Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, methods and systems for operating a magnetic storage media drive to perform read/write operations to magnetic storage media in an overwrite protected mode are provided. In one example, a method includes receiving a write request and associated write data and determining if the magnetic storage medium is overwrite protected. If the storage medium is overwrite protected the method includes writing the write data to the storage medium followed by an EOD marker associated with the end of the write data, allowing write operations to the storage medium after previously written data, and preventing write operations to the storage medium prior to previous EOD markers.

Abstract: In one exemplary aspect of the present invention a method for cleaning a media drive transducer head is provided. The method includes transporting a portion of a cleaning tape over a transducer head under a first set of conditions, the first set of conditions associated with a cleaning process of the transducer head, and transporting the portion of the cleaning tape over the transducer head under a second set of conditions, the second set of conditions associated with a writing process.

Abstract: A data storage medium is partitioned into a number of storage rings. Each storage ring has a defined size. One or more storage rings are grouped into one or more storage cylinders, where the defined size of each storage ring in a storage cylinder is the same and the number of storage rings in a storage cylinder is set to a predetermined number.