Description
Colorado 350MB Internal Tape Drive Floppy Interface QIC-80 Vintage 1990s Backup
The Colorado 350 is a 350MB internal QIC-80 tape drive manufactured by Colorado Memory Systems in the early-to-mid 1990s. It connects to a standard PC floppy controller — no dedicated interface card required — making it one of the more accessible tape backup options of its era. The unit is a 5.25-inch half-height form factor designed to mount in a standard desktop PC drive bay.
Specifications & What's Included
- Brand: Colorado Memory Systems
- Model: Colorado 350
- Tape format: QIC-80
- Native capacity: 350 MB (compressed up to approximately 700 MB)
- Compatible tape: QIC-80 / Travan TR-1 cartridges
- Interface: Floppy controller (connects to standard PC floppy cable)
- Form factor: Internal, 5.25-inch half-height bay
- Power: Standard 4-pin Molex (visible in photos)
- Manufactured in the United States (per rear label)
- CSA certified (per rear label)
- Drive only — no tape cartridge included
Applications
Colorado Memory Systems was one of the dominant makers of consumer and small-business tape backup drives in the late 1980s and 1990s; the company was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard and the Colorado brand continued under HP. The Colorado 350 was designed for DOS and early Windows PCs (Windows 3.x, Windows 95) as an affordable internal backup solution using the existing floppy controller rather than requiring a proprietary card. Today these drives are sought after for vintage PC restoration and legacy data recovery projects — specifically for reading or recovering data from old QIC-80 cartridges that were created on similar drives during that era. Compatible backup software included Colorado Backup (bundled), as well as popular third-party utilities like Seagate Backup Exec and Arcada Backup. The floppy-controller interface means any period-correct 486 or Pentium desktop with a free 5.25-inch bay can typically accommodate this drive without additional hardware.
This Colorado 350MB Internal Tape Drive was pulled from storage and has been visually inspected. The bezel and housing show light yellowing and surface wear typical of 1990s computer equipment. The drive mechanism, spindle motor, and internal PCB appear intact with no obvious physical damage. No tape cartridge is included. It has not been powered up or tested at our facility. Please view our photo set and contact us if you have any questions.
Warranty Information
Additional Information
Brand: |
Colorado Memory Systems |
Model: |
Colorado 350 |
MPN: |
350 |
Type: |
Internal QIC Tape Drive |
SKU: |
12431 |
Storage Capacity: |
350 MB |
Tape Format: |
QIC-80 |
Interface: |
Floppy Controller |
Form Factor: |
Internal, 5.25-inch Half-Height Bay |
Tape Type: |
QIC-80 / Travan TR-1 |
Country/Region of Manufacture: |
United States |
Compatible With: |
DOS/Windows PCs with floppy controller |
Era: |
1990s |
Seller Notes: |
Drive only, no tape cartridge included |
Condition Notes: |
This Colorado 350MB Internal Tape Drive was pulled from storage and visually inspected. Shows light yellowing and surface wear typical of 1990s equipment. Drive mechanism and PCB appear intact. Not powered or tested at our facility. |
California Prop 65 Warning: |
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead and lead compounds, and DEHP (a phthalate), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Go to P65Warnings.ca.gov |