- Nov 30, 2004
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I've recently been trying to get data off of old backup tapes from work. Somebody threw the hardware out, so I've been using a tape drive I got from a thrift shop, and one I scavenged out of a dumpster(Colorado, and Seagate respectively). I haven't had any luck so far, but it brings to mind a question I've always wanted to ask. Why use tapes instead of a external HD?
I've never liked tapes for anything. It seems like they're more likely to have problems, and in my case above they're tied to proprietary hardware/software which makes recovery difficult as time passes. So my question is why use tape? It seems to me the only advantage is it's small size, otherwise an HD seems better to me in every respect.
I've never liked tapes for anything. It seems like they're more likely to have problems, and in my case above they're tied to proprietary hardware/software which makes recovery difficult as time passes. So my question is why use tape? It seems to me the only advantage is it's small size, otherwise an HD seems better to me in every respect.