How do I clean my iMac G5?
Hey I just sold my 20" iMac G5 and I need to clean the hard drive before I sell it. I have only been a mac user since June so this is something I have not needed to tackle before.
How do I completely erase my hard drive and put back OS X and the original programs so the new owner can enter their name and such as if the computer was brand new(You know with the setup assistant etc.)? I'm also afraid of my information still being obtainable so how do I make sure I'm definetly safe?
And in case anyone is curious if I was switching back or whatnot, I'm not I want to downgrade to a mini so I when a good mactel tower comes along I just simply change the small box and my setup stays the same. After using OS X and this G5 I could never go back to a pc.
How do I completely erase my hard drive and put back OS X and the original programs so the new owner can enter their name and such as if the computer was brand new(You know with the setup assistant etc.)? I'm also afraid of my information still being obtainable so how do I make sure I'm definetly safe?
And in case anyone is curious if I was switching back or whatnot, I'm not I want to downgrade to a mini so I when a good mactel tower comes along I just simply change the small box and my setup stays the same. After using OS X and this G5 I could never go back to a pc.
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Originally posted by ecking
Hey I just sold my 20" iMac G5 and I need to clean the hard drive before I sell it. I have only been a mac user since June so this is something I have not needed to tackle before.
How do I completely erase my hard drive and put back OS X and the original programs so the new owner can enter their name and such as if the computer was brand new(You know with the setup assistant etc.)? I'm also afraid of my information still being obtainable so how do I make sure I'm definetly safe?
I don't remember all the details, but here is more or less what to do: boot your iMac from the system DVD and once there, you can launch Disk Utility from the menu. From Disk Utility you can not only erase the hard drive, but you can choose to write zero everywhere. Doing this you eliminate every trace of your data. But it is going to take quite some time, depending on how large is your disk.
This will remove the flag that tells it to run the Setup Assistant when your customer boots it up, and he will be able to enter all new information.
Assuming you have backed everything up, of course.
That DOD security erase may take a VERY long time.