QIC is a type of magnetic tape that is popular for backing up personal computers. QIC is an acronym for quarter-inch cartridge, and it is pronounced "quick". The QIC Tape backup types are QIC-40 and QIC-80 which are based on mini- cartridges. The QIC-40 and QIC-80 backup types are standards and can be installed in the computer systems. The success of backup types such as QIC-40 and QIC-80can is used to store data in compatible from one manufacturer to another. QIC-40 and QIC-80 tape backup are affordable. The compact size of the QIC-40 and QIC-80 tapes can easily be in both 5 1/2-inch half-height drive bays and 3 1/2x1-inch drive bays.

The portable tape drives such as QIC-80 are of common type, and QIC-40 drives are near extinction. Portable drives can be used for back up for the computers. The reason for the success of QIC-40 and QIC-80 tape drives is the cost of tapes is considerably low than the cost of a stack of floppy disks that can store the backup data.

The QIC-80 drives today are one of the major shortcomings and the use of the floppy drive interface makes the tape drive performance extremely slow. The Data transfer rate is very slow when data is written to a floppy disk. Controllers that support only the Double Density floppy drives can write data with a speed of 250Kbps, which is more than 2M per minute.

The QIC backup types consists of a floppy controller that is supported with the High Density drives which can operate at 300 Kbps. The latest extra-high density controllers can operate at rates of up to 7.5M per minute.

The most famous QIC Tape backup Types is the QIC-40 Drives which is used for the tape backup drives to gain wide acceptance, in the early QIC-40 tape drives were built of a size of 5 1/2 inch drive. The QIC 40 standard drives can be used for an internal power connector to receive data through a cable from the floppy controller. The QIC-40 tapes has a capacity of 40M were soon followed by QIC-40 tapes capable of holding 60M without data compression.

The major disadvantage of the first QIC-40 tape drives is that it has a spare connector which is used for floppy drive cable, and could be used on a system in which a tape drive was installed. The use of a special cable such as QIC-40 drives is installed easily on systems with two floppy drives. The QIC organization goal is to achieve compatibility between tape backup systems, and to maintain the good relations with the manufacturers. The other QIC Tape backup Types are the QIC-80 Drives.

In QIC-80 tape backup drive is the most popular tape backup drive and the minimum any buyer should consider. The QIC-80 tape drives are built to fit 3 1/2x1 inch bays; they are suitable for the frame and faceplate that enable them. The QIC-40 drives are installed with QIC-80 tape systems which are used for internal power connector.

The QIC-80 tape backup is provided with a data connection to the floppy disk controller connection used for QIC-40 drives. The use of a high-speed interface card is to increase the data transfer rate for backups. The last type of QIC Tape backup Types is the portable Tape Drives.

The portable tape drive is the popular tape drive configurations because portables can be moved easily from system to system desktops, laptops, a single system, or multi system installations. Portable tape drives are useful to people who are using laptops and those who want to back up a number of systems on a single tape backup drive. Portable tape drives are good for people who wish for a tape backup drive for desktop system.

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