How to Erase Floppy Discs
If you run out of room for file storage or simply decide to perform "spring cleaning" on your computer, it may be necessary to erase data from your floppy disks. There are multiple ways to delete the data on a floppy disk, some of which are more secure than others. Depending on the level of security that you require, erasing a floppy disk requires between 1 and 10 minutes.
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Instructions
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Formatting (Less Secure)
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1
Insert the floppy disk into your disk drive.
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2
Double click "My Computer". This icon can be found on the Windows desktop.
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3
Right click on your floppy drive (usually drive letter "A"), and select "Format".
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4
Uncheck the box labeled "Quick Format". Generally, all other options can be left alone. Most floppy disks should be formatted using a capacity of 1.44 MB, the FAT file system, and the default allocation unit size.
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5
Click "Start". The disk will be formatted in around 30 seconds.
Wiping Data (More Secure)
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6
Insert a floppy disk into the drive, and launch MediaWiper.
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7
Click on "Wipe Media". This process will securely delete the data stored on the floppy disk and format it so that it can be used again. Because MediaWiper writes data to the disk in multiple passes, this may take several minutes.
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8
Return to the MediaWiper home screen. Click "Verify Media". MediaWiper will examine the disk to confirm that the previous data is no longer present.
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9
Re-use or destroy the floppy disk.
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1
Tips & Warnings
MediaWiper is a program that is designed to securely erase hard drives and removable media by filling the media with random data many times. This process makes it very difficult to recover the data that was originally stored on the media. MediaWiper is a commercial product; it costs $39.95. Note that using MediaWiper or any similar program regularly on the same floppy disk may shorten the life of the disk considerably.
Even if the most extensive file deletion algorithms have been used, it may still be possible for a forensic expert to recover data deleted from a floppy disk. To completely remove all data from a disk, the US Department of Defense recommends destroying the disk itself after a program such as MediaWiper has been used.
