18 Dec
2006
18 Dec
'06
10:15 a.m.
On 12/18/06, Al Kossow <aek at bitsavers.org> wrote:
This is the classic failure mode for the rollers.
Pressure/Temperature
causing breakdown of the rubber.
There is no way to prevent it. The rubber had already
decomposed, and
the elevated temperature caused what was left of the bonds to change
state.
Hmmm, my next idea - just for obtaining the data, not the long-term
preservation of the drive - is to write a quick and dirty script or C
program to read the data off the drive slooooowly. After all, it took
a considerable number of minutes of the drive going at full speed to
cause the rubber to fail.
If I read one block, then pause for a bunch of seconds, I think I
could do this in a careful enough matter. The problem is I only have
one shot at this, so I should give a generous cool-off period.
Joe.