Before selling my iMac!

Hi
I need help to make a good cleanup of my iMac to bring it back to the factory setup prior to sell it.
Just want to make sure to erase everything related to my account.
Is it possible an is it difficult?
Tank you very much

Before you sell or give away your computer, in addition to the steps listed in this support article, take these steps:
1. Run Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test. The buyer will do this (or he should), and you don't want to be surprised by the results.
2. Reset the PRAM and the SMC, which might contain personal information.
3. If you set a firmware password, remove it by running Firmware Password Utility in Recovery mode.
4. If you activated FileVault in OS X 10.7 or later, turn it off.
5. If you use Boot Camp, the partition must be deleted.
6. If you created any other data partitions on the internal drive, remove them in Disk Utility.
7. If the machine has an internal hard drive, erase the one remaining data partition with the option to zero out data. An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.
You can't legally or practically transfer any software downloaded from the Mac App Store to the new owner of the machine, even if it was free. That includes OS X, so if you upgraded to OS X 10.7 or later, you must reinstall an older OS, either from the installation media, if applicable, or by starting up in Internet Recovery mode (option-command-R at the startup chime.) If you installed from physical media, deliver those to the new owner.
If you're selling the machine, or donating it in working order, and it originally shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, then you have the option of installing either from the discs that came with it or from a retail Snow Leopard disc (which you must then transfer to the buyer.) The buyer should understand that if he doesn't get the original discs from you, he won't get the bundled iLife applications or the Apple Hardware Test. Replacements for the original discs can be ordered from Apple.
The new owner will have to redownload any software that came from the App Store, including OS X upgrades, under his or her Apple ID. If you ever updated the bundled iLife applications (Garage Band, iMovie, and iPhoto) through the App Store, you can't transfer those either. The buyer will have to purchase them.
Remove the machine from your list of registered products. If it's still covered by an AppleCare Protection Plan, transfer the coverage to the new owner by following the instructions in the AppleCare Terms and Conditions (under the heading "Transfer of Plan.")

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2. Reset the PRAM and the SMC, which might contain personal information.
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I would make at least one clone of the entire hard drive using something like carbon copy cloner or super duper.
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scottjoyce wrote:
access to important info I have on iCal and Address book and Mail?
Programs like address book and iCal have information stored in most parts of the computer, and look for them in your main boot drive. So hypothetically, if you plugged in your external and read it just as a usb drive, and went to applications and opened address book, Address book will start looking for it's files that have the path of a boot drive, not your external which will have a path similar to Volumes/Drive Name/Applications/Address Book.
That is why booting from the clone would work better for this.
To boot from an external drive, hold down the option key just after you press the power button at start up.
If your laptop is not a mac, you will have to export your data from address book and iCal so windows ca read it and the same goes for mail unless you have web based mail such as MobileMe and gmail, in which case you can manage your mail from internet explorer or the like.
It is not advised to use Time machine with a partitioned drive and even less advised to partition the drive it is in the middle of using. Using a bootable clone will only work if the laptop is a mac, however it will not work at all if you have nowhere to clone your iMac to! If this is the case, I would suggest, Exporting your address book by opening up address book on the imac choosing file>export>address book archive. Open up iCal, choose file>backup iCal. Take these two files to the laptop, clearly named so they are identifiable as the iMac's files. Repeat these steps with the laptop and keep these files from the laptop safe somewhere, as these will be the only copies of your laptops Address book and iCal. Then open address book, choose file>import>address book archive and this will make your address book on your laptop the same as the imac. Open iCal, choose file>import and choose import an iCal file. This will make your iCal the same as your iMac. Make sure as to have safely backed up you laptops Address book and iCal before importing the iMac's files.
For mail, on the iMac, choose the mail box you want on the laptop, right click it and choose archive mailbox. Create a new folder for the mail box as there may be more than one file from the archive, in which case importing is much easier as you can just point the laptop t the folder. On the laptop, choose file>import mail box and choose Mail from Mac OS X. Locate the folder you have the files in and choose import. This will bring over all your emails from your iMac to your laptop. I have never tried this particular trick but imagine it will work just fine.
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I have created a new user with Admin privileges but I'm not sure where to go from there. I 'think' I have to delete all other accounts on the machine? But what about my data? Can it still be accessed? Should I run a utility to get rid of the current data or does the creation of a new user automatically get rid of the other data.
As an aside, I was prompted for updates for software from the App Store. I was asked for my Apple ID & password. Do I have to Deauthorise that computer from iTunes before I sell it.
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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.

Before selling my iMac!

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