CONTACTS 
0201 - Exabyte Corporation                  800 392 2983 fax or 800...
020101 - Mr. Rick NLN; Customer Rep
020102 - http://www.exabyte.com
020103 - Technical Support
020104 - Description

SUBJECTS
Tape Stuck Will Not Eject
Tape Stuck in Exabyte Tape Drive, Will Not Eject

0504 -    ..
0505 - Summary/Objective
0506 -
050601 - Follow up ref SDS 9 0001.
050602 -
050603 - Encountered problem ejecting cartridge from Exabyte tape drive.  Sent
050604 - a letter to Exabyte from their on-line Internet facilities.  While
050605 - reviewing the Exabyte web location, examined FAQ, and found a
050606 - solution, per below. ref SDS 0 N33L particularly, ref SDS 0 M35L,
050607 -
050608 - Provided a link to this record in the letter to Exabyte, so they can
050609 - see the problem has been solved, as a result of uploading this record
050610 - showing subsequent activity after sending the letter.
050611 -
050612 -
050613 -
050614 -
0507 -
0508 -
0509 - Progress
0510 -
051001 - This afternoon, when I pressed the eject button on the Exabyte tape
051002 - drive, the tape would not eject.  Tried this several more times, and
051003 - no luck.
051004 -
051005 - As a result could not perform a full file backup.
051006 -
051007 - Was able to do an interim backup using the cartridge in the tape
051008 - drive.  But, after running the backup, which the system reported was
051009 - successful, the cartridge still will not eject.
051010 -
051011 - The Exabyte manual on page 23 says to press the unload button.  There
051012 - are no instructions on taking action when the tape fails to eject.
051013 -
051014 - Looked for a device driver or other resource in w2k to see if there
051015 - might be an alternte tape eject procedure, similar to CD ROM drives,
051016 - but there does not seem to be anything available.
051017 -
051018 - The tape drive was purchased and installed on 000811. ref SDS 4 0001
051019 -
051020 - It is a...
051021 -
051022 -      Exabyte Model No:............  Mammoth LT, SE NAR, LED, P/W
051023 -      Exabyte P/N:.................  270004-822
051024 -      Exabyte S/N:.................  60155249
051025 -
051026 -
051027 -
051028 -
0511 -
0512 -
0513 - 1851 called Exabyte
0514 -
051401 - Exabyte answered with message that warranty support is provided from
051402 - 0600 - 1800 Monday - Friday.
051403 -
051404 - Weekend support costs $150 per incident.
051405 -
051406 - Tried to make contact with support, but nobody answered.
051407 -
051408 -
0515 -
0516 -
0517 - 2015
0518 -
051801 - Submitted request for technical support using Exabyte's web site....
051802 -
051803 -
051804 -           http://www.exabyte.com/home/suppserv.html
051805 -
051806 -
051807 - Exabyte requests....
051808 -
051809 -    Controller for Tape Drive....
051810 -
051811 -        This was purchased on 981113. ref SDS 1 3060
051812 -
051813 -
051814 -  ..
0519 -
0520 -
0521 - 2044
0522 -
052201 - After sending a request for help, noticed under FAQ a specific
052202 - resource on solving tape ejection problems.
052203 -
052204 -
052205 -          http://www.exabyte.com/home/suppserv.html
052206 -
052207 -
052208 -     MammothTape, 8mm, and 4mm Tape Drive FAQs
052209 -
052210 -     How to eject a stuck tape
052211 -
052212 -     There are a number of reasons why the tape might not come out when
052213 -     you press the unload button:
052214 -
052215 -       The tape drive is finishing an operation and rewinding the tape.
052216 -       When you press the unload button, the tape drive first completes
052217 -       any operation in progress, such as writing data from its buffer
052218 -       to the tape. The tape drive then rewinds the tape, unloads it
052219 -       from the tape path, and ejects the cartridge. Depending on the
052220 -       type of operation in progress and how close the tape is to the
052221 -       end, this may take from one to six minutes.
