How to wipe the hard drive on a screen-dead Powerbook G3?
The display on my 1998 G3 Wallstreet Powerbook recently went black and the computer made a noise that I understand is called The Chimes of Death, although the hard drive still makes whirring noises. My local and trustworthy Apple repair service assures me the Powerbook wouldn't be worth repairing even if they could get the parts for such an old machine.
Is there a way to wipe the hard drive and make my data irretrievable before disposing of the computer?
If there's no way to wipe the hard drive, I'd like to find out: (1) How to remove the hard drive. (2) The best way to destroy the hard drive or at least make it forever unreadable (can my shredder eat it?). (3) The correct way to dispose of a Powerbook that has heard the Chimes of Death. (From what the repair service says, I assume nobody would want it as a donation.)
Turtlewiz,
I would not be so quick to pronounce it dead:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14438
I would try the suggestions in the above article. Will it boot to a CD?
As far as wiping the drive, it is easy as long as you can see a display so you can follow the steps necessary. You just open Drive Setup in the Utilities Folder on the CD > select 'zero all data' in the Initialization Options; do it a few times if concerned.
Removing the HD is relatively easy: Just lift off the keyboard and the heat sink, then remove the HD.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/3.0.0.html
Hit the HD a few times with a hammer and nobody will bother with it...it has a glass platter.
Nothing to offer on the recycling except Good Will may still take it as "non-working" since there are Mac users looking for such bargains.
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I was wondering what I need to do to wipe the hard drive of my Powerbook G4 12". It has gotten extremely cluttered over the last couple years and I was wondering what I needed to do to start afresh
Welcome to Apple Discussions, Jonathan.
Assuming you have backed up the data that you want to keep, then restart your PowerBook using its original installer disc.
Once the PB has started up, run Disk Utility and select your PB's internal drive from the left hand section of the DU window. On the right, select the "Erase" tab and you will be able to erase the drive.
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I have an apple powerbook g4 running 10.3.9 which my daughter gave me. However all the installation discs were lost. I just purchaed OS x Panther for it. I want to wipe the hard drive clean to get rid of all of her personal information as I want to donate the laptop to a needy family. Do I need the installation discs or will the panther os x disc have everything that I need to wipe the hard drive clean and install panther. I do have an external hard drive.
Hello again,
Some of those applications you mention will not be on the recently purchased OS 10.3 Panther disk so you'll need to make a copy of them so you can restore them later.
Copy to your external drive;
iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes* and you may also have World Book 2003 depending what bonus software was installed when new. There may be other Non Apple applications you want to keep also.
*You could probably still get a download of iTunes but because it is such an old version, to save searching for it, make a copy of it while it is in front of you.
Everything else will be the 10.3 Panther disk including Safari.
Ideally with original disks, the process would be:
Insert your Install disk 1 into the drive and then Restart, and hold down the C key to take you to the installation windows.
Select your language, the start up Disk and choose Erase and Install.
At the point your registration process starts, abandon the registration, quit and eject the disk and switch of the computer.
This will allow the new user a freshly installed system, whereby they can complete the registration process themselves.
However...
But as you want to add back iPhoto and iMovie etc, you'll proceed to create an Admin account, in order to add back those applications, by copying them from the external drive back to the Applications folder. After doing that you are finished.
Instruct the new user can create their own Admin account, (more than one can exist) and thereafter deleting the first one you created.
This would achieve a fresh setup akin to the original. -
I have an old ipod touch, and have just purchased a new 4th Gen one. How do I get my Apps from the old one to the new one. I've had to wipe the hard drive on my Pc so they aren't in my I tunes.
- Transfer your iTunes' purchases to the new computer by:
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a computer
- Try making a backup of the iPod by right clicking on the iPod under Devices in iTunes and selecting Backup.
- Connect your new iPod and restore the iPod from that backup if you wish. -
How can I completely wipe the hard drive with out the Mac OS X disc? I don't need any of the info on the computer.
