Bulk Tape Eraser

From: Chris <mythtech_at_mac.com>
Date: Tue Jun 18 11:30:37 2002

>yeah, they work great on floppies, even on some with soft errrors that
>formatting doesn't remove. Just keep in mind you'll still have to
>format the floppy after the degaussing.

That's actually a good thing.

If the disk is wiped to the point that it needs a format from the OS,
then I can toss the disks in a general use box, and not worry about which
OS they are used on (Mac or DOS/Windows). This way, they can be formatted
fresh for the given platform they are needed on (yes yes, the mac can
read PC disks just fine, but I prefer not to do that for Mac specific
uses)

>Wasn't suprised to see that it doesn't do VHS tapes very well. You need
>quite a bit more gauss to do those, but a hand held will do floppies,
>cassettes and 1/4" tape pretty well.

Ok, I guess I have to black track the stack of VHS tapes I have then. No
biggie, I was just hoping to avoid running them thru a VCR for 2 hours.

>To use, squeeze the trigger switch while the demagger is away from the
>media, and bring it up and slide it over and around in a random pattern
>for several seconds, 10-30 seconds is usually adequate, then remove the
>media while holding on to the switch. This eliminates a big glitch of
>magnetism on the media.

Ok, not exactly the way I had been using it. I was just putting it on top
of the item, turning it on, rubbing it back and forth a bit, then turning
it off and removing. I'll change my ways.

>What ever you do, DO NOT USE a degausser on a hard drive. There is
>embedded information on the tracks for tracking, and if removed, you
>need a high cost formatter.

Good to know as a "fact" although I had suspected something like this
anyway, so I wouldn't have done it. I also wouldn't have tried it on Zip
disks, or Syquest carts or other removable "non floppy" media for fear of
the same problem. I suspect it might be ok on Zip disks, but I know those
are treated more like a hard drive platter than a floppy disk, so I don't
consider it worth the risk.

> Bottom line . . . demag a HD and it becomes
>a doorstop.

I prefer to take them apart and make wind chimes from the platters.

-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
Received on Tue Jun 18 2002 - 11:30:37 BST

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