Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!vaxa.rhbnc.ac.UK!UHAC010
From: UHAC010@vaxa.rhbnc.ac.UK
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <8805260627.AA17742@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 24 May 88 12:03:20 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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Warning to all TK50 users in the UK (and maybe stateside too):

We have recently had problems with TK50 drives hanging (yes I know it 
happens all the time). The engineer told us that there is a bad batch of 
tapes around and we had thirteen of them. The bad tapes slough off oxide 
into your drive...

 The bad tapes are identified from the two numbers printed (usually in 
purple ink) on the bottom of each tape (ie the side with the screwheads 
showing). Typically:

          92802           17102
            -               --

 If you have an eight in the underlined position on the first number, and 
a ten in the underlined position in the second number then you have a 
problem. Note that sometimes the second number has an extra digit in the 
LSD - you should look in the third and fourth positions from the right. If 
you contact DEC they will swap the tapes for good ones.

 TK50 tapes also clean the drive. If you have had a bad tape in your drive 
it will be dirty, and this may make a good tape appear faulty. However, 
after a few runs through, the good tape should clean the drive up and all 
will be well.

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Adrian Johnstone,

Mail:	Royal Holloway & Bedford New College, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England
Phone:	0784 39025
Fax:	0784 37520
Telex:	935504 RHC
Email:
 Janet:	A.JOHNSTONE@uk.ac.rhbnc.vaxa 
 Arpa:	A.JOHNSTONE%vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk
 Bitnet/NetNorth/Earn:	A.JOHNSTONE@vaxa.rhbnc.ac.uk 

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