aoki@husc8.harvard.edu (Edwin Aoki) (12/03/90)
Hello folks! I'm writing with a query about backup devices. I recently acquired a 200MB Storage Dimensions Macinstor drive, which I absolutely adore. But, backing it up onto 200 floppies seems somewhat less appealing to my taste (even with Retrospect). So, I turn to the net for help. As I see it, I have two choices: tape backup and removable cartridge drives. Looking through the ads for MacWarehouse and MacConnection, I see that cartridge drives are reasonably well priced versus tape. Tape has the advantage that the individual cartridges are cheaper, and that each tape stores more than the Syquest 45MB cartridge which seems to be the norm. On the other hand, the Syquest can be used for added storage and can be accessed randomly. For me, the cartridge drive seems like the logical choice, as my storage needs seem to be ever expanding and never predictable. So has anyone had any experience with cartridge drives? I'm looking at one by Peripheral Land (PLI), which apparently can be used on DOS machines as well? That would be a nice bonus, if I could use the same drive for both Mac and DOS. Is that feature compatible with SoftPC? Is there anything I should know about cartridge drives as far as reliability, speed, or anything else? Need I worry about taking the cartridges onto a plane (carry on luggage, hand inspected through the X-rays, of course). How durable are they? Is there any reason why I should choose tape over cartridge (other than those above)? Are there any other good brands of cartridge drive that are reliable, dependable, and have good manufacturer's customer support? And one last thing, it would be really nice if the machine were A/UX 2.0 compatible. So there, I guess that's all the questions I had, but really any advice or help is greatly appreciated. Thanks to the net in advance; please e-mail answers; I will summarize to the net (really, I promise!). Have a great day. -Edwin Aoki (aoki@husc9.harvard.edu)