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anonymous 18 March 2002

I back up my Pro Tools audio and session files (Mac-based) with Retrospect (vs. 4.3) to a Sony DDS-3 Tape drive. For years I hardly had any execution errors, but now I get 25-30% of my files coming back with errors. Repeating the back-up a few times sometimes works, but sometimes after many repeated back-ups of the same data, there are still two or three files that don't get copied properly. I regularly clean the heads with the cleaning tape on schedule as prompted, and I have tried copying from different hard drives (firewire, Ultra-SCSI), all to no avail. It's getting a little scary.

I'm guessing the heads on my drive are shot, but I can't ever get anything but a busy-signal at Sony, and Retrospect charges $40 per incident for support!

Anyone had any experience with this? Just thought I'd check before plunking down eight or nine hundred for a new drive.

Comments

Guest Tue, 03/19/2002 - 08:25

Thanks for the reply, Opus. I've run Norton and Tech Tools - seems ok. Also have tried copying the same files to various SCSI, Firewire, and ATA drives, and still the same Execution errors occurring in the same quantities - so I think I can rule out a drive problem. Did a clean system install as well. Nothing seems to help. Sigh. :(

Guest Tue, 03/19/2002 - 14:48

Just in case anyone in the future has this problem and finds this thread via a search, I thought I'd report my progress.

My girlfriend, who does internet stuff for a living, was able to come up with a phone number for tech support for Sony tape drives: 800-801-7927. (Don't ask me how, the Sony website was a complete dead-end. And the contact info in my owner's manual was obsolete. I guess that's why she's a pro.)

Anyway, I spoke to a very helpful tech, and she told me I should run a back-up and look for two things:

If the status light is blinking, I was told to run the cleaning tape 5-7 times in a row. If the tape light or busy light is blinking, I should power everything down, disconnect the SCSI cable, then reconnect it and power back up (one of those SCSI voodoo issues, no doubt!)

The interesting thing is, my drive was not a Sony OEM, but packaged by a thrid party no longer in business. Later in the day, a Sony person returned one of the various messages I left all over their corporate landscape, and expressed surprise that their tech had been so helpful. She said to me: "Usually if it is not our own packaged drive, the tech people won't even talk to you!"

I guess I sounded so pitiful they made an exception!

Doublehelix Fri, 03/22/2002 - 03:10

Originally posted by littledog:
Am I a stupid shit or what? Apparently I've been trying to clean my DAT drive for God knows how long with a cleaning tape that was all used up! I bought a new cleaning tape, and one pass later, my drive works perfectly!

Tada!!! And the "Stupid Shit of the Day Award" goes to....Tada! Littledog!!! Let's all give him a hand ladies and gentlemen!! Hehe... lol :D

Dude...don't feel bad...we have all made some pretty stupid moves before...we always expect the worst, and look for all the difficult solutions, when sometimes the answer is right in front of our noses.

Yours is a pretty funny story, and one that I could have easily written several times!!! I am glad you are up and running, and man enough to tell us about it!

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