In message <9511191755.AA16981@durga.pci.on.ca>,David Gilbert writes:
>	By and large, that's true for for modern drives (QIC 8mm
>4mm).  Even if the drive has the ability to random-seak, many OS
>flavors will still honour an EOM.  To preform the truely random
>function, they often require you format the cartridge.

One of the few ways around this (and you should be somewhere around
wits end to try this) is to start writing to the tape again, and 
let it get past the EOM that was accidentally put there and power
off the drive (so that it cannot write another EOM)  Of course, some
operating systems take a dim view of devices that "disappear"  

After a possible reboot, power on the drive again and try reading your
tape.  Naturally, the first couple of k are going to be missing.