Compaq 326817-003 manual Importance of Routine Cleaning

Chapter 5

Cleaning

Reliable backup of your system is the product of at least four components:

■A reliable tape drive

■Quality tape cassettes

■Regular backup schedule with backup media stored offsite

■Routine tape drive maintenance

The Compaq 20/40 GB DAT 8-Cassette AutoLoader is designed to operate reliably under worst case conditions; however, it requires simple routine maintenance to operate efficiently. Regular cleaning is the most essential step in properly maintaining a tape drive and preventing errors.

For more information about cleaning Compaq tape drives, refer to the Compaq website address: http://www.compaq.com. Once on the site, search for “Whitepapers.”

Importance of Routine Cleaning

IMPORTANT: Regular cleaning is vital to trouble-free operation of any tape device. Failure to follow recommended cleaning procedures could result in serious damage to your tape drive. Compaq recommends a routine cleaning every 100 hours of use.

Routine cleaning of a tape drive minimizes buildup on the read/write heads so that fewer cleaning cycles are required to keep the tape drive in good working order. When a tape drive is cleaned according to a regular schedule, one cleaning cycle typically removes accumulated dirt and particle deposits. If the