| Ovation Data Services can
recover data from magnetic tape media damaged in virtually any
manner. That includes tapes that have become sticky, dropped into
the ocean, flooded in basements, burnt in fires, trapped by customs for
six months on an airport tarmac, even ones immersed into buckets of oil
or run over by a forklift. Depending on how much of the media has
been affected, ODS can completely recover data after other attempts and
methods have failed.
ODS can retrieve information from tapes
damaged by:
expert
diagnosis and treatment
Through our wide
experience, ODS has developed special expertise in handling a wide range
of media problems, including:
sticky
tape
These pose a special
challenge. Commonly known as "STICTION,"
the problem occurs when the glue or binder holding the magnetic emulsion
to the taped backing breaks down over time causing the a tape to stick
to the tape transport drive, read/write head or even the tape itself.
Information is literally
torn off as the tapes are being read. In the process, tapes are
irreparably damaged, and tape drive heads become clogged, increasing
wear and tear and resulting in lost production while they are being
cleaned or replaced.
ODS reconditions sticky
tapes by "treating" them in a special environment for a period
of time. This improves the media enough to allow one last clean
pass. Data can then be processed, tapes can be re-mastered and the
damaged originals can finally be disposed of.
corrupted
data
At ODS, we use proprietary
software to help us either bypass bad or corrupted areas or examine the
data structure bit-for-bit and recreate it. Because we work with
almost all tape media types and manufactures, we have an in-depth
understanding of the architecture and mechanics of each media.
In some instances,
manufacturers recognize our expertise and refer their own clients to us
for assistance. They may even provide us with their internal
"firmware" that is not available for use by anyone outside
their organization for legal or strategic reasons. This firmware
allows us to probe deeper into the content of problem tapes and recover
data that would otherwise be lost or "invisible."
Cracked
or otherwise damaged tape cases or spools
ODS has extensive
experience solving this problem and has the expertise to move the
original tape onto a new output.
As a general rule, you can
help prevent such problems from occurring by storing tapes in an
air-conditioned setting at a temperature between 19° and 23° Celsius
(66° and 73° F.) and between 55% and 65% relative humidity. Tapes not
stored in these conditions are more likely to undergo accelerated data
deterioration.
For more information about
how Ovation Data Services can use its proprietary procedures and
software to salvage severely damaged data, call or write us.
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