1) Always keep your tape:
- Rewind to avoid having to do data recovery;
- Inside the proper box (do not leave inside the video cassette);
- In the vertical position.
2) Never leave the tapes near the following places:
- Over ACOUSTIC BOXES;
- On top of TVs, DVD players and other electronic equipment to avoid having data recovery software usage;
- Exposed to the SUN;
- Inside your video;
- In HORIZONTAL position;
- In places with DUST.
3) Remember, videotape is very sensitive and has a shelf life of 7 to 10 years (the more well preserved, the longer it will last!). Remember that there are data recovery services for when you need.
Basic Care with Your VHS:
4) If you are watching a video tape recorded on VHS and start seeing distortions and drizzles in the picture, do not blame your VCR, let alone who produced your tape. If the production is already old, the problem is certainly on the tape itself. To solve that you will definitely need some sort of data recovery services.
5) When poorly preserved, video tapes reproduce images with no definition and “noise” because, over time, the particles of iron and chromium oxides that cover the plastic film of the tape, constituting its “recording band” They fall apart and the image and sound deteriorates. The life of a VHS video tape is approximately 50 reproductions. The age of the tape (since its manufacture and since its recording) can also produce the same effects. Under these conditions, they begin to display “dropouts” (which appear on the screen as black and white scratches) and distortions. To avoid that always count with file recovery.
6) To prolong the life of your tape and avoid these problems, take the following care:
- Avoid touching the magnetic tape with your fingers, as grease and dirt can damage it;
- Just keep your rewind tapes. (This is not a tip to make the tape always ready for use – it is a technical recommendation.) If the two reels are rib boned, there is the possibility of forming two magnetic fields, which, on the other, they can erase the recorded contents.);
- Never store tapes near magnetic fields such as speakers, transformers, TV sets, and even the VCR itself. (Leave the tape inside the VCR, not even think!);
- Do not leave your tapes for long periods of time without touching – it’s important to get them to spin from time to time. If you need data recovery services do not be afraid, they work;
7) Keep your tapes inside the cases, upright, on shelves or in dry, ventilated places (never inside drawers or enclosed closets where moisture can give rise to fungi and molds, commonly known as mildew; The tape in a plastic bag together with a little silica or silica gel; if your tape is attacked by mildew, seek a professional to clean it, and immediately after this operation, make a new copy because, over time, the Fungi reappear);
Do not leave your tapes exposed to the sun or in very hot places, such as in vehicles parked in the sun – excessive heat can damage them (it is best to store them in temperatures between 22 and 24 degrees Centigrade – in extreme cases, A useful feature is to store them in Styrofoam boxes).
Be careful. Whenever possible, make extra copies of your tapes with the help of data recovery services or replace them with more stable media. Saving the master (digital) tape that gave rise to your VHS tape is a similar arrangement to saving the negatives from your photos. DVD discs are the most stable mediums available – their durability is considered endless, thanks to their technology of reading the recording without any contact of the optical reader with the recording core. But don’t worry; you can save your tapes thanks to data recovery software.