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Data storage question.
I have saved both Zeiss and Leica Confocal data on an institution
server. In the middle of  year  2003 something happened to all the
confocal  raw data ( 1995-2003) on this server and all ( or most) of the
files became corrupted. The corruption is manifested in the following
way, There is a line that runs though some of the images and in some
cases there is a blank in the middle of a stack of images.  About every
5th image is corrupted. Certain stacks of images can not be loaded.
sometimes two images are overlaid on each other. This effect primarily
occurs with stacks of images but it has also been seen in a maximum
projection image. Other files stored i.e. Word or Powerpoint files
appear to be OK.

Other Facts: The same confocal data stored on computer hard drives are
not  corrupted.  Confocal data stored on the scientific server after
2003 are also OK. Fortunately much of the data was backed-up on other
computer hard drives.

The computer staff has insisted that the data has not been compressed
and has not restored from backup.

Does  anyone have an idea about what occurred with this confocal data on
our  institution server?  Has anyone else seen such of bizarre effect
with their stored data. It is strange that both Zeiss and Leica files
are effected in a similar manner!!

Bob

Robert M. Zucker, PhD
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Reproductive Toxicology Division, MD 72
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27711
Tel: 919-541-1585; fax 919-541-4017
e-mail: [log in to unmask]