That would've been me, I think :-). It really is straightforward to do today - a PC, a few hundred dollars of investment for the A/D hardware and cabling, an old 9-track or 7-track drive that you can set up to spool forward at a constant rate, and you've got the hardware side done. The analysis software is where the real magic occurs - look up "PRML" in a good engineering or math bookstore and you'll be on the right path. Incorporating the data from non-flaky channels to recover the data in the flaky channel is easy for 1/2" magtapes because of the existence of both longitudinal and horizontal parity bits. The same techniques work for 8", 5.25", and 3.5" floppies, too. You don't have the luxury of parity channels there, but PRML techniques put you way ahead of traditional data separators. -- 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