It is an object of the present disclosure to improve preservation stability of a magnetic recording medium including a magnetic powder having a small average particle volume.

The present disclosure provides a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium, including: a base; and a magnetic layer that is provided on the base and contains a magnetic powder, in which an average particle volume V of the magnetic powder is 2,000 nm.sup.3 or less, an average thickness of the magnetic recording medium is 5.3 μm or less, a thermal stability K.sub.uV/k.sub.BT of the magnetic recording medium is 60 or more, and a ratio Hrp/Hc1 of a residual coercive force Hrp of the magnetic recording medium measured using a pulsed magnetic field to a coercive force Hc1 of the magnetic recording medium in a perpendicular direction is 2.10 or less.

A tape drive that can select one or more wraps from any available wraps on a tape medium for writing temporary data upon detecting a flush condition. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data can be selected from wraps otherwise reserved for normal writing operations. Selection of the one or more wraps for temporary writing may be based on multiple considerations, including proximity to the wrap of current data writing operations and tape medium degradation. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data may be selected with or without regard of their assigned read/write direction. Assigning wraps based on proximity and/or degradation can lead to certain operational advantages including reducing tape write head movement in the transverse direction and spreading tape medium wear more evenly across the surface of the tape medium.

A tape drive that can select one or more wraps from any available wraps on a tape medium for writing temporary data upon detecting a flush condition. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data can be selected from wraps otherwise reserved for normal writing operations. Selection of the one or more wraps for temporary writing may be based on multiple considerations, including proximity to the wrap of current data writing operations and tape medium degradation. The one or more wraps selected for writing temporary data may be selected with or without regard of their assigned read/write direction. Assigning wraps based on proximity and/or degradation can lead to certain operational advantages including reducing tape write head movement in the transverse direction and spreading tape medium wear more evenly across the surface of the tape medium.

A cartridge includes a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium and a cartridge memory. The cartridge memory includes a communication unit that communicates with a recording/reproducing device in a state where the cartridge is loaded on the recording/reproducing device; a storage unit; and a control unit that stores information received from the recording/reproducing device through the communication unit in the storage unit, reads the information from the storage unit according to a request from the recording/reproducing device, and transmits the information to the recording/reproducing device through the communication unit. The information includes manufacturing information of the cartridge and adjustment information for adjusting a tension applied to the magnetic recording medium in a longitudinal direction thereof, and the tape-shaped magnetic recording medium has a plurality of servo bands.

An apparatus, in accordance with one approach, includes a receiving area configured to receive a plurality of tape spool pairs. A drive mechanism is configured to selectively drive the tape spool pairs. A magnetic head configured to perform data operations on magnetic recording tapes of the tape spool pairs is also present. A positioning mechanism is configured to selectively align the magnetic head to a selected one of the tape spool pairs. An engagement mechanism is configured to create a relative movement between the magnetic head and the magnetic recording tape of the selected tape spool pair for engaging the magnetic recording tape with the magnetic head.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder in which the ferromagnetic powder is c-iron oxide powder, and a coercivity of a magnetic recording medium in a vertical direction measured after pressing the magnetic layer at a pressure of 70 atm is 3,000 Oe to 10,000 Oe.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder in which the ferromagnetic powder is an ε-iron oxide powder, and a vertical squareness ratio of the magnetic recording medium measured after pressing the magnetic layer at a pressure of 70 atm is 0.50 to 0.95.

The magnetic recording medium includes a non-magnetic support, and a magnetic layer containing a ferromagnetic powder in which the ferromagnetic powder is ε-iron oxide powder, and an anisotropic magnetic field Hk of the magnetic recording medium measured after pressing the magnetic layer at a pressure of 70 atm is 15,000 Oe to 40,000 Oe.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ε-iron oxide powder, and a coefficient of variation of aspect ratio of the ε-iron oxide powder in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic layer is 0.20% or more and 8.00% or less.

The magnetic tape includes a non-magnetic support and a magnetic layer including ferromagnetic powder, in which the ferromagnetic powder is ε-iron oxide powder, and a coefficient of variation of particle size of the ε-iron oxide powder in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic layer is more than 5.00% and 15.00% or less.