Media Exchange makes copies (clones) of disk, optical or tape drives. It is a bit by bit copy not file by file copy. It can be used to go between medias, for example, from 4 mm to DLT or from 100 MB optical to a 300 MB optical. Another use is to create an image copy of a disk drive on to a tape. Some labs use this to make identical copies of their systems disks because they have multiples test OS's that they do not want to reinstall in case of failure.

After doing a Media Copy we recommend that you perform a Media Compare.

Here is a trick if you are doing data recovery and have data past the file mark. For example,

if a quick format was done on an Exabyte media by mistake and you want to recover the data.

You need to find the block number after the end of file mark where the data starts and then use it for the

start block when you do the media exchange cloning.

From Level Two Tech Support:

Use the "Commands/Motion/Space" dialog and select (1) "end of

data" followed by (2) "single space until valid record". After the tape

drive completes all tape motions he should then go to

"Command/Info/ReadPosition" and write down the block number. Once he has

the block number all he needs to do is then use media exchange (with the

block number) and copy the remaining tape to another tape.

Here is another trick on how to get around a bad block and restore the good data on a tape media.

SCSIPro has many ways to get around a bad block.

Media exchange is designed to copy before the bad block and then copy after the bad block. The tape motion to get by the bad block is another set of commands.

If you need the data before the bad block: Run media exchange. This will copy the first part of the tape. Write down the block number where media exchange hits the bad block.

If you need the data after the bad block and there is only one bad block:

Go to “Commands” , “Space” and enter a block number beyond where the bad block is

Once the tape is positioned run media exchange and start the binary copy

Sometimes there are more than one bad block in a given area on the tape

In this circumstance go to “Commands”, “Skip to end of data”, Backup to a certain block # Then run media exchange

What if the above tips don't work?

There are some drives that will not space past the hard error. You may have to search PEOT and space backwards. The key is to identify the block at which the hard error begins and then try to see if you can get beyond it by any combination of space, skip filemark, skip EOT. It can require experimentation to be successful. I suggest that the customer tell me the actual drive manufacturer and model #. Quite possibly I can help further.

Before you run Media Exchange select the source drive. The possible destination drives are listed below.

Each possible destination drive has a select option. Select the proper destination drive by clicking on the dot next to the device. The destination drive needs to be unprotected. If a disk drive is still protected it will not show up as possible destination. This is to insure that you don't write over your systems disk by mistake.

Other Features:

You can make multiple copies simultaneously if the multiple command key has been set to on. (Options, Multiple Commands, Set to on)

You can specify which blocks you want to copy.

To do a "media exchange" to a file

The following screen shot shows how to select a source drive and copy it to a file on the C drive. The trick here is

to not select a destination drive. SCSIPro will then give you the following save to a file dialogue. If you want to do

the "media exchange" from the file back to the drive the trick is that the destination drives will not show up

unless you take the write protect off (Options, write protect -a check means write protect is on).

This is a security feature. If you select the wrong drive as your destination you will wipe out all of the data.

For example, if you select your boot hard drive as you destination you will not have a boot device.