Diskette Drive; ¼" Streaming Tape Drive Cleaning; Dat Drive Cleaning - Alpha Microsystems AM-6000 Owner's Manual

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• Store cartridges with the write-protect switch in the SAFE position.
• Keep magnets away from your tapes. Even weak magnets such as those in paper clip holders
can erase data on a cartridge tape.
• Don't expose tapes to very high or low humidity (more than 80% or less than 20%).
• Cartridge tapes should be acclimated to computer-room temperature and humidity conditions
before use. If the tape has been stored away from the computer, it should be returned to the
computer environment at least eight hours before use. If it has been in a different environment
for less than eight hours, it should be kept in the computer location for at least as many hours as
it was away from it.

DISKETTE DRIVE

The diskette drive requires periodic cleaning of its read/write heads. A regular cleaning schedule can
prevent problems, such as data loss, which can result from dirty heads. If you do start noticing data loss,
cleaning the heads will probably take care of it.
You can clean diskette drives using a special head-cleaning kit available from vendors of computer
supplies.
¼" STREAMING TAPE DRIVE CLEANING
It is very important to clean the read/write head of your tape drive periodically. If you use your cartridge
tape drive to do one or more backups per day, you should clean the head at least once a week. For more
frequent use, keep in mind:
• When you use new tapes exclusively or often, clean the head after every two hours of tape drive
running time.
• If you reuse tapes most of the time, clean the head after every eight hours of running time.
For the AM-625, AM-626, and AM-627 streaming tape drives, follow these cleaning procedures:
• Dip a lint-free cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol (at least 91% strength)
• The head is a brass-colored metal square that can be seen in the tape slot. Rub the surface of the
head with the moist cotton swab.
• Rub the head with a dry swab to prevent residue buildup.
When cleaning tape drive heads, never use 70% rubbing alcohol. Make sure you use isopropyl
alcohol of at least 91% strength.

DAT DRIVE CLEANING

If excessive magnetic dust and debris collects on one or more of the heads, magnetic media may become
unreadable and unwriteable. This situation may occur infrequently, or not at all, depending on the media
used.
AM-6000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
Chapter Six