How to Protect Magnetic Storage Media
Magnetic storage media come in many forms. Early media used large reel-to-reel tapes to store information. As time and technology advanced, computer experts turned to smaller cassette tapes and floppy disks. Data can be transferred to newer media with more storage capacity. But there are many cases where it becomes important to protect the original data. Magnetically stored data, plastic tapes and disks need protection.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Reel-to-Reel Tapes
-
1
Inspect the media. Check for cracks or chips. Place the leading end of the tape so that it lies flat.
-
2
Place the reel on the storage spindle. The storage plate has a large spindle in the center. Place the reel so that the center hole aligns with the spindle. There is usually room for several reels.
-
-
3
Place the cover over the reels. The cover is a rigid plastic case that fits over the stack of reels and locks around the spindle.
-
4
Store the case in a room with minimal dust and a temperature between 60 and 70 F. The area must be free of magnetic interference. Electrical wiring and computer equipment should be monitored and kept away from the storage area. The room should be free of sunlight and kept at 35 to 40 percent humidity.
Cassette Tapes
-
5
Inspect the cassette. The tape should lay flat against both reels in the cassette. If any tape is loose, tighten one or both reels. Insert the eraser end of a pencil into one of the sprockets of the cassette. Gently rotate the pencil until the loose tape is taut.
-
6
Place the tape in a hard cassette tape case. There are many cases on the market. Single tapes can be kept in clear cases, but opaque cases give better protection from sunlight. Larger projects can be kept in folders that have specially designed inserts that fit cassette tapes.
-
7
Store the cases in an archival room. The space should be free from sunlight, dust and magnetic interference. The temperature should be kept between 60 and 70 F and the humidity should be between 30 and 40 percent.
Floppy Disks
-
8
Handle the disks by the corner, never by the center. Because the round disks are sealed in a square case, handling a disk by its corners prevents scratching the fragile disk inside.
-
9
Inspect the disks. The plastic exterior must be free of cracks or chips.
-
10
Place each disk in a plastic sleeve. The sleeve must be made of nonconductive plastic and have a nonabrasive interior.
-
11
Place the sleeves in a hard plastic case. The case should provide support for the disks and be opaque to protect the disks from sunlight.
-
12
Store the cases in a room that is free from dust and electrical or magnetic interference. The room should be kept between 60 to 70 F and between 30 and 40 percent humidity.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Save the programs needed to use the data on the magnetic media. It does little good to protect documents that can no longer be opened with modern word processing programs.
References
- Photo Credit floppy disk image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
