#Tapeworm-FS
26 messages in this thread
Several months ago I received a flyer from Moonlighter Software regarding
a product called Tapeworm-FS. I ordered the product about two months ago
and noticed that my VISA card was charged for the software about three
weeks ago, but I have never received the product. Since ordering
Tapeworm-FS, I have called Moonlighter several times always to be told
that the Tapeworm-FS is shipping "next week". Has anyone received
Tapeworm-FS that ordered it?
Tom
I ordered it as well (several moons ago) and as yet have not seen it show
up.
Mike,
Thanks for the info on Tapeworm-FS. Everytime I have called Moonlighter
to inquire about this product, I get the reply "It's being shipped next
week." Next week never seems to come, but hope springs eternal so maybe
next week will really be the one!
Tom
Tom,
How amazing, I ordered Tapeworm-FS from Moonlighter Software just this
week, and they told be that they are just waiting for the boxes, and plan
to ship NEXT WEEK! I own two pieces of software from this company, and
certainly hope they aren't yanking me about T-FS' eta, but I'll be
checking my next MasterCard bill closely for any "premature billing" on
their part.
Then again, I can't seem to remember any company releasing their
product EARLIER than than their estimated release date.
Good luck to us all!!
What tape drive are ou planning to use it with???
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Roy,
The release date mentioned in the flyer sent out in April on Tapeworm-FS
gave a release date of May 1993! I have corresponded with Gary Holland on
the Moolighter BBS a couple of days ago and he denies that anyone ever
told me they were shipping the product out this week. In fact, I have
made four phone calls over three months to Moonlighter regarding
Tapeworm-FS and have been told everytime that the product was shipping
"next week" and often the bit about "waiting for the boxes" was thrown in.
I was charged on VISA for the product three weeks ago and when I
complained to Gary Holland about being charged for a product before he
shipped it, he stated that this was necessary because "otherwise it would
take them three more weeks to write up the charges with VISA for the
thousands of orders that they have received and delay shipment of
Tapeworm-FS by an additional three weeks". I find that to be nonsense!
Indeed, good luck to all of us seems appropriate!
If I ever get it, I intend to use Tapeworm-FS with a WangDat Model 1300XL
DAT tape drive.
Tom
Tom,
I think Gary was performing a feat of double-speak, justifying charging
your card BEFORE shipment of product. It makes great sense for a cash
starved company to get the capital to pay for supplies, assuming their
credit line isn't what it should be, but that's the job of investors, not
consumers!
I haven't had any problems with them before (except for that dreadful
BBS system they have – I seem to have to call six times to get a complete
download of their latest patch files – but atleast they have patch files).
I'm a little upset to hear that they've been quoting "a week" for the
last three months! I hope that they meant it this time (or atleast
something close to a week <g> )!
I envy you your WangDat. I "hope" to be using it with my A3070 QIC
tape drive – a slower solution than yours.
Once again GOOD LUCK (to us all)!
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Roy (and anyone else reading who has ordered Tapeworm-FS):
Could we agree to let each other know via CIS and this forum when we
actually receive this product? As of tonight (Monday), I am still waiting
to receive Tapeworm-FS.
Thanks.
Tom
Tom,
Its a deal! The day I get it, I'll post a message to that effect. I
hope that it will be soon. I'd like to clean up my two Syquest cartridges
of old stuff, onto some 6150 QIC cartridges (I'd rather not just back them
up onto the tape if I don't want to). The recent messages on the forum
have caused my enthusiasm to be tempered…
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
It's here!
My copy of Tapeworm-FS arrived today in today's mail. I haven't had time
to play with it (or even open it, for that matter) but it did arrive.
Give it a try and post your opinion. I've already gotten a "Not a DOS
disk Tape_1 in device TAPE" requester. At this point it MIGHT just be my
fault (doing something I shouldn't be doing with it). Post your opinion
along with what tape drive your using.
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
ok. I'll give it a try this weekend and post my initial impressions. Let
us know what your config is and if/how you get it working.
Michael,
I just got Tapeworm_FS today as well and I invested over three hours in
trying to get it to work with my WangDAT tape drive (Model 1300XL).
Incidentally, this tape drive works fine with Amiback. I can get the tape
drive recognized in DirOpus, and it appears even to be copying files from
my SCSI disk to tape, but when I attempt to read these files back onto the
hard disk, I get a busy icon that stays on forever, and sometimes after
many minutes it throws up a "not a DOS disk" message. Never have
succeeded in accessing a file written to tape with TWFS.
