[Mr. Clumpy]

Rather than start a new thread, I figured I'd resurrect this one. After years without a cassette deck, I've finally got a used on on the way. My question is this: Is there anything special I should do with my cassettes that haven't been played for 20+ years before I start digitizing them?

For instance, I once heard that you should fast forward the tape all the way through (on both sides) rather than just throw it in and hit play. Has anyone heard that before? I'm worried that there may have been some degrading of the tape surface or that the winding mechanism may need to be put through its paces, even though the cassettes have been sitting in a reclaimed library card catalog in a normal, comfortable environment.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. I'm looking forward to finally getting this project going. After all, the world needs at least one more live recording of the Roches before everyone who ever heard them shuffles off this mortal coil (okay, maybe not). Thanks.