Conner Drives Manufactured by Archive and NT-Compatible (114178)

SUMMARY

Although the Conner C250MQ tape drive is not on the Windows NT version 3.1 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), it is manufactured by Archive and is equivalent to their 51250Q SuperHornet, which is on the HCL under the QIC- 40/QIC-80 Floppy Tape heading (page 20). Both models are fully supported under Windows NT version 3.1.

This article provides information on the Conner C250MQ, and the Archive SuperHornets (models 11250Q, 31250Q, and XL9250) and models 5540, 5580 and 11255Q.

MORE INFORMATION

Conner C250MQ

The Conner C250MQ is manufactured by Archive, and the internal version is fully equivalent to the Archive SuperHornet models for purposes of Windows NT compatibility. It uses the QIC 80 floppy tape drive driver.

The internal version of the C250MQ connects to the computer's floppy disk controller. It comes with a "third floppy drive" support cable which you should connect directly to the computer's floppy disk controller card. Do not daisy chain the tape drive connections with the cables connecting the existing floppy drives. Instead, "piggyback" the connectors from the floppy drives over the top of the tape drive connection on the floppy disk controller. The Conner C250MQ works best with Windows NT if you use all of the factory default configuration settings.

The Conner C250MQ also comes in an external version that connects to the parallel port. The external version has not been tested for Windows NT, and may not work correctly.

Archive 5540, 5580

The Archive 5540 and 5580 drives listed on the HCL under QIC-40/QIC-80 Floppy Tape are older models. Both use the QIC 40 Windows NT tape driver. The 5540 uses a DC 2000 40-MB tape; the 5580 uses the DC 2060 60-MB extended length tape. They do not support tapes holding 80-MB or more.

Archive SuperHornets

The newer models of the Archive SuperHornet floppy tape drives are the 11250Q, 31250Q, and the XL9250. Along with the 51250Q, these support 80-MB and 120-MB tapes, including the DC 2080 80-MB tape and the CD 2120 120-MB extended length tape. Using compression, the CD 2120 can store 250 MB.

Archive 11255Q

The new Archive 11255Q floppy tape drive has not been tested and may not work correctly with Windows NT. It uses the QIC 3010 standard. It can store up to 255 MB in standard configuration, up to 345 MB using extended length tape, and up to 690 MB using extended length tape with compression.

The Conner Tape Drive technical support number is (800) 426-6637.

The products included here are manufactured by the Archive Corporation, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the products' performance or reliability.