reading tapes in bad conditions

It depends on the SCSI tape drive's firmware, but with many you'll be able to skip over bad parts with a combination of SET MAGTAPE/SKIP=FILES and SET MAGTAPE/SKIP=RECORDS. If the SCSI tape drive won't let you do this, it's probably because its firmware thinks that a tape error means end-of-tape and won't let you go past. I can't make any other recommendation other than to get a different drive (preferably, something with a "less intelligent" interface. It's rarely good when the peripheral thinks you know better than it what you want it to do!) -- Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/ 7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917 Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927