Bulk Tape Eraser - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

18 Jun 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>