You can't unless you have a bootable system on an external drive you can use. Otherwise, you need either the original disc that came with your computer or a retail copy of Snow Leopard DVD. The latter contains 10.6.3, so your model must be capable of booting from that or an earlier version of OS X.
You can purchase replacement discs from Apple:
Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
To contact product and tech support: Apple - Support - Contact Apple Support.
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements. -
How do I deauthorize my ibook G4 and wipe the hard drive clean?
How do I deauthorize my ibook G4 and wipe the hard drive clean?
Launch iTunes. From the menu bar click Store / Deauthorize This Computer.
(Mac OS X 10.4): Erasing a disk or volume
Or... Mac OS X 10.4): Erasing disks securely -
How do I wipe the hard drive on my MacBook?
I just sold my circa 2008 MacBook and want to wipe the hard drive prior to handing it over to the new owner. It looks like I can do this using the disk utility. Is that correct?
Complete procedure for an Erase and Install of OSX Snow Leopard here Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install
I assume that you bought the OSX Lion 10.7 Upgrade at the Mac App Store.
If so, then you can't sell it with your MacBook, since the license is tied to your own AppleID and not to the MacBook.
Stefan -
I want to get rid of an old iMac CRT that I have had since 2000 and need to make sure I wipe the hard drive clean of any personal information, etc. Are there any tried and tested methods to do this, short of removing it and destroying it with a hammer? Thanks
There are software solutions for wiping the drive, beyond Apple's utility that can reformat with a write zeros option. As for physically disabling the drive, you could remove the top cover and then the platters. A less invasive method of destruction would be to drill a few holes through the top cover and the platters. Depending on the capacity of the drive, you could reformat it, then remove it and use it for other backup needs. An IDE-to-USB adapter with power supply (about $15) enables use of the bare drive for quick connection to a USB port. The more expensive (about $30) option is installation in an external enclosure, but that would only be cost-effective if the drive capacity makes it worth the effort/expense.
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on my macbook pro the hard drive icon is not on my desktop and I don't know how to find the hard drive or get the icon back on my desktop
Click on the Desktop. From the Finder menu select Preferences. Check the boxes for what you want on your Desktop. If they are already checked, then try unchecking and rechecking.
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On windows load the airport utility .. latest correct version as possible.. there is no windows 8 but win7 works after a fashion.
Make sure the TC is using SMB compatible names.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
Type the name directly into windows explorer.
\\TCname or \\TCIPaddress
If no luck turn off all the firewalls.. internal windows plus security software plus whatever other gargyoles and other rubbish AV software you have running.
Ensure windows is able to at least ping the TC by IP address and name..
Use the utility in windows to set file sharing to guest account on with full read and write access.. and set workgroup to WORKGROUP. -
Stuck at gray screen. Does OS X install wipe the hard drive?
Im stuck at the gray apple screen when I start up. Already reset the PRAM with no luck and couldn't boot up in safe mode. Have the install disk but want to know if it'll wipe the hard drive before I do that. Please assist.
Hey, Running.
I hate to say it, but things don't look very bright here. It looks as though your HDD is in the midst of failure (I/O error and exiting with SIG 8). If your machine is under warranty or APP coverage, you'd do very well to take it to a Genius Bar or authorized repair centre and have the machine checked. If you have a valid backup from which to restore, your second best option at this point is to put in a new hard disk and restore from Time Machine. If you don't have a backup and you're dealing with critical data that simply can't be lost, you'll want to contact a data recovery service. Alternatively, you might try using some recovery software such as Disk Warrior. I consider that a last resort.
Sorry for the trouble! -
IMac G5 10.3 Upgrade to 10.5 How to erase the hard drive with no 10.3 disc
Working on my brother's computer. iMac G5 (no iSight) was running 10.3.11. He tried to do an upgrade to 10.4 along with a RAM upgrade. When he totally hosed it up, he turned it over to me and now wants to upgrade to 10.5. I obtained a retail version of 10.5 and was able to install it but I can't configure it because the old 10.3 Sys Admin is still in there somewhere. Brother has lost password and lost 10.3 start up disc. Can I just wipe the entire hard drive (most info is corrupted anyway) and start over clean with 10.5? If so, how do I accomplish that without the old install disc? Thanks for any help! I'm fairly desperate and pretty sick of tangling with this problem.
