How do you format a tape drive??

[Gutter Ball]

One of my coworkers says that they need to format their tape drive for her office but they don't know how. So she asked me and I don't know either! I've never seen one so I have no clue. I'm assuming there's a drive letter assigned to the tape drive, right? Anybody know? Is it like a cassette tape where to erase you just tape over? Thanks.

[Target]

I'm no expert on tape drives, but I do have some limited experience.

My tape drives are not assigned a drive letter. Not sure if that is true of all drives or not.

However, the software that you use to make back-ups to tape should have an option to format a new tape if necessary. On mine, I choose TAPE from the file menu at the top, then FORMAT. Also, on mine, if the tape is already formatted, and I simply want to do a quick erase of the data that is on it, I choose TAPE from the file menu, then INITIALIZE.

Give your back-up software a look, it should be relatively easy to figure out. My help file was pretty detailed and straight forward in explaining it.

[Mntsnow]

Target has given you some answers that usually work on a windows box. But there is several more advanced answers that will depend TOTALLY on what OS, What Backup software they are using. If you need additional help from what Target mentioned get the rest of the "details" and we will be more than happy to try and get you the correct answers http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

btw...This is one of the main functions of my job that I do.

Mntsnow

[Target]

Good point Mntsnow...I assumed a windows box (DOH).

Thank god someone with more tape experience happened upon this thread <lol>! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Mntsnow]

http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/wink.gif

[Gutter Ball]

D'oh! Forgot the OS! It's either Win95 or Win98. I'll have to ask her what backup program they use, although it might be difficult. To make it short, the Doctor there is virtually computer illiterate("tell me how it works and that's it"), so he relies on my co-worker (who isn't too bad with basic comp stuff) to do that stuff and to fix it when something goes wrong!!! So she relies on me for answers http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif But thanks for the answers Target/Mntsnow, I'm sure once I tell her to look for the software she can follow the instructions http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif I didn't know they still used tape backups http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif Later all!