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In a message dated 10/29/00 11:21:07 AM Pacific Standard Time,
ztrader@xxxxxxxxx writes:
<< I have a pair of 8 Gig HP Colorado tape drives that I've used for some
time. One has quit entirely, and the other is getting quite
unreliable. HP suggests 'discarding them' - can't be fixed.
I have about 12 Gigs on the computer with the tape drive, and about 20
Gigs on the local net. I'd appreciate any suggestions for a 20-30 Gig
tape drive and good backup software.
>>
I recently bought a new computer system. One of the things I really really
wanted was a "reliable" tape backup system. I had a tape backup on my old
computer but it most certainly did not fall into the "reliable" category so I
was very leery. I searched for my options and didn't find much for a single
user with modest data requirements. I finally settled on an HP Colorado
Backup II using Travan 5 tapes. As I recall, the tapes have a "native"
capacity of 10 gig and for compressed format gets close to 20 gig. Anyway,
I've only had my system about 2 months but the tape unit has functioned
flawlessly. I currently have just over 1 gig on the disk and a complete
backup including 'verifying" takes about 30 minutes. I have used 4 different
tapes, all purchased from or provided by HP. One ordered through HP
"drowned" on it's first jump into the pool. Five minutes on the phone, at
the number they said to call, with an HP person and a trip to MailBoxes Etc.
found me a few days later with a replacement for my DOA tape. For me this
has been PLEASANT compared to what I went through with my first experience
with tape backup units with my last computer. If you find a better
alternative I'd sure like to hear what it is. Never know when "reliable"
turns into a nightmare, eh?
Lee Scharpen
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