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Post #1649503

2026-03-20 15:21 UTC

@lorry @davebarnes @jguillaumes @cstross There are very few people left in the world who can successfully recover 7-track 1/2" media. The UK needs an institution capable of duplicating what I have working at the Computer History Museum in California.

Replies (2)

  • @lorry@infosec.exchange 2026-03-20 15:31

    @bitsavers @davebarnes @jguillaumes @cstross I gave it a hell of a try :) I thought I had a 7-track tape somewhere in my pile of junk. Back when I worked in Epidemiology, I spent a lot of time trying to collate patient death data from every health recorder in the UK. They came on everything you can imagine, and I'd become the NHS's go-to tape-and-disk person as a somewhat annoying and unwanted side job for quite a while. But nope, outside an environment where I could just send out a message begging to borrow a 7-track, I was completely buggered. I think it's the first time I have ever truly been defeated by a smug-looking bit of media, daring me to eviscerate it. Mind you, now I know where to borrow a drive! Although by now these tapes are kinda crispy :)

    Open ##1649505

  • @philpem@digipres.club 2026-03-22 17:51

    @bitsavers @lorry @davebarnes @jguillaumes @cstross There are some of us who have tried but it's like treading water uphill. The word "copyright" gets said, usually followed by "veto" and "let's get a new sign instead"

    Open ##1649510