poor: "Fatal Error" from tape drive when the following command is
given:

init/override=(access,owner, .....) mua0: backup


So, at this point I have two bulk erased TK-52K cartridges that will
probably serve as book ends or paper weights.  


Life is good as long as it is according to the rules of DEC! :-)


-- 

Michael Duebner	                UUCP : ddsw1!michael
Technical Services, Buffalo Grove, IL   312/541-6550
[Help is only a phone call away for members of AERA]