BleepingComputer.com: Wiping Floppys?

Hi,

I just found a ton of old floppy disks in my spare room...

1. Can anybody see any use for me not throwing these away, is there anything I should consider other than sending them to the tip?

2. How can I securely wipe them so that no data can be obtained off them because they could contain work related documents so I need to wipe them before sending them to the tip..

I have to set up my old P.C to read them so I was thinking of deleting the files off them (just normal recycle bin) then tearing the floppy disk apart before throwing it away.

Anybody have any suggestions/better ideas?!?!

Thankyou

Old floppys are magnetically written A strong magnetic field would do the trick. Or else your idea is more then enough to make sure they are not readable

A full (ie not quick) format does overwrite the data on a floppy disk. Technically, someone with forensic recovery facilities could still attempt to read the remanent data in the guard bands, but in reality no-one is going to try that on a floppy disk they find. Certainly not if you break them before you bin them.

Magnetic erasers (bulk eraser) were available in the past, and I assume could still be found. They do a more complete erase than formatting does, but the main benefit is speed, as it takes a while to do a full format on each floppy.

When I was actively using floppy disks, I found re-using old ones was a great way to lose data, as old floppy disks deteriorated substantially in their reliability. So I wouldn't suggest trying to find any application for them, even if you could think of an application where their tiny capacity could still be useful.

I hear they make excellent target practice if your planning on getting rid of them and enjoy target shooting. . .garentees even the forensic people wont be able to get anything off them, lol