help with a compaq dds3 dat drive

[B. Sprunger]

We have a compaq dds3 12/24 gb dat drive on a server and daily we backup and remove the tape offsite. We have done this for 2 years and all of the sudden the drive won't accept a tape. When the tape is inserted, it appears to load, then it will eject. We have run a cleaning tape (that stayed in) and when we look at the hardware it says the drive is functioning properly. any suggestions? Thanks you

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,

Does the drive reject all tapes, or only one tape. In the first case I think the drive is bad and you have to replace it. In the later case it seems to be a problem with the media (discard it).

[Sunil Sharma_1]

Hi,

most probably your drive is gone bad if it is not accepting any tape.

what media you r using? dds3 will not work with dd4 media.

Sunil

[Seth Parker]

Hehe, could someone be messing with you? The behavior you described is the opposite of what's supposed to happen. Maybe someone swapped labels on a cleaning tape and a normal tape?

Try two new cartridges: cleaning and data. See what happens when you insert them. If what you described still happens, the drive is probably bad.

The good news is that if the drive is in a Compaq server and the server is still under warranty, you should be able to get the drive replaced under the server's warranty.

Good luck!
Seth