How To

How to Demagnetize Magnetic Media

Quickly demagnetize your media.

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By nethopperz
eHow Community Member

Article Rating:

(3 Ratings)

Do you have some old VHS tapes, floppy disks, or hard drives that need to be erased? This process can be very time consuming if you manually erase them one by one. With the proper equipment, you can make the information disappear in minutes, rather than days or weeks.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Magnetic media eraser/degausser
Magnetic media (ex. Floppy disks and VHS tapes)
Time

Step 1

Purchase a magnetic media eraser/degausser from an online source or at a retail store that carries them. Research the different types of available magnetic erasers to find the one that meets your needs.
Step 2

Read the included instructions for processing the type of media that you have. Arrange all of the media that you want to erase into a separate group and be sure that they are all really expendable. If you are not certain, review the media before putting it through the eraser device. This erasure/degaussing process is irreversible!
Step 3

Quickly erase all of your information from the magnetic media forever. Reshelf and reuse your media or dispose of it properly. You might consider donating it to a local school or organization that can put the old media to good use.