{{Short description|Data storage company active in the 1980s}} {{Distinguish|Archives, Inc.}} {{Infobox company | name=Archive Corporation | logo=Archive Corporation byline logo.svg | type= | founded={{start date and age|1980}} in Costa Mesa, California | defunct={{end date and age|1993}} | fate=Acquired by Conner Peripherals | industry=Computer | products=Tape drives | num_employees=3,367 (1990) }} '''Archive Corporation''' was a computer tape drive manufacturer, based in Costa Mesa, California, that was acquired by Conner Peripherals in 1992.

==History== {{Redirect|Ardat|the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' character|Ardat (Dungeons & Dragons)}} The company was founded in 1980 and based out of Costa Mesa, California.<ref>{{cite book | last=Petska-Juliussen | first=Karen | author2=Egil Juliussen | date=1990 | url=https://archive.org/details/computerindustry00kare/page/108/ | title=The Computer Industry Almanac | publisher=Brady | page=2.109 | isbn=9780131541221 | via=the Internet Archive}}</ref> The company employed 3,367 in 1990 and reached revenues of US$293&nbsp;million in that year, up from $79&nbsp;million in 1986.<ref>{{cite book | last=Smith | first=Carter | date=1992 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uknJzpWTB68C | title=America's Fastest Growing Employers: The Complete Guide to Finding Jobs with Over 700 of America's Hottest Companies | publisher=B. Adams, Inc. | page=35 | isbn=9781558501461 | via=Google Books}}</ref>

Of particular note are the Archive DDS tape drives produced for Silicon Graphics that could also read and write Digital Audio Tapes (DAT): the Archive Python 4320 and the Archive Peregrine 4326 (rebranded under Conner or Seagate).<ref>{{cite web | last= | first= | date=n.d. | url=https://web.ncf.ca/aa571/datfaq.htm | title=Digital Audio Tape (DAT) FAQ | publisher=Computall Services | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208053343/https://web.ncf.ca/aa571/datfaq.htm | archivedate=December 8, 2006}}</ref> In 1990, Archive established Ardat, Inc., as a subsidiary dedicated to marketing the company's DAT drives.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Krohn | first=Nico | date=September 10, 1990 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT31 | title=Two DAT Data Compression Methods Are Likely to Emerge | work=InfoWorld | publisher=IDG Publications | volume=12 | issue=37 | page=32 | via=Google Books}}</ref>

Prior to this, Archive was a leading vendor of the very popular quarter-inch cartridge (QIC) format which was a popular distribution format for Unix workstations and servers. For example, software for the Sun-3 (running the Motorola 68K family) and the Sun-4 (based on SPARC processors) was most commonly distributed on QIC media before CD-ROMs became more cost-effective. Archive was better known for its QIC drives.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=November 11, 1987 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-11-fi-13319-story.html | title=Archive Corporation | journal=Los Angeles Times | page=4 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102000524/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-11-11-fi-13319-story.html | archivedate=November 2, 2022}}</ref>

Conner Peripherals acquired Archive in December 1992 for about $151 million.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=November 18, 1992 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/18/business/company-news-conner-peripherals-and-archive-approve-merger.html | title=Conner Peripherals and Archive Approve Merger | journal=The New York Times | page=D4 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526055614/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/18/business/company-news-conner-peripherals-and-archive-approve-merger.html | archivedate=May 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 5, 1993 |title=OTHER NEWS - Jan. 5, 1993 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-05-fi-1020-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

== Acquisitions == In 1989, Archive acquired Maynard Electronics.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=March 29, 1989 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/398169091 | title=Archive Completes Purchase | journal=The Wall Street Journal | publisher=Dow Jones & Company | page=1 |id={{ProQuest|398169091}}}}</ref> The ''MaynStream'' brand of tape drives and software was maintained.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Burnett | first=Richard | date=October 5, 1992 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/278162869 | title=Maynard at Forefront of Backup: Sales skyrocket for manufacturer of PC systems | journal=Orlando Sentinel | page=19 |id={{ProQuest|278162869}}}}</ref>

In March 1990, Archive acquired Cipher Data Products for $120&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Staff writer | date=April 30, 1990 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/398169091 | title=Archive Completes Acquisition | journal=The Wall Street Journal | publisher=Dow Jones & Company | page=1 |id={{ProQuest|398169091}}}}</ref> This included Cipher's subsidiary Irwin Magnetic Systems.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Khermouch | first=Gerry | date=June 22, 1992 | url=https://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_n1917_v38/ai_12406465 | title=Iomega sets challenge to Irwin in removable QIC tape drives | journal=Electronic News | publisher= Sage Publications | volume=38 | issue=1917 | page=13 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050521153357/https://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_n1917_v38/ai_12406465 | archivedate=May 21, 2005}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{cite web | last=Heemskerk | first=Jos | date=November 25, 2001 | url=http://www.xs4all.nl/~heemsker/fup/ | title=Audio on a Computer DAT drive | publisher=XS4ALL | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011214063622/http://www.xs4all.nl/~heemsker/fup/ | archivedate=December 14, 2001}} * {{cite web | last=Fleckstein | first=Erv | date=2011 | url=http://www.mfarris.com/media/archive.html | title=Archive Corporation Tape Cartridges | publisher=M. Farris & Associates | url-status=usurped | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317025218/http://www.mfarris.com/media/archive.html | archivedate=March 17, 2021}}

Category:1980 establishments in California Category:1993 disestablishments in California Category:1992 mergers and acquisitions Category:Companies based in Costa Mesa, California Category:Computer companies established in 1980 Category:Computer companies disestablished in 1993 Category:Defunct computer companies based in California Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States Category:Defunct computer hardware companies Category:Defunct manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles Category:Tape-based computer storage Category:Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles

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