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"Popeye" <Steve@bysen.demon.co.uk> writes:
>My question is this : I am using the argument that even if I wipe these
>cartridges there is no way that I can be sure that it is impossible for any
>data to be recovered off of them.

>Is there any way that this will stand up in court. Personally I would prefer
>to crush the cassettes and shred the tapes to be sure but I could end up
>being charged for destroying the stores property.

     Get a "bulk eraser", which is an AC electromagnet with a handle,
and follow the attached directions.  Pro audio suppliers will have them.

					John Nagle

..............................
note: please remove the
"antispam" reference in my
e-mail address when replying
..............................

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Popeye: 
If the store is asking for the Ditto Drive
AND the tapes back.. Do they really care
about the information that is on them ??
It sounds like they just want the merchandise. 

If this is the case, just buy some blank tapes
of the same type they gave you, and give them
the blank tapes. Keep the ones you have with
the backed up data. The data is your property
even if the tapes belong to the store..

Does this idea work for you??

Patricia Gibbons 
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Popeye wrote:
> 
> Ok people I'm sorry if this is off topic but I have a slight problem and I
> wondered if anyone could help me out.
> Before Christmas I bought a new computer system which subsequently turned
> out to be ex display. After many arguments the store agreed to give me �200
> worth of goods for my inconvenience with which I purchased an Iomega ditto
> drive and cartridges. After further messing around the store had to re
> format my hard drive and while doing so maliciously password protected the
> system. After further arguments I returned the system.
> 
> The store is now demanding the return of the Ditto drive and the tapes which
> contain all of my confidential back ups and I am shortly to go to court to
> sort the matter out.
> 
> My question is this : I am using the argument that even if I wipe these
> cartridges there is no way that I can be sure that it is impossible for any
> data to be recovered off of them.
> 
> Is there any way that this will stand up in court. Personally I would prefer
> to crush the cassettes and shred the tapes to be sure but I could end up
> being charged for destroying the stores property.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Steve Coath

-- 
..............................
note: please remove the
"antispam" reference in my
e-mail address when replying
..............................
Patricia E. Gibbons
City of San Jose - ITD/communications
Mobile Radio shop supervisor
My Public Key is available at: 
<http://pgp5.ai.mit.edu/pks-commands.html>
Key ID: 0xEDECB44F
This key is RSA, NOT Diffie-Hellman !!

Patricia Gibbons <wa6ube@antispam.ix.netcom.com> wrote:

If this is the case, just buy some blank tapes
of the same type they gave you, and give them
the blank tapes. Keep the ones you have with
the backed up data.

Popeye wrote:
 
 Ok people I'm sorry if this is off topic but I have a slight problem
and I
 wondered if anyone could help me out.
 Before Christmas I bought a new computer system which subsequently
turned
 out to be ex display. After many arguments the store agreed to give
me �200
 worth of goods for my inconvenience with which I purchased an Iomega
ditto
 drive and cartridges. After further messing around the store had to
re
 format my hard drive and while doing so maliciously password
protected the
 system. After further arguments I returned the system.
 
 The store is now demanding the return of the Ditto drive and the
tapes which
 contain all of my confidential back ups and I am shortly to go to
court to
 sort the matter out.
 
 My question is this : I am using the argument that even if I wipe
these
 cartridges there is no way that I can be sure that it is impossible
for any
 data to be recovered off of them.
 
 Is there any way that this will stand up in court. Personally I would
prefer
 to crush the cassettes and shred the tapes to be sure but I could end
up
 being charged for destroying the stores property.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Steve Coath

I agree with the answer above, but just a note concerning your
original question.  My company used to let an employee who attended a
local university take their old reel-to-reel tapes, bulk erase them
and remove all labels then donate them to the university.  Good tax
write off and PR.  Then the security department stepped in and said
they could not be absolutely sure all data was gone and that the tapes
had to be physically destroyed.

--
Dennis Duke - KB4XN - <kb4xn@amsat.org>
PGP key ID: = 0xD0EA6825 (on keyservers)
FP: DCC4FE1528EEEDAD 51C21CB6AE0CE45E
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4801

> My question is this : I am using the argument that even if I wipe these
> cartridges there is no way that I can be sure that it is impossible for any
> data to be recovered off of them.
> 
> Is there any way that this will stand up in court. Personally I would prefer
> to crush the cassettes and shred the tapes to be sure but I could end up
> being charged for destroying the stores property.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Steve Coath

I don't know what your legal position would be, but I would erase the
tapes by using (buying or borrowing) a demagnetiser such as is used to
wipe reel-to-reel tapes. A second or two or exposure to that should
ensure your data is all but impossible to recover. Alternatively, and if
you can still read the tapes on a machine, use a utility such as BCWipe
(freeware) or a Norton Utilities derivative to perform multiple
overwrites of the data with a random bit pattern.

"Popeye" <Steve@bysen.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>After many arguments the store agreed to give me �200
>worth of goods for my inconvenience ...

>The store is now demanding the return of the Ditto drive...

It seems to me that after you suffered the above mentioned inconvenience,
you were compensated for it pursuant to mutual agreement. Unless they can
build a time machine and change history so that you actually weren't
inconvenienced after all, that merchandize remains yours.
-- 
Mike Naylor - myfirstname.mylastname@mail.serve.com
Play Five by Five Poker at http://www.serve.com/games/