Quantum DAT 160 User Guide

Chapter 4  Operating Your Tape Drive

Handling Cartridges

Quantum DAT 160 User’s Guide

37

Handling Cartridges

4

To protect your data cartridges and the information on them, observe the 

guidelines and avoid the pitfalls in 

.

Table 7   Cartridge Guidelines 
and Pitfalls

Use DAT cartridges at 

temperatures from 5° C (40° F) to 

40° C (113° F). Cartridges can be 

stored at temperatures down to -

40° C (-40° F).

Do not expose cartridges to direct 

sunlight, moisture, excessively 

dry or humid places, extreme 

changes in temperature or 

humidity, or X-rays.

Handle cartridges gently.

Do not treat cartridges roughly or 

drop them.

Keep cartridges in plastic cases 

when they are not in use.

Do not try to clean the tape guides 

or tape path inside the cartridge.

Apply just one label to the 

designated area on the cartridge. 

Affixing more labels can jam the 

drive.

Never touch the exposed tape 

media with your fingers.

If your data is important, consider 

reading data off of tapes and 

rewriting to new and perhaps 

more modern tapes every few 

years.

Never leave cartridges close to 

magnetic fields, such as near a 

monitor or telephone handset.

If cartridges are exposed to 

temperatures or humidities 

outside the specified operating 

environment, expose them to the 

operating environment for a time 

equal to the period that the 

cartridges were exposed to the 

out-of-specification environment 

(up to a maximum of 24 hours).

Do not read from or write to 

cartridges when a temperature 

change of 10° C per hour is 

occurring.