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If we try to judge the tape drive independently as a digital storage medium, the disadvantages would seem too glaring.  But we need to keep in mind that we are not looking at it in isolation. The CD too has many disadvantages when compared with the DVD, and the DVD will seem a bad choice when compared to an external hard drive. On the other hand, if something is that bad, it will be pushed out of the market anyway. The floppy and the LD have gone out of use, and the LD has actually become totally extinct.

 

The old VHS analogue tapes are no more used to store and distribute movies – and for those who had a collection of such tapes, it is difficult to locate a player in the market for them. They have all been dumped on to digital tapes by now. Therefore, the digital tape is a good example of a survivor. The LD was a typical example of what is called intermediate technology. It had too many flaws, was clumsy in shape, expensive, and required too many add-ons in order to be played. The qualitative difference was just not worth the extra pounds spent at the end of the day. The floppy was just too flawed to survive. The wonder of the tape is that it is often preferred precisely because it is a tape – i.e. its inherent properties have made it a survivor.

 

Advantages of the Tape Drive

 

Let us first look at the advantages of the tape drive.  

 

·          First and foremost, money matters. Tape is just too cheap, and that cannot be denied. Many corporate houses still prefer buying cartloads of tape and backing up their data on it at a fraction of the cost an array (or a set of arrays) would have taken. Tape is almost not used by home consumers. The data referred to is vast in volume, and should be stored, updated, and preserved in an environment where there is zero scope of virus penetration or any other damage. Tape drives are the best choices in such cases. The information can be shared selectively, it can be uploaded into all types of formats at any moment, and nothing is more virus-proof than tape. Tape drives have a wide variety of pricing and speed, lending themselves to suit the budgeting of all companies.

 

·          The simplicity of the machinery is an important factor in favour of tapes. A tape winds itself round and round the spokes of the hub, taking up very little space, being readily visible and physically reachable.

 

·          The build of the tape encased in plastic gives it another advantage – the surface on which data has been written is not externally exposed, unlike the CD and the DVD. So it cannot be scratched, tampered with, cracked or chipped so easily. Therefore, the chances of mishandling are also relatively less, since one cannot physically damage the data so easily.

 

·          Current generations of tape drives are less slow, more versatile and easier to handle. Nor are they as costly as external hard disks.  

 

Disadvantages and Data Loss

 

·          The CD has overtaken the tape drive where cost is concerned. So the winner’s point for the tape drive, i.e. its low cost, has taken a beating.

 

·          Mass production has affected tape quality, and nothing can be worse than a backup that gets corrupted itself.

 

·          Given a chance, the temptation to reduce costs is beyond all reasonable limits. Second hand tapes are ‘hot’ items in the market today – and this is neither a secure nor a wise solution. Nor is reselling always safe. The recycler may sell your company data in neat little packages to your rival.  Second hand tape is less durable, worse in quality and most unreliable among all digital media. Both of these factors cause data loss from tapes.

 

·          Storage is a problem with tapes. They are delicate and need to be protected from heat, dust, and humidity. Old tape can disintegrate. Separate manpower and infrastructure need to be employed for this. Data loss through physical means is very common in tapes. If not kept carefully, they may even catch fire as they are readily combustible.

·          Data loss can happen if tapes are inserted wrongly, a power surge happens while working on it, or if the tape is exposed to moisture.