The concensus on the "Community Memory" computer-history list, IIRC, was that to preserve the DATA it was a good idea to periodically migrate it to newer (types of) media. If you want to continue using the same PHYSICAL media (type), for purposes of "completeness," sentiment, etc., I assume you could simply (?) read-and-rewrite the data back onto the "same" media (whether the "same tape," or just "another tape of the same kind," is up to YOU). I can however envision situations in which system resource limitations might make it difficult to do that -- only one drive, no spare "blank" media, insufficient memory to buffer a copy of ONE tape/disk while swapping to the next one (more of a problem with tapes than with disks). You might be able to get around some of these problems with clever programming (i.e. tracking media position and restoring positions around multiple medium-swaps!) -- but I'm not about to assume that you guys can all PROGRAM all the machines you COLLECT. (Can you?) Me, I'm a DIY-software-head. I don't buy, or even dumpster-dive for, much hardware that I can't at least POTENTIALLY program... Chris Chiesa ("the still-pretty-new guy")