Handle The Cartridge Carefully; Figure 17- Media Inspection 1- Bad Tape - Dell PowerVault 136T LTO Handbook

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Inspect the rear of the cartridge (the part that you load first into the tape load compartment) and ensure
that there are no gaps in the seam of the cartridge case. If there are gaps in the seam, the leader pin may
be dislodged. See Figure 18.
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If you suspect that the cartridge has been mishandled but it appears useable, copy any data onto a good
cartridge immediately for possible data recovery. Discard the mishandled cartridge.

13.3 Handle the Cartridge Carefully

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Do not drop the cartridge. If the cartridge drops, slide the cartridge door back and ensure that the leader
pin is properly seated in the pin-retaining spring clips.
•
Do not handle tape that is outside the cartridge. Handling the tape can damage the tape's surface or
edges, which may interfere with read or write reliability. Pulling on tape that is outside the cartridge can
damage the tape and the brake mechanism in the cartridge.
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Do not stack more than six cartridges.
•
Do not degauss a cartridge that you intend to reuse. Degaussing makes the tape unusable.
Below is an image of dropped tape which resulted in an out of place leader pin. This cartridge if inserted into a
drive could result in a stuck tape. Other damage could result in the leader pin missing all together, i.e. dropped
inside the tape housing.
Below is an image of a tape that had been dropped and the cartridge seam has been split.
Note: Newer versions of LTO tapes have plastic welded seams that can prevent splitting from occurring;
however, tapes still need to be checked for leader pins that have dropped inside the cassette housing if they have
been dropped.
Dell LTO Media Handbook

Figure 17- Media Inspection 1- bad tape

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