Hi Dwight,
  I have exactly the same problem with my 3590 tapes.  They are
constantly getting marked "read only" with an error status, but once
cleared and returned to scratch, the next time around there aren't any
errors.

  I also sometimes get "bad VCR data" - another message which goes away
on reuse.

Jim

>----------
>From:  Dwight E. Cook[SMTP:decook AT AMOCO DOT COM]
>Sent:  Monday, May 12, 1997 10:26PM
>To:    ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
>Subject:       IBM 3590 tapes...
>
>     OK, this might be a stupid question and I am still waiting on a few
>     manuals I've ordered, not that that has anything to do with me asking
>     stupid questions but....
>
>     Does there exist a means of validating or other wise checking the
>     stability of 3590 tapes ?
>
>     I really, really, REALLY HATE just performing 'move data' commands
>     against them, letting them roll back into scratch status and just
>     "seeing what happens over time" ! ! !
>
>     I keep having this vision of a dog that eats a rancid piece of meat,
>     urps it back up, then eats it again 'cause its there and it looks good
>     and everything looks good about it and it could have been something
>     else that caused the intense retching ONLY to have to urp it back up
>     again!  (which naturally becomes cyclic)
>
>     I can cope with a lot but I'm really getting bummed about this one.
>
>     Please tell me that I've just missed something in my pile of manuals
>     or my list of manuals to be, either of which is far greater than any
>     one person could read in three lifetimes.
>
>     Have I begged enough ?
>
>     help, ple
>              a
>               s
>                e
>                 !
>     as always, many thanks in advance...
>
>     now I just have to pray I don't lose any responses in the 836 unread
>     mail messages that have piled up on me in the last couple of weeks...
>
>     later
>          Dwight
>                I used to pray for 40 hr days
>                                             now I pray no one listened
>                                                                       Cook
>
>
>