052222 -
052223 -           Not applicable.
052224 -
052225 -       The tape drive is loading the tape. If you just inserted a tape,
052226 -       the tape drive may have been loading the tape into the tape path
052227 -       and positioning it at its beginning when you pressed the unload
052228 -       button. The tape drive must complete this operation before it
052229 -       can unload the tape. This can take as long as a minute. As soon
052230 -       as the tape drive has finished loading the tape, it will unload
052231 -       the tape. You do not have to press the unload button again.
052232 -
052233 -           Not applicable.
052234 -
052235 -       The tape drive is performing a power-on self-test. Each time you
052236 -       power on the tape drive, it performs its power-on self-test
052237 -       (POST). Depending on the model of tape drive, POST can take up
052238 -       to a minute or so to complete. During this time, the unload
052239 -       button is disabled. If the tape was not rewound before the tape
052240 -       drive was powered off, the tape drive rewinds the tape, unloads
052241 -       it from the tape path, reloads it, and repositions it to the
052242 -       beginning. This can take an additional one to six minutes. After
052243 -       the tape drive has finished POST (as indicated by the tape
052244 -       drive's LEDs), press the unload button again to unload the tape.
052245 -
052246 -           Not applicable.
052247 -
052248 -       The tape drive is in the process of being reset. Whenever the
052249 -       tape drive is reset (either by the software or by use of the
052250 -       unload button to clear an error), it rewinds the tape, unloads
052251 -       it from the tape path, reloads it, and repositions it to the
052252 -       beginning. Depending on how close the tape was to the end, this
052253 -       can take from one to six minutes. During this time, the unload
052254 -       button is disabled. After the reset is complete and the tape
052255 -       drive is ready (as indicated by its LEDs), press the unload
052256 -       button again to unload the tape.
052257 -
052258 -           Not applicable.
052259 -
052260 -       The unload button has been disabled by the software. Your backup
052261 -       software may have issued a command to the tape drive to prevent
052262 -       ejection of the cartridge. Some backup programs provide this as
052263 -       a security feature. If your backup program has this feature,
052264 -       make sure it hasn't been turned on.
052265 -
052266 -           Cannot find anything in the Novaback software that affects
052267 -           unloading or the unload button.
052268 -
052269 -       The tape drive experienced a hardware error during the unload
052270 -       process. If a hardware error occurs, the tape drive stops the
052271 -       unload process and the LEDs indicate an error. Try clearing the
052272 -       error as follows:
052273 -
052274 -           No LED indication of an error.
052275 -          ..
052276 -          Exabyte MammothTape drives: Press the unload button
052277 -          again. If the error is not cleared, press and hold the unload
052278 -          button for 10 seconds, or power the tape drive off and back
052279 -          on. Then, press the unload button again to eject the tape.
052280 -
052281 -              Turning the system off and back on cleared the problem.
052282 -
052283 -          Exabyte 8700 products: Press the Open button again. If the
052284 -          error is not cleared, turn power to the tape drive off then
052285 -          back on. Then, press the Open button again to eject the tape.
052286 -
052287 -          Other Exabyte 8mm tape drives: Press the unload button again.
052288 -          If the error isn't cleared, turn power to the tape drive off
052289 -          then back on again. Then, press the unload button again to
052290 -          eject the tape. If this doesn't work and the tape drive has
052291 -          stopped functioning, you can perform a tape extraction
052292 -          procedure for the Exabyte 8205, 8505, 8205XL, or 8505XL or
052293 -          for the EXB-8200, EXB-8200SX, EXB-8500, or EXB-8500c.
052294 -
052295 -          EXB-4200 and EXB-4200c: Power off the tape drive. Then, while
052296 -          pressing the unload button, power the tape drive back on.
052297 -          Continue to hold the unload button until the cartridge
052298 -          ejects.
052299 -
052300 -          After clearing the error and ejecting the tape, insert a tape
052301 -          with no important data on it and make sure that the tape
052302 -          drive can successfully eject it before resuming operation.
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