Wiping out my mac

What is the most effective way to wipe out my macbook? I will need to turn it back into my employer before changing jobs and I want to be sure there are no passwords on it, no history of websites visited, and no old work.

Thanks in advance.

What operating system?

For OS X.7 or later, boot into Recovery Mode, go to Utilities > Disk utility and hit Erase.

For OS X.6 or earlier, boot from the DVD and follow the same step.

And with Erase, everything goes including the operating system etc. If you mean leave the OS on and remove these things, alas one at a time. Erase one in all in.

pretty much any mac os x boot disk uitilitys and use disk utilities and zero the drive

I have 10.6. I have no DVD or any other disc. I am looking for an internal command in the macbook itself that will wipe out all memory and all files except the software installed.

Would upgrading to Yosemite do it?

No. What you want is to order the $20 Snow Leopard DVD from Apple, and once you receive it you can boot from that and erase/reformat the hard drive (I'd recommend the single-pass over the "quick" erase option, as data can easily be recovered from a quick erase) and install the standard OS X 10.6.8 system and apps.

See the answer about OS X.6 booting from the DVD. No DVD do as chas m suggests.

I've been in a similar situation in the past and I recall the tech guy showed me some basic commands. I followed them and sure enough all files and memory were gone. Or maybe it was just memory?

I certainly want to avoid paying $20 out of my own pocket. Are there any other options?

Also, what happens when I install Yosemite? I can't remember. It doesn't wipe out passwords and website history?

For that matter, how can deleted files and erased memory be recovered? If I throw all files in the trash and empty the trash can, along with deleting history and passwords, can any of that be recovered by anyone other than say, a hacker?

usingmac said:

For that matter, how can deleted files and erased memory be recovered? If I throw all files in the trash and empty the trash can, along with deleting history and passwords, can any of that be recovered by anyone other than say, a hacker?

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I don't think that you understand how info is handled on a computer storage device. When you put something in the trash & empty the trash…nothing is actually removed. What does happen is…the computer now knows that the area on the storage device where this "stuff" resides…is now available to store "new stuff". And it's not until "new stuff" is written…that the "old stuff" put in the trash can (and emptied) is actually unrecoverable.

What needs to be done (as chas_m suggested above)…is doing at least a single pass secure erase on the drive. When this is done…X's & O's are written on the entire drive…wiping out the old data previously stored. And the only way of doing this with OS 10.6…is to boot the computer from a 10.6 install DVD (which you don't have & need to purchase).

This discussion is probably beyond the scope of what you want/need to do…but you did ask.

- Nick

usingmac said:

I've been in a similar situation in the past and I recall the tech guy showed me some basic commands. I followed them and sure enough all files and memory were gone. Or maybe it was just memory?

Click to expand...

Just so you know. The term "memory" is associated with a computers ram…not the computers storage device.

usingmac said:

I certainly want to avoid paying $20 out of my own pocket. Are there any other options?

Click to expand...

One option some folks do is remove the hard drive/storage device. But since this sounds like a company computer…I'm sure that's not an option.

usingmac said:

Also, what happens when I install Yosemite?

Click to expand...

You haven't told us exactly what model computer you have. Thus we don't even know if this computer can run Yosemite (unless you've had Yosemite installed on this computer previously).

And if you did have Yosemite (OS 10.10) on this computer previously…then why is OS 10.6 on it now? Which then begs the question. If Yosemite (10.10) was on it previously…and Snow Leopard is on it now (10.6). Then how was Snow Leopard (10.6) installed (must have been with a disk).

- Nick

Its a MacBook 10.6. I can install Yosemite on it but haven't yet. What will this do in terms of erasing stuff?

Again, how can deleted stuff be recovered (my earlier question)? The goal is to erase everything (whatever that means to you or whatever the technical language is for it) so that when it's given to another employee, none of my personal info will be compromised.

usingmac said:

Again, how can deleted stuff be recovered (my earlier question)?

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Recovering stuff is not the goal. The goal is erasing the stuff so it can't be recovered.

This is has been answered twice. You need to boot the computer with a 10.6 install DVD…launch Disk Utility…and do a secure erase.

- Nick

Is there a way for people to trace your passwords and sites visited if you have erased them not using your method, but just using a "clear memory" function and deleting?

usingmac said:

Is there a way for people to trace your passwords and sites visited if you have erased them not using your method, but just using a "clear memory" function and deleting?

Click to expand...

Yes…for the 1000th time! You NEED to overwrite the entire drive with a secure erase within Disk Utility. The only way to make sure data currently on the drive is not recoverable is to overwrite it. And this is what a secure erase does.

On a computer with OS 10.6 installed…a secure erase CANNOT be done without booting the computer from a source other than the internal HD. This is why you need an OS 10.6 install disk. If you had an external USB hard drive with an OS on it that this MacBook can boot from…you could also do a secure erase this way.

The ball is now in your court. Do as you will!

- Nick

p.s. And again. The "clearing & deleting" you mentioned will not get the job done. I explained why earlier.

What is it you do not believe about what we are telling you? Your options are buy the OS X.6 DVD for twenty bucks or leave everything on it ~ your call.

pigoo3 said:

Yes…for the 1000th time! You NEED to overwrite the entire drive with a secure erase within Disk Utility. The only way to make sure data currently on the drive is not recoverable is to overwrite it. And this is what a secure erase does.

On a computer with OS 10.6 installed…a secure erase CANNOT be done without booting the computer from a source other than the internal HD. This is why you need an OS 10.6 install disk. If you had an external USB hard drive with an OS on it that this MacBook can boot from…you could also do a secure erase this way.

The ball is now in your court. Do as you will!

- Nick

p.s. And again. The "clearing & deleting" you mentioned will not get the job done. I explained why earlier.

Click to expand...

Can I install Yosemite from an external drive to accomplish the task? What's "booting"?

Booting means turning the computer on. Sure you are not pulling our whatsits?

If you have an external drive with an operating system installed on it, boot from that, go into Disk Utility, select the MBP hard drive and hit the erase button.

harryb2448 said:

Sure you are not pulling our whatsits?

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I seem to have misplaced my "whatsit" Harry! I think that it must be in the same place as my battery-less crystal ball!

- Nick

If the MacBook is just being readied and all personal stuff removed before the OP "... needs to turn it back into my employer before changing jobs…", I'd suggest all they have to do is setup a new admin "tester" user or whatevername needed, set with no password or something to give them to use, then boot into that user and delete the old username.

The company then has their MB back ready for the next user to setup and use their new username etc. and all old (presently existing) user info has gone poof. And then one can run DU to erase all free space to zero-out all the old erased data. Done and nothing else needed, and the company gets their MB back as it was, all ready for the next user.

If I copy Yosemite from my desktop to a hard drive, then install it from there, what will happen?