<These two threads just bumped together in my head. Has anybody got <an idea of how long data should last on wire? It can't have the same If it didn't rust forever or until a stronger field distrurbed it. <Anyone want to try running some fine ferrous wire through an old <cassette (or even reel-to-reel) recorder, and see if the result is Wouldn't work. The gap in the head is too narrow, the media speed is too slow and the shape of the head would not favor it. Also wire requires a strong bias to work as your magnetizing a tougher medium. In real terms as a data storage medium it would be poor becuase of bit density and reliability. Even disks/drums of the time were very low density even though some were oxide coated or even a few cobalt plated. Allison