"Unrecoverable Data Error"

[ntinlin]

Odd problem not sure whether hardware related or just being stupid. I'm using Arcserve but don't think this is a s/w issue.

I have some DLT IV's that have previously been used in a 35/70Gb DLT drive but erased through Arcserve 6.6. Arcserve shows them as blank media, although that I think means formatted but empty in this case.

I wanted to re-use these tapes in a 20/40Gb DLT drive with Brightstor 11.
When I mount them it sees them as unreadable media. Try a format or an erase and I get a message saying "unrecoverable data error".
When I look at tape log it says "ABSL:2060 Additional Sense: Drive Calibration Error [80,00]"

Now does this mean that there is a fault with the drive OR that having been once formatted as 35Gb they can't be formatted back down?

Cheap as they are I don't really want to go out and buy another 30 DLT IV's at present.

Thanks
Neill

 

[birky]

Hi

Have you tried cleaning the drive..running a cleaning tape will also recalibrate the drive.

 

[ntinlin]

Hi Birky,

Think I had tried a clean with no result.

However I have managed to find a workaround.
Re-formatted the DLT IV's as 20Gb tapes in a 35Gb drive using the density override setting.

The 20Gb drive finally saw them as blank media and was able to backup successfully.

I will try a clean again and see if that works. I'd rather not manually format 30 odd tapes on the other drive if I don't have to.

Neill