>>I have heard that even data saved on tape is good only for 5-10 years. If it is not transcribed, it goes bad. Any truth to it?<< I'm not sure about the actual lenghth in years, but yes, magnetic media has a limited lifespan. The longest lasting media right now is CD-ROM. Bill Vannerson http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/william_vannerson