Richard, thank you so much for your advice. I will try that first thing tomorrow morning when I'm "fresh". I think the hard drive is fine. I already ran the verify and repair routine. My brother thought he could do all of this himself. I told him to install his upgrade first, then his hardware (RAM stick). Well, he installed the RAM first. Then assumed that something was wrong with the Software when it wouldn't load. Very long story short, one of the 1GB RAM chips was bad. As soon as I took it out, everything was fine. But he did something Very Bad while trying to do the upgrade and I just can't recreate what he did, not to mention how many other people were involved before he called me (and I'm far from an expert!). The Genius Bar at my local Apple store recommended erasing and starting over with the 10.5, but then everything I read on line said I had to have the 10.3 install disc. I bought a MAC when I retired from corporate America so I wouldn't have to do this type of thing any more. My MAC never gives me one bit of trouble. But I speak to it kindly every day and coo in its ears! I'll let you know how it works out! Thanks again. --Pam.
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Repartitioning without having to wipe the hard drive.
Does anyone know how to repartition a hard drive back to a single drive volume without wipping the whole drive?
Hi Jeffrey,
yes, you can do that with utilities such as Volume Works or iPartition. Make sure you have a complete backup before you start!!!
If this answered your question please consider granting some stars: Why reward points? -
I am selling my 2013 MacBook Air and i need to figure out how to wipe all my information from the computer before selling it.
Any help will be appreciated, im ready to slam this computer through a wall.Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
Step One - Back up your data:
A. If you have any Virtual PCs shut them down. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
B. Clone to an external drive using using Carbon Copy Cloner.
1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Select the Source volume from the Select a source drop down menu on the left side.
3. Select the Destination volume from the Select a destination drop down menu on the right
side.
4. Click on the Clone button. If you are prompted about creating a clone of the Recovery HD be
sure to opt for that.
Destination means a freshly erased external backup drive. Source means the internal
startup drive.
Step Two - Prepare the machine for the new buyer:
1. De-authorize the computer in iTunes! De-authorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
2, Remove any Open Firmware passwords or Firmware passwords.
3. Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
4. Turn off File Vault, if enabled.
5. Disable iCloud, if enabled: See.What to do with iCloud before selling your computer
Step Three - Install a fresh OS:
A. Snow Leopard and earlier versions of OS X
1. Insert the original OS X install CD/DVD that came with your computer.
2. Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
3. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu; repartition and reformat the internal hard drive.
Optionally, click on the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
4. Install OS X.
5. Upon completion DO NOT restart the computer.
6. Shutdown the computer.
B. Lion and Mountain Lion (if pre-installed on the computer at purchase*)
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because
it is three times faster than wireless.
1. Restart the computer while holding down the COMMAND and R keys until the Mac OS X
Utilities window appears.
2. Select Disk Utility from the Mac OS X Utilities window and click on the Continue button.
3. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the left side list. Click
on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on the Security button
and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
5. Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
6. Quit DU and return to the Mac OS X Utilities window.
7. Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
8. Upon completion shutdown the computer.
*If your computer came with Lion or Mountain Lion pre-installed then you are entitled to transfer your license once. If you purchased Lion or Mountain Lion from the App Store then you cannot transfer your license to another party. In the case of the latter you should install the original version of OS X that came with your computer. You need to repartition the hard drive as well as reformat it; this will assure that the Recovery HD partition is removed. See Step Three above. You may verify these requirements by reviewing your OS X Software License. -
I am trying to clean the hard-drive of my 2007 17" macbook pro ready for sale but I don't have the original instal discs. I do have instal discs for a similar 15" model but it doesn't accept them. I am currently running osx 10.6.4. Any suggestions as to how I can erase unwanted content or return to original settings?
Thanks, Howardpress "T" immediately after power on, connect mac to other mac with firewire cable - it will be visible as external drive(s)
in the end unmount it and shut down with power button
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