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Where are the Stored and are then in their Plastic Cases to keep dust out?

How old are the Tapes? Have then been replaced at all? Tapes do break down and leaves bits of themselves on the Tape Drives requiring the need to clean the drives. If this is happening Daily it sounds as if the Tapes are really dirty Incorrectly Stored or getting old and need replacing.

As for a Life Expectancy of a Drive this depends on where it is located. I once saw a Open Real Video Machine in a specially built room that wore out it's heads in a matter of a few weeks. This was because the Room was insulated with Fiberglass Insulation and this was covered by Peg Board which allowed bits of Fiberglass Bat to fall onto the Tape Machine.

The same applies to DAT Drives the Dirter that they are allowed to get in Dusty Environments the shorter their life's will be. About the only thing with DAT Drives that need regular attention are the Pinch Rollers need replacing when they get hard the heads need to be replaced when they wear out and this happens because dust or other muck gets into the drive either through Bad Positioning of the Drive or dirty Tapes.

Col