A scanning magnetoresistive (MR) microscope is developed for high-resolution imaging of magnetic tapes and digital media. Second-harmonic detection is used to remove thermal anomalies. We are able to image sufficient lengths of tape for authentication purposes and for data recovery from damaged samples. The second-harmonic technique provides high-contrast magnetic images of the magnetic storage media using highresolution MR sensors from commercial hard disk drives. These images can be directly converted into the originally recorded analog audio waveforms or digital data.