Tom
Tom,
I installed and tested TWFS today. The 'installer' program didn't do well
on my A3000, so as suggested during a call to ML Tech Support, I installed
it manually… appending the mountlist entry to my devs:mountlist, copying
TapeWorm-FS to L: and moving the program in to a directory, etc.
Using my directory utility I copied a directory to tape and then copied it
from tape to ram:.
It worked just fine.
I haven't tried to copy a large amount of data files to tape yet, so I
have no idea how slow performance will be, but I wouldn't expect it to be
very fast. The docs say that using a scsi-II interface that supports fast
reads will greatly speed up operation.
Michael,
I'm afraid for my purposes the product should be re-named TapeSnail-FS.
Imagine being able to copy files at the speed of a slow modem! I haven't
been able to copy 5 MB of files any faster than 55 minutes. If you want
to copy something FROM the tape be prepared to wait, read a book, do a
crossword puzzle, whatever until the file is found! It's very reminiscent
of my olde Atari 800 cassette tape drive <ugh>. You also have to be
careful to erase the tape totally if you wish to use it again, simply
formating it will not be sufficient. When it gets to the end of your new
files and find the remains of a previous attempt, it will cough up a "Not
a DOS device" requestor and drop dead!
I guess that I'm back to my old back up program UNTIL they get the file
handler up to some SPEED. Until then, it's more a curiousity to me…
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Thomas,
Well… guess what?
I JUST got TapeWorm FS in the mail today (so at least Moonlighter
Software Development was telling me the truth). I haven't had a chance to
try it out yet, but its here – you should be getting it soon too!
<See we Forum people keep our promises <g>!>
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Roy,
Yes, I got my copy of Tapeworm-FS, installed it, and have spent several
hours trying to ge it to work with my WangTeck 1300XL DAT drivewithout
success. In Directory Opus I am able to get Tape: device recognized and
it appears to copy files from my SCSI HD to tape, but when I attempt to
read these files back off of tape it goes into long meditation, shuttles
the tape back and forth, and finally hangs. Sometimes I finally get a
requestor that says Tape_1,(the volume name I gave to the tape device in
Tapeworm-FS) is not a DOS disk. So much for the long wait for
TapeWorm-FS! Let me know if you are able to get it up and running with
your tape drive.
Tom
Thomas,
Have your tried to erase the tape completely BEFORE formatting it with
the Tapeworm-FS programs? I've found that old data on the tape can easily
confuse Moonlighter's file handler!
Give it a try, and tell me if it helped.
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Roy,
Thanks for the info. I have had TapeWorm working fine now for a couple of
days. I think my many problems the first evening were exactly due to not
having the tape completely erased such that old data was confusing
TapeWorm's file handler.
Tom
I am using Tapeworm with the GVP 68040 Comobo with SCSI-II support, and
the WangDAT 1300XL, and I get fast good transfer rates, but when I bring
stuff back, the files do not work. After looking at them via a HEX read, I
notice there is extra padding in front of the files. also after a reboot,
and I try to copy off of tape, I get files 0k.
I have tried erasing the tape to no avail.
Forrest
Forrest,
I am using the same DAT drive as you, the WangDAT 1300XL. I have saved
several rgb images to tape, then restored them to a different directory on
the hard disk, then loaded them from the hard disk into AdPro, Toaster
Paint, etc. and found them to display without problem. I have also loaded
several text files from tape to the HD, and then read them without problem
from the disk in DirOpus. So…so far everything seems to be working O.K.
for me with TapeWorm-FS, and I don't see any evidence of corruption or
padding of the files by reading them from tape to HD. Also upon rebooting,
the tape files show up in DirOpus with the correct file size.
Tom
Tom,
I'm glad that it's working for you, but whether or not I erase my
tapes, the thru-put is pathetic!
// I'm gonna wait for
\X/ the A5000! <G> -RSL-
Actually this smacks of the fiasco they had with the release of Ami back
tools. They did exactly the same thing for that product… it was promised
in December, and everyone got billed in December (I was one of them) but
the product didn't ship for another two months !
Whilst I like their products, their way of doing business leaves little to
be desired.
Tim
On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
Jamie,
Yes, I experienced the same thing when I ordered AmiBack Tools, i.e. I was
charged and paid for the product more than two months before receiving it.
I have had good results with Moonlighter's products but their business
ethics are questionable. Even worse, when confronted with the premature
charging issue, they deny that there is anything unusual about doing
this!
Tom
I wonder if they would be keen to pay the two months interest on my Visa
bill ! 😉
Tim
On AutoPilot Over Hong Kong
Jamie,
I expect that Moonlighter would be about as speedy in paying you interest
on your VISA bill as they are in shipping Tapeworm-FS. Still waiting for
"next week"…
Tom