Can This Tape Cartridge Be Salvaged?
Hands-On Disaster Recovery

If you're digging through mud or wading through floodwater looking for the remnants of your business, you will probably want an idea of which tape cartridges are worth trying to salvage. The amount of exposure to water and debris is the primary determinant to the recoverability of any specific tape; and the value of the data contained on the tape will determine the level of effort expended towards that recovery. The criteria given below form a matrix that a business can use as it progresses with a salvage operation.


Classify Water Exposure

A triage system to classify exposure to water and debris can be used initially to categorize tapes for recovery.

• Level 1: Rained on but not submerged, or only slight water immersion (may still be wet or may have dried off) - high probability of recovery with some effort
• Level 2: Submerged or immersed in water but only minor contamination - good probability of recovery with elevated effort
• Level 3: Submerged or immersed in water but with major contamination from mud, dirt and debris - low probability of recovery with extraordinary effort

If data is successfully recovered from any exposed tape cartridge, the exposed cartridge should be retired.


Recovery of Water Damaged Tapes

The following excerpts are from a presentation to the Library of Congress Symposium on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery of Audio, Film, and Video Materials by Dr. John Van Bogart of the National Media Lab (NML), Sep 1995:

"If a tape has been exposed to fresh water, rain, sewage, mud, or sea water as a result of a disaster, it is important to keep the tape wet until a recovery effort can begin. DO NOT allow the tape to dry out as any sediments in the contaminating water will dry onto the tape and be more difficult to remove. Tapes can be kept in a sealed plastic bag with a wet towel or sponge to keep them from drying out; however, unless kept cool, these tapes may experience molding if not treated within a week or two. Tapes can be immersed in water for a longer period of time without a possibility of molding.

"If a tape has been exposed to fresh water, it just needs to be rinsed in distilled water and dried. The tape can be carefully blotted dry with a lint-free towel, assuming that no tape edge damage will result from this action, and air dried. If the tape pack quality is poor so that contact with the tape could cause tape edge damage it is best not to try to remove any excess water from the tape. Dry the tapes in a reduced humidity environment (~20% RH or less) at room temperature. Vacuum drying is also acceptable at ambient temperatures.

"If a tape has been contaminated with mud or sewage, it is important to rinse off the tapes as soon as possible. The mud or sewage could contain organics or other contaminants hazardous to the tape. A complete recovery effort is not important at this stage. Once rinsed, the tapes can sit while other higher priority items can be addressed, such as books and paper.

"When recovering muddy or sewage contaminated tapes, it may be necessary to use soapy water. Not all debris may rinse clean with the use of plain water. Use just enough of a mild detergent (dish washing liquid that is dye free and perfume free is OK) that is required to remove any oils or greases from the tapes.

"In any wet tape recovery effort, it is always important to use a distilled water rinse prior to drying. Hard water or other sediments left on the tape can cause dropouts and head clogs as the debris gets between the tape head and the tape.

"There is no harm in too low of a humidity for tape treatment. (Low humidity is only a problem if the tapes are to be played at low humidities). Use of a winder-cleaner will not be necessary unless the water has infiltrated the tape pack because (1) the wind tension was too low, or (2) the tape had several popped strands.

"In the recovery of tape from brackish or sea water, it is important to rinse the tapes as soon as possible. The salts in sea water are very corrosive to reduced metal based tapes such as MP (metal particulate) and ME (metal evaporated) tapes. Oxide based tapes are not at as great a risk from attack by corrosives. However, unless you know that your collection contains no MP and ME tapes, or you can tell the difference between your oxide and MP/ME tapes, it is best to rinse all tapes ASAP. MP and ME tape are used extensively in high grade 8mm video, digital video, and digital data applications.

"Finish the cleaning with a rinse in distilled water, and allow to dry."*


Additional Web Resources

A checklist of useful information for pre-disaster planning and post-disaster mitigation can be found on the National Archives and Records Administration Web page: http://www.archives.gov/preservation/conservation/magnetic-media.html.** This site contains information about a variety of types of disaster planning.


Data Recovery Services

Imation Corp. provides limited data recovery services for the US government. We do not endorse or recommend any specific data recovery service. Some better known companies that provide data recovery are OnTrack and Vogon Data Recovery. Ovation Data Services in Houston also provides a data conversion service to the geophysical industry, and is another possible resource.


Summary

Imation has a Web site dedicated to providing resources for small and medium sized business environments


* Recovery of Damaged Magnetic Tape and Optical Disc Media, Dr. John W.C. Van Bogart, National Media Laboratory

** Imation did not create the content on this Web site, and we cannot vouch for its accuracy or completeness.