How can you deactivate the magnetic strips in DVDs and CDs? I figure a strong magnet should work to deactivate the magnet, but Im not sure how it works.

I think if u get out de cd/Dvd u can walk out very fine :>

Faraday cage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

just open the case n nab the disk, no worrys about the alarms, and much harder for anyone to notice, specialy if u grab a couple dozen

Well I was looking for something similar to what is at the register to deactivate the magnetic strip.

oh ok, well just get a powerfull magnet then, u can at like a hardware store. either a rare earth metal, or just a larger one. i used to use one my dad had to pick up nails and metal n shit areound a construction site, its about 6 inches wide and itll do the job.

Do you know if such a large magnet will set off the alarms?

yeah they wont set off the alarms, the in the security strip are magnetized a certain way, so as it passes through the detectors (wich switch pos and neg back and forth) causes the strip to be unstable, wich throws off the feild, setting off the alarm. a reg magnet will not set them aff cause they are stable.

It's true, I had a 1/2 by 2 by 2 inch neodynium m-5 true earth magnet in my pocket (stupid idea), and it didn't do anything.

Wouldnt using a magnet on hardware such as cds and such erase or just flat out ruin the cd itself?