Cassettes losing data over time!

[Dr Tiger Ninestein]

Just been reading a piece on how different types of media and data storage become unreadable over time and it was saying that cassette tapes although they can last longer, generally can lose their data between 10 and 20 years


Has anyone had this happen to any of there games yet?


I'm looking to buy a plus computer at the moment but as the games are 20 to 30 years old already are they going to be unplayable before long?


Is there any solution to it apart from playing emulators which I am not a fan? It's a shame there isn't a flash/everdrive type of cartridge available for the cpc.

[CraigsBar]

Cdt images + a car CD tape adaptor + tapdancer on an android device.

Job done!

[Neil79]

Cdt images + a car CD tape adaptor + tapdancer on an android device.

Job done!

Yeh works alot better than the C64 that's for sure! C64 Tape Deck = Bleep

[Bryce]

I've had a few tapes over the years that didn't load any more. My solution was to buy a new tape, record the game onto it and then remove the tape real and put it in the original casing. 20 more years of playing

Bryce.

[AMSDOS]

When I was buying Cassettes from the UK around the mid-90s, I found a few of the Codemasters games I was getting refused to load and had similar trouble with the AA Covertape with Deliverance. I was able to Dub the tape to a TDK 15 Minute tape and it all worked.

[pacomix]

The tapes are funny... I have 30 years old tape from the Spectrum 48KB that continue loading perfectly... But on the other hand the last ones manufactured around the 90s were lasting no more than a few months... It seems that the production quality in the 80s was way better.

[chinnyhill10]

Had a copy of Hard Drivin' where the magnetic layer started to flake away from the plastic base just a year after purchase from new.

[Gryzor]

All my copies of Into Oblivion still load perfectly

[CraigsBar]

So long as my sub hunter, relentless and dead on time continue to load for years to come I'll be happy.

[AMSDOS]

All my copies of Into Oblivion still load perfectly

Does it say if that game was Recorded on a BASF tape? (it's written on the tape label itself). I don't have Into Oblivion myself, but I've got Flyspy and also Feud which has that written on the Tape Label.

[Grimmsqueaker]

I think the life of tapes is greatly over exaggerated, I have C64 tapes that were bought early 80's and they still work fine today.

A few of the games that I played loads back in the day can sometimes be a little troublesome, if you were to listen to them in a stereo they are getting pretty quiet, so you can do what Bryce said, re record them onto a new tape and spool the new tape into the original casing. Or just buy some new tapes from Amazon and record your most played games onto the new tapes and store the originals, do 5 or 6 single load games and then a multi load at the end.

If you are feeling brave you could also try just re recording the file back onto the original tape, you have to spool it at the start right though as a lot of the retail tapes were custom lengths and if you don't get it just right could end up running out of tape before the file finishes. Doing this you also have to make sure that you get the correct version of the game. Sometimes they did different versions. As an example the Hit Squad re release of R Type is actually V2, original version didn't load a title screen on the B Side of the tape and then load in the first level, the V2 version is a longer B Side and it loads a title screen first before loading each level in.

If you do decide you want to record back onto the original tape I would try out recording the file onto a new tape first and see if it loads in ok on your proper hardware first, Azimuth Alignment has to be spot on with the deck recording the sound from your PC, you also have to get volume just right. I have found that the later Ocean loaders can be a bit of a git to get working, I have tried a few times to record Rainbow Islands and Hudson Hawk, Rainbow Islands I can't get past the copywrite screen before load screen and Hudson Hawk loads the first side of the tape but won't accept the B Side.

I put up what I found elsewhere on the boards when it comes to recording tapes, bit of help from others here and I managed to work it out with a decent success rate :

CPC464 Tape / multiface help

[Dr Tiger Ninestein]

I've had a few tapes over the years that didn't load any more. My solution was to buy a new tape, record the game onto it and then remove the tape real and put it in the original casing. 20 more years of playing

Bryce.

Good idea Bryce

[Gryzor]

Good tips @Grimmsqueaker !

[Grimmsqueaker]

If you get the alignment just right on the recording deck you are also good for C64 & Spectrum tapes I found

Granted the C64 you have to set certain output levels and frequency to be successful, that took a few days to work out! Spectrums are nowhere near as fussy though and as long as you don't have the volume set to high when recording they will work with ease!!

[Lazy Dude]

back in the 80's and 90's I was a cassette fan, music and games. Now I find that the mass produced music ones are oxidizing and dumping loads of rust onto the tape heads, this has happened with a few cpc games too resulting in dropout. I ebayed 3 copies of 1943 to get a decent one and copied it in an audio deck onto a TDK tape. I have a stack of TDK's that I bought in the early 90's and they are still excellent quality. probably the only brand I ever trusted for long term use as  all the other brands after all this time are knackered - scotch, basf Memorex have all long since died

[AMSDOS]

The problems I was having with some of the Tapes I was getting from England along with the AA Covertape with Deliverance on it seemed to be related to the Sanyo Data Cassette Recorder on my 6128. The funny thing about the Tapes was they actually worked on our original 464, but to get them running on my 6128, I got them working by dubbing the original tape to the TDK.


I don't think there was any problems with the Data Cassette Recorder since other Speedlock games worked with it just fine, so could only really rule it down as a fussy Cassette Recorder.

[Bryce]

Maybe the head needs de-magnetising?

Bryce.

[Gryzor]

How do you do that? Special tapes?

[CraigsBar]

No, a big and scarey electro magnet

[Gryzor]

Won't that magnetize it even more?

[CraigsBar]

Won't that magnetize it even more?

apparently not.

[Gryzor]

This explains the how (nice vid btw!) but not the why, but I'll take it

I do have a degausser I had bought to straighten my arcade cab monitor but watching the vid it looks like it's a very fine procedure to demagnetise the tape head...

[CraigsBar]

This explains the how (nice vid btw!) but not the why, but I'll take it

I do have a degausser I had bought to straighten my arcade cab monitor but watching the vid it looks like it's a very fine procedure to demagnetise the tape head...

I am kinda hoping I never have too. How slow is slow enough?

[Lazy Dude]

This explains the how (nice vid btw!) but not the why, but I'll take it

I do have a degausser I had bought to straighten my arcade cab monitor but watching the vid it looks like it's a very fine procedure to demagnetise the tape head...

how can you say that demagging a tape head is a fine procedure when you are into using a degausser on a monitor?!! screens tend to bugger up real easy if your not carefull.

[Gryzor]

Sure, you must be careful indeed. However, the monitor is some 20" in diagonal whereas the tape deck head is not even 1" and most of all, you can actually see what you're doing. So, slowly you can make sure you get the result you want.