Results 1 to 10 of 10
-
07-18-2008, 08:11 AM #1
- Member Since
- Jul 18, 2008
- Posts
- 4
Selling MBA, how do I reformat/clear contents? Thanks!!Hello:
I have some folks interested in purchasing my macbook air.
I'd prefer to completely reformat, but I don't have a superdrive, and/or access to another computer to remote share.
I will cut and paste all my personal content (e.g. pictures, documents) to an external drive.
What other steps can I take to completely wipe out the contents? Is it possible to remove any trace of the websites I visited?
I want to remove office 2008. Do I simply remove the application icon from the Application folder?
Any other suggestions is GREATLY appreciated!!
Thanks,
PJ
-
07-18-2008, 08:47 AM #2
- Member Since
- Jan 31, 2008
- Posts
- 195
Reformatting won't be enough. You want to do a 35-pass erase with the Disk Utility. http://www.udel.edu/pnpi/tools/erase/mac/erasedisk.html
iMac G3
600 MHz
OS 10.3.9
-
07-18-2008, 08:50 AM #3
- Member Since
- Dec 20, 2006
- Location
- Lake Mary, Florida
- Posts
- 26,982
- Specs:
- 15" MBP, Core i7/2GHz, 8GB RAM, 480GB Crucial M500 SSD
If I were in your shoes, I'd back up my important files, then create a new user account. After that, log into the new user account and move your old home folder to the trash. Then, Click the Finder menu and click "Secure Empty Trash" to completely remove it. That should wipe all of your stuff out. You'll also need to go back into System Preferences => Accounts and remove the account from there.
Liquid and computers don't mix. It might seem simple, but we see an incredible amount of people post here about spills. Keep drinks and other liquids away from your expensive electronics!
https://youtu.be/KHZ8ek-6ccc
-
07-18-2008, 08:51 AM #4
- Member Since
- Dec 20, 2006
- Location
- Lake Mary, Florida
- Posts
- 26,982
- Specs:
- 15" MBP, Core i7/2GHz, 8GB RAM, 480GB Crucial M500 SSD
Liquid and computers don't mix. It might seem simple, but we see an incredible amount of people post here about spills. Keep drinks and other liquids away from your expensive electronics!
https://youtu.be/KHZ8ek-6ccc
-
07-18-2008, 09:11 AM #5
Take a combined approach:
1 - move or copy all of your data to a network share.
2 - create a new admin-level user account
3 - log in as the new admin user and delete the old account as described above
4 - Use Disk Utility to verify and repair permissions, and then to Erase Free Space - use the 7-pass Erase of Deleted Files - it will take a few hours, so be sure you are powered up before you start.
From a forensics perspective, a 7-zero pass will be enough in most cases. If you were using the machine for sensitive corporate or government work, then yes, I'd recommend a 35-zero pass, but the decision is yours to make.Perry M Lynch, CISSP CISA
Mac Newbie, Security not-so-newbie
-
07-18-2008, 02:21 PM #6
- Member Since
- Jan 31, 2008
- Posts
- 195
I mostly agree with the above recommendation, although I'd use the 35-zero pass just to be sure. Let it run overnight.
The problem with that approach is that the OP has no means of reinstalling the OS without an optical drive.iMac G3
600 MHz
OS 10.3.9
-
07-18-2008, 02:25 PM #7
- Member Since
- Dec 20, 2006
- Location
- Lake Mary, Florida
- Posts
- 26,982
- Specs:
- 15" MBP, Core i7/2GHz, 8GB RAM, 480GB Crucial M500 SSD
Liquid and computers don't mix. It might seem simple, but we see an incredible amount of people post here about spills. Keep drinks and other liquids away from your expensive electronics!
https://youtu.be/KHZ8ek-6ccc
-
07-18-2008, 03:52 PM #8
-
07-18-2008, 06:26 PM #9
- Member Since
- May 13, 2008
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
- Posts
- 506
- Specs:
- Unibody MacBook 2.4GHz/4GB Ram/320GB HD
Why don't you check with your buyer(s) and see if they have any interest for the MBA Superdrive. If so, buy it, jack up your price a bit, and then you can format/reinstall OSX.
I bought the Superdrive for my MBA and am very glad I did so.
-
11-17-2008, 11:19 AM #10
- Member Since
- Nov 17, 2008
- Posts
- 3
Thread Information
Users Browsing this Thread
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Similar Threads
-
Differences between October 2010 MBA and July 2011 MBA
By mattrickmd in forum Apple NotebooksReplies: 4Last Post: 07-20-2011, 05:33 PM -
How best to reformat an MBA SSD?
By robfol in forum Apple NotebooksReplies: 1Last Post: 06-13-2010, 08:02 AM -
How to clear completely before selling?
By Paretola in forum Apple NotebooksReplies: 4Last Post: 09-03-2009, 10:07 AM -
Selling iMac - how to clear personal data off computer
By Hyperdrive in forum macOS - Operating SystemReplies: 1Last Post: 03-24-2007, 07:25 PM