Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zds-ux!gerry
From: gerry@zds-ux.UUCP (Gerry Gleason)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: Tape retensioning
Message-ID: <97@zds-ux.UUCP>
Date: 12 Jan 90 16:07:35 GMT
References: <1990Jan6.063506.8670@actrix.co.nz> <6412@turnkey.gryphon.COM> <1990Jan9.133438.8417@virtech.uucp> <246@comcon.UUCP>
Reply-To: gerry@zds-ux.UUCP (Gerry Gleason)
Organization: Zenith Data Systems
Lines: 15

In article <246@comcon.UUCP> tim@comcon.UUCP (Tim Brown) writes:
>One solution I have come across is to bulk erase the tape.  I had several
>tapes that would not work at all, couldn't retens or anything through
>unix so bulk erased them, bingo they work perfect.  You can get bulk
>erasers from any electrical supply house.

But this is not the same thing.  Another poster noted that he rarely
had to use such a thing, but if you are one to follow all the instuctions,
the tape cartridges I have say to retension before using the first time
and a few other conditions.  This has nothing to do with magnetic state
of the tape, it's for physical care.  I don't know what problems you
could have if you don't, but I assume your reliability would go down.
A little, a lot, who knows.

Gerry Gleason