TAPE INTEGRITY CHECKS/RECOVERY

The conditions under which tapes are stored are significant factors, which affect tape deterioration. Manufacturers recommend that tapes should be stored at a temperature of about 20^oc and relative humidity of 50 %. In the oil exploration industry tapes are often recorded, transported and sometimes stored in conditions that are far from this optimum.

Poorly stored data could be stictioned, Stiction is a process where factors like age/heat/dust/humidity/improper storage affects the binder that holds the data (stored on the magnetic oxide) of the tape starting breaking off due to the erratic levels of lubrication on the tape surface, leaving behind a sticky mess that literally in the worst case, glued the magnetic oxide together, form mould on the surface of the oxide and ultimately the header locks.

The first problem facing a company whose data archive may have stiction problems is to identify the particular tape, where and how the problems have occurred. A data audit of a statistical representative sample of the archive data and tapes are reliable and relatively cheap method of achieving this.

With a data audit and tape audit, Petrodata Management Services Limited can accurately assess the relative condition of the entire data set. Thus, it can serve as a guide to re-mastering costs and orders of priority may be attached to the transcription of tapes to high density media.

Using appropriate technology, PMSL is able to recondition the tapes and stabilize the media for recovery. The process involves reconditioning both the tape drives and damaged media. The process allows us to recover information by a wide range of conditions. In most cases PMSL can recover up to 98 % of the data.