We have some DLT tapes that are more than 3 years old that we STILL restore data from (I just did it for an audit for the year 1995 and had NO problems). Most DLT tapes are guaranteed for much longer than 10 uses. The only "tapes" I've seen that are restricted to about 10 uses are "cleaning tapes," not regular tapes. Cindee Cynthia Bridges-Fowler MIS Operations Analyst IMC Salt, Inc., a division of IMC Global Overland Park, KS [log in to unmask] http://www.imcsalt.com >>> <[log in to unmask]> 01/18/01 07:47AM >>> Well before 3 years old! Last time I checked, no tape manufacturer guarantees their product beyond 10 uses. Obviously you can continue to use them past that number, & will usually be OK, but I wouldn't want to have any 'use once a week' tapes taht are more than 6 months old. Mark Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/