From: <g-wright at att.net> I am not aware of a program doing that job, but there is a way out, at least for reel-to-reel tapes and 3480/3490 type cartridges. Some tapedrives, like the Qualstar 3412S, have a hardware function called Read/Write test. The 3412S will write a tape, and for every error it finds, it lights/extinghuishes a LED. So, by looking at how many times a KED switches, you can get an idea of the quality. When talking about reel to reel tapes, you will see that most of the errors are found within the first 5 % of the length. You can then cut that part of the tape, put on a new blink, and enjoy a useable tape. The 3412 will do that for all 3 densities it can write : 1600, 3200 and 6250 bpi. It will stop testing when a certain number of errors has been detected. Nico