A hard disk drive based data archive system emulating a tape archive system includes a hot pluggable multi-drive magazine having a housing for holding a plurality of hard disk drives, each drive connected to receive power and data from the magazine in a controlled fashion, and at least one magazine receiving system for physically receiving the magazine and for thereupon providing power, data and control connections to the magazine, such that when the magazine is received within the magazine receiving system, the hard disk drives selectively receive power and data connections via the magazine and receiving system from a host computer. The magazine may be hot-disconnected from an active computing system environment and removed to an archive rack wherein each disk drive is periodically checked to ensure functionality and to provide some limited-bandwidth data retrieval functions via a network connection to the archive rack. A file mark structure enables a disk drive in the magazine to emulate functionality of a tape cartridge.