> Since I don't believe in using old systems for
the recover of old data
Why?
Not answering for Al, but for myself: if you do recover the old
data without using the old system, then you've demonstrated a very
good understanding of all the encodings and steps needed.
as what better system to get the data than the system
it was designed for?
Having access to the original system is indeed very good for verifying
that you have done the job properly.
Tim.