On Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 6:22 PM Chuck Guzis via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> I just checked and I can still read without error some 8" disks that I > wrote, what, 45 years ago. They were FM 3740-type format and good > quality, so there's that. > In all my days of doing data conversion professionally (throughout the 2000-aughts), it was rare that I got an 8" disk that had any problems reading. Or any other format for that matter. Magnetic media in my experience seems to hold up well if stored properly. > Which is why I wasn't joking about using 9 track 1/2" tape. Many > millions of reels of the stuff were in use right up into the 1980s. > The drives are not unobtanium and the medium is pretty rugged. Had I > used 7-track tape, I would still not be out of luck, but only because I > have a 7 track drive, which is far less common these days. I rarely had any issues reading 9-track tapes either. I believe I might still have a 7-track drive. Sellam
