
Ask HN: Any way to read a 9-track 1/2“ tape in Silicon Valley? - Animats
I&#x27;d like to read two old 9-track, 1600BPI open reel computer tapes from the 1980s. Unix TAR format.  They contain source code for 30 year old software, one of the earliest proof of correctness systems. I&#x27;d like to upload it to Github for historical purposes.<p>Anyone still have that capability?
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kens
I asked around and Lyle Buckley is the guy to contact for this. He charges for
this, but he might be willing to do it pro bono if it's for a good cause.

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kens
Marc (who's working with me on the Alto restoration) said he could dump the
tape into SIMH format, but it would be up to you to untar it from that.

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digikata
Don't know if they have the capability, but an interesting place to start
might be the Computer History museum in Mtn View.
[http://www.computerhistory.org/](http://www.computerhistory.org/)

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Animats
Their IBM 1401 can't do it. Its tape drives don't go up to 1600 BPI.

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digikata
Might they know someone who has access to that hardware even if they don't
have it on hand themselves?

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LarryMade2
Computer History Museum has 1 1401 -
[http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/about-the-computer-
hist...](http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/about-the-computer-history-
museums-ibm-1401-machines/)

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eggestad
This guy got one. (Man take me back, used to have the HP drive on my first job
in the 90's. (Sigh) The bad old days...)

Maybe he'll take pity on you

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEL8wnW5uvs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEL8wnW5uvs)

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chmaynard
How about the US Department of Defense? They seem to love maintaining old
tech.

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walrus01
There's a chance the living computer museum in Seattle has such a drive.

[http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org](http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org)

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Animats
There are a few commercial data recovery services that can still do it, but
I'm being quoted $500 a reel and up.

