1 Feb
2023
1 Feb
'23
4:16 a.m.
On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 6:22 PM Chuck Guzis via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I just checked and I can still read without error some
8" disks that I
wrote, what, 45 years ago. They were FM 3740-type format and good
quality, so there's that.
In all my days of doing data conversion professionally (throughout the
2000-aughts), it was rare that I got an 8" disk that had any problems
reading. Or any other format for that matter. Magnetic media in my
experience seems to hold up well if stored properly.
Which is why I wasn't joking about using 9 track
1/2" tape. Many
millions of reels of the stuff were in use right up into the 1980s.
The drives are not unobtanium and the medium is pretty rugged. Had I
used 7-track tape, I would still not be out of luck, but only because I
have a 7 track drive, which is far less common these days.
I rarely had any issues reading 9-track tapes either.
I believe I might still have a 7-track drive.
Sellam