cleaning light

[Kevin Nguyen_4]

Hi,

I've a HP9000 D230 box with DDS2 internal tape drive. For about a week now I've to put in the cleaning cartridge everyday since the machine is asking for it. Does this mean that there's something wrong with the drive. It's been working great for the last 2 yrs. By the way, after I put the cleaning cartridge, it worked fine.

Thanks,

Kevin

[Trond Haugen]

When you have run the cleaning tape you shoule expect the drive to run fine for some time before the cleaning light comes on again.
On the other hand it could be that the tape you are using is the problem so I would suggest getting new tapes too. Backup utilities like OmniBack/Data Protector keeps record of how old and how many times a tape is used as this is importante to ensure a good backup.

Regards,
Trond

[Pete Randall]

Kevin,

It's a clear indication that something is not right. The cleaning cartridge's use should cause the cleaning light to go out. If you have a support contract, I would definitely call HP and have the drive replaced. If not, you should be aware that it *may* be on it's last legs. In the meantime, use the cleaning cartridge on a regularly scheduled basis, like after every 10th or 20th use of the drive in order to avoid over-abrasion of the heads.


Pete

[Naveej.K.A]

hi kevin,

Forced to put the cleaning DAT everyday!!! and cleaning the Drive..

Definitely not a good symptom of a working DAT drive. I was also facing the same problem very recently with DDS3 drive. Changed the drve and everything started working smoothly.

Using the Catridges excessively can also cause damage to the drive. What i mean to say is the defective or worn out DATA catridges...

With Best wishes
naveej

[Naveej.K.A]

Forgot to mention...
is your cleaning catridge fine...
Hope the reel inside has not reached the right end of the tape...

Regards
Naveej

[MarkSyder]

It could also be a worn-out cleaning tape. Have you kept a record of how many times it has been used? It should be discarded when you've ticked every box on the label.

I don't know about HP, but when I dealt with AIX systems IBM had a rule about hardware calls to tape drives:

1. run the headcleaner through the drive three times

2. insert a brand new tape

3. only log a hardware call if the fault persists after you have run steps 1 and 2.

Mark Syder (like the drink but spelt different)

[The Real MD]

if its on support log a hardware call to replace the tape drive. Having first tried a new cleaning tape and a new backup media tape.

Regards

Martin.