Destroying Old Media

Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and DDS
backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the drives to
read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal actions?

Thanks,

--
Yoann Roman

Yoann Roman wrote:
Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and DDS
backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the drives to
read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal actions?

Thanks,

Bulk tape eraser...the one used for erasing VCR tapes.
Then hammer the tape into submission with a big hammer.
But don't put the smashed tape into the recycle box that says
"Super Secret information". Set it on fire instead.

Make it like "employee of the month", but instead of the prime
parking space, the winner gets to use the big hammer to smash
a tape with a picture of the boss taped to it.
mike

On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:26:21 GMT, "Yoann Roman"
wrote:

Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and DDS
backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the drives to
read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal actions?

Thanks,


Beach bonfire?

~F

Yoann Roman wrote:
Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and DDS
backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the drives to
read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal actions?


Burn 'em. Don't breath the fumes.

Yoann Roman wrote:
Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and
DDS backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the
drives to read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain
sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal
actions?

Burn 'em. Don't breath the fumes.

Not quite sure I've got the environment to safely burn these... Plus, I'd
feel bad releasing semi-toxic fumes into the environment :-P.

--
Yoann Roman

"Yoann Roman" writes:
Burn 'em. Don't breath the fumes.

Not quite sure I've got the environment to safely burn these... Plus, I'd
feel bad releasing semi-toxic fumes into the environment :-P.

I don't recommend it either. I tried burning a floppy disc once (just
the magnetic sheet inside, not the outer envelope). It was pretty
disgusting. They don't shred very well either. Maybe there are
places that can incinerate them safely. Bulk magnetic erasure is
probably the best approach to get rid of something not-super-sensitive
that's already been recorded. I don't know, though, whether consumer
equipment such as video tape demagnetizers make strong enough magnetic
fields to erase a data tape.

Those writing new tapes should certainly consider using encryption
rather than writing sensitive data directly to the tape.

On Mon, 23 Oct 2006 20:52:34 GMT, "Yoann Roman"
wrote:

Yoann Roman wrote:
Perhaps an odd question... We've found a set of really old DAT and
DDS backup tapes that we have neither the backup software nor the
drives to read/write. However, labels indicate these may contain
sensitive data.

How would I go about destroying these w/o investment or illegal
actions?

Burn 'em. Don't breath the fumes.

Not quite sure I've got the environment to safely burn these... Plus, I'd
feel bad releasing semi-toxic fumes into the environment :-P.

Soak them in acid. It's actually not too hard to get industrial grade
sulfuric or phosphoric acid, ask you're local high school where they
get theirs.

~F

Faeandar writes:
Soak them in acid. It's actually not too hard to get industrial grade
sulfuric or phosphoric acid, ask you're local high school where they
get theirs.

Then you've still got toxic waste afterwards.

On 23 Oct 2006 19:05:54 -0700, Paul Rubin
wrote:

Faeandar writes:
Soak them in acid. It's actually not too hard to get industrial grade
sulfuric or phosphoric acid, ask you're local high school where they
get theirs.

Then you've still got toxic waste afterwards.

The tapes themselves are toxic waste, so it's a no-win situation.
Pick your poison and run with it.

~F

Soak them in acid. It's actually not too hard to get industrial grade
sulfuric or phosphoric acid, ask you're local high school where they
get theirs.

I don't think acid will do anything with polyester base layer of the tape. So,
burning with excess of oxygen (using an acetylene welding device, for instance)
is probably the only chance.

I have forgotten whether polyester (polyethylenethereftalate IIRC) includes
nitrogen in it. Probably not. Then you have CO2 + H2O is the burning results -
ecologically clean.

--
Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation

http://www.storagecraft.com