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Tape Drive Repair

Enterprise tape drive repair for LTO, DAT, DLT and Exabyte, across every major platform.

OEM-class repair for tape drives, library robotics and controllers across actidata, BDT, DELL, Fujitsu, HPE, IBM, Lenovo, M-Logic, Magstor, Overland Data, Qualstar, Quantum, Symply and Tandberg platforms. Repaired at component level in our Wiltshire workshop and returned vendor-tested.

  • Storage Awards winner 2025 & 2026
  • Repaired in Wiltshire
  • Vendor-tested
  • 90-day warranty
LTO tape drive opened on an ESD mat for component-level repair

Same-day quote

Send us the part number and the fault. We come back the same working day.

Advance exchange

Replacement drive shipped from stock, so you’re not down waiting on the repair.

90-day warranty

Return-to-base cover on every repaired drive as standard.

5–7 day turnaround

High-end drives need proper testing before return. Diagnosed, repaired and vendor-tested — typically 5–7 working days.

Quick answer

Which tape drive repair do you need?

If your drive is throwing errors or running slow, send us the part number and the fault for a fixed-price repair quote the same working day. If you can’t afford the downtime, take an advance-exchange drive from stock while yours is repaired. If the drive lives inside a library, we repair the drive module, the robotics and the controller boards too.

Choose your drive

Pick your tape drive manufacturer.

Specialist repair pages for every major LTO and legacy drive platform, with part numbers, supported drives and fixed-price repair details.

Half-height LTO tape drive and data cartridge on an anti-static matLTO-6 to LTO-10
HPE

HPE StoreEver Ultrium

Full-height and half-height LTO drives from LTO-6 through LTO-10.

Example part numbers
  • N7P36A
  • N7P37A
  • Q6Q67A
  • Q6Q68A
Tape drive module in a library drive sledLibrary drive modules
IBM & Lenovo

IBM TS4300 / 3555 series

LTO-6 through LTO-10 drive modules for IBM TS4300 tape libraries.

Example part numbers
  • 3555-AGKJ
  • 3555-AGKL
  • 3555-AGKK
  • 3555-AGKM
  • 3555-AGKN
Rack-mount tape autoloader with cartridge magazineStandalone & library
Dell

Dell PowerVault LTO

Standalone and library-integrated PowerVault LTO drives across LTO-7, LTO-8 and LTO-9.

Example part numbers
  • 1V377
  • 9WPRV
  • P9RPT
  • D9K5V
  • RF9XF
Row of enterprise tape library frames in a data centreScalar & standalone
Quantum

Quantum LTO drives

Quantum-branded and Scalar library LTO drive modules across every current LTO generation.

Example part numbers
  • 9-03904-01
  • 3-07312-02
  • 3-07315-02
  • 3-07803-01
  • 3-07801-01
  • 3-07802-02
Part numbers shown are examples. If yours isn’t listed, chances are we still repair it — just send us the details.
Also supported

Plus every other major tape drive manufacturer.

actidataBDTFujitsuM-LogicMagstorOverland DataQualstarSymplyTandberg
Common faults

The tape drive faults we see every day.

Whether your drive is throwing an error, running slow, or has stopped working altogether, we’ve almost certainly seen it before. The most common tape drive faults through our workshop:

Error code 5

Media incompatibility, cleaning required, or a head assembly fault. We diagnose the root cause and repair the affected component rather than swapping out the whole drive.

Open head channels

Physical damage or wear on the read/write head assembly. Repaired in our head refurbishment laboratory using OEM-grade parts and calibration.

Slow read/write performance

Typically caused by head wear, a dirty tape path or firmware fault. Diagnosed and repaired to restore full LTO-generation throughput.

Tape stuck or won’t eject

Mechanical failure of the loader mechanism, picker fingers or tape path. Recovered and repaired at component level in our Wiltshire workshop.

Firmware corruption

Failed firmware updates or VPD (Vital Product Data) corruption. Firmware and VPD reflashed, verified and returned ready for redeployment.

SAS & Fibre Channel interface faults

Interface board failures preventing host communication. PCB rework and component-level repair rather than a full board replacement.

Not the fault you’re seeing? We also repair library controller boards, autoloader picker mechanisms and library robotics across IBM TS4300, Dell libraries and other major library platforms. Send us the symptom and we’ll come back with a diagnosis.
Close-up of an LTO tape drive read/write head assembly
How it works

Four steps from failure to fixed.

The same process across every tape drive platform. Predictable, tracked and quoted before any work begins.

01RMA & quote

Send us the part number and the fault. We confirm fixed-price repair and advance-exchange availability the same working day.

02Ship your drive

Send your failed drive in secure ESD-safe packaging — tracked and insured to our Wiltshire workshop.

03Repair & test

Head, PCB and firmware repair. VPD preserved, drive logs cleansed, then vendor-native test bed verification.

04Return delivery

Repaired drive couriered back to you, ready to re-install with 90-day return-to-base warranty.

Why Gentronics

The team behind the repair.

An award-winning UK enterprise storage specialist, repairing what others tell you to replace.

Component-level PCB rework under a stereo microscope
Collecting Storage Repair Specialist at The Storage Awards 2026.
2026
Storage Repair Specialist

The Storage Awards · Back-to-back winners 2025 & 2026

UK
Wiltshire workshop

Head lab, PCB rework and vendor test beds. No third-party outsourcing.

OEM
Vendor-native testing

Drives verified on the same platform they came from — HPE, IBM, Dell, Quantum.

90 day
Warranty

Return-to-base warranty on every repair. Extendable on request.

Questions

Questions we get asked.

Straight answers on turnaround, warranty, advance exchange and what to send us.

How long does a tape drive repair take?

Our standard turnaround is 5–7 working days from receipt of your failed drive to dispatch of the repaired unit. If you need to be up and running immediately, we can dispatch an advance-exchange drive from stock while yours is being repaired.

What does ‘advance exchange’ actually mean?

We ship a replacement drive from our stock to you before your failed one arrives at the workshop, so you’re back to production the same day. Your failed drive then comes to us for repair. Subject to stock availability by model.

Do you repair discontinued or end-of-life LTO drives?

Yes. We repair LTO drives across every generation from LTO-1 through LTO-10, plus legacy formats including DAT, DLT, SDLT and Exabyte. If the manufacturer no longer supports it, we most likely still do.

What’s the difference between your repair and an OEM replacement?

An OEM replacement gives you a new or refurbished unit at full price. Our repair fixes your existing drive at component level — head, PCB, firmware, interface — and returns it fully vendor-tested with a 90-day return-to-base warranty. Typically significantly cheaper than replacement.

Can you repair drives inside tape libraries?

Yes. We repair standalone drives, library-embedded drives (HPE MSL, IBM TS4300, Dell TL-series, Quantum Scalar) and the library robotics and controllers themselves. If you’re not sure which part has failed, describe the symptom and we’ll advise.

What information do you need to quote?

Just the part number and a description of the fault. We come back with a fixed-price repair quote and advance-exchange availability the same working day.

Drive not listed?

We also repair legacy tape formats (DAT, DLT, Exabyte), autoloaders, library robotics and controller boards across every major library platform. Tell us what you’ve got — we’ll tell you if we can repair it.

Got a failed tape drive?Same-day fixed-price quote · Advance exchange · 90-day warranty
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IBM
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Veeam
HP
Dell
Lenovo
Quantum
Nexsan
Seagate
Fujitsu
Overland Tandberg
Tandberg Data
Qualstar
Symply
Falconstor
Actidata