Best way to prepare an iMac for sale?

I have a 2007 24" iMac I would like to sell. I had upgraded it to 4 GB of RAM and it is running Mavericks. I would like to offer it with Mavericks installed. What's the best way to "reset it all" so my stuff is all cleared out, and the new owner will be able to go through setup and set their own username and settings?
Thanks,
doug

see What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Support - Apple
However you will not be able to sell it with Mavericks you will have to install the original OS (or the last OS you bought on DVDs).
The license for the App Store versions of Apple software does not allow you to transfer it. It is tied to your Apple ID and for the new user to use it (even if it was legal to transfer it) you would have to give them you Apple account.
regards

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Preparing an iMac for sale

What is the best way to prepare an iMac with Mountain Lion for sale? A similar question has been asked before in this forum but I am not sure that the answers are still accurate because of Apple's use of the App Store to deliver operating systems and updates. I can easily do a fresh install of Mountain Lion and I think that this will erase any personal data from the computer. However, doesn't this link the operating system to my iTunes account and password?

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.

How do I prepare my iMac for sale? And best practice for transferring media to a new system.

This is my first time posting in a forum, so I will apologize in advance if I'm doing something wrong. I've tried to search for a very clear answer to my questions in the existing discussions, but have not had much luck.
I ordered a Macbook Pro today and would like to sell my current iMac to supplement some of the cost. I purchased my iMac in March of 2011 with OS X Snow Leopard preinstalled. I've since updated to Mountain Lion. When my computer came in it did not have OS DVDs, so I am not sure exactly how to take it back to factory default and remove ALL of my information safely in order to prepare it for sale. I'm afraid to tell it to format if I am going to need a boot disc/drive to reinstall the OS. I've been trying to research all day and have learned that I will not be able to sell it with the current OS, only the one that came with the computer at the time of purchase (to the best of my understanding).
Secondary to all of this, I have a question about backing up info and porting it to my new system. I have run the Time Machine backup to my external hard drive. However, I DO NOT want to port it to my new MBP as an image of my past machine. I did that when I got my iMac from my old MBP and my iMac thinks it is a MBP (MBP EFI/SMC Firmware Update Icons in my system utilities folder as well as identified as a Macbook Pro on my network). I've never been able to get all of these things to go away and I feel like it's chewing up hard drive space for no purpose whatsoever. I also worry that it could create system issues that I'm just not savy enough to catch before they are beyond control. That being said, I'd like to begin fresh with my new MBP. What is the best method of bringing my photos from iPhoto and music/movies/books/etc from iTunes to my new system? My word documents are easy enough...I keep 3 flash drives updated with them at all times.
Thanks in advance!

Whoever said you can't sell you iMac with the current Mac OS X is wrong, I believe.
Unfortunately, it is not wrong.
Any OS purchased/obtained at the app store - as is the case here - is not transferable. The license is tied forever to the Apple ID used to obtain it. The SLA states that the seller needs to erase the drive and reinstall the original system.
@ Kamikazwe:
You can call Apple and give them your serial number and they will send you copies of your original disks at a nominal charge.
You do need to use your original Snow Leopard disk, boot from it, erase the drive, and reinstall Snow Leopard. The buyer of the machine will need to purchase his/her own copy of Lion or Mountain Lion with their own Apple ID or they will never be able to reinstall or update the OS.
SLA Excerpt:
3. Transfer.
A. If you obtained the Apple Software preinstalled on Apple-branded hardware, you may make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your license rights to the Apple Software (in its original form as provided by Apple) to another party, provided that: the Apple Software is transferred
together with your Apple-branded hardware; (ii) the transfer must include all of the Apple Software, including all its component parts, printed materials and this License; (iii) you do not retain any copies of the Apple Software, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or
other storage device; and (iv) the party receiving the Apple Software accepts the terms andcconditions of this License. For purposes of this License, if Apple provides an update (e.g., version 10.8 to 10.8.1) to the Apple Software, the update is considered part of the Apple
Software and may not be transferred separately from the pre-update version of the Apple Software.
B. If you obtained your license to the Apple Software from the Mac App Store, it is not transferable. If you sell your Apple-branded hardware to a third party, you must remove the Apple Software from the Apple-branded hardware before doing so, and you may restore your system to the version of the Apple operating system software that originally came with your Apple hardware (the “Original Apple OS”) and permanently transfer the Original Apple OS together with your Apple hardware, provided that: the transfer must include all of the Original
Apple OS, including all its component parts, printed materials and its license; (ii) you do not retain any copies of the Original Apple OS, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or other storage device; and (iii) the party receiving the Original Apple OS reads and agrees to
accept the terms and conditions of the Original Apple OS license.

Need advice on "best" way to prepare book cover for printing

This newbie has created a front cover, back cover, and spline in Photoshop Elements with multiple layers consisting of a background image of a mountain, text, and on the front cover, an airplane. I've combined the three parts into a wraparound cover within a single indd file, which I've exported to PDF for upload to Amazon's CreateSpace (CS) for a print-on-demand book.
CS instructions say to "flatten" the cover. I've researched the term and found forum discussions that mention "raster" and "vector" and the pros and cons of different options for preparing a layered image for printing. I'm aware of the cautions about flattening being an irreversible process, and to never do that to a master copy. Beyond that, to say I'm confused would be an understatement.
I realize this is an InDesign forum, but I'm seeking advice on whether there are actions I should take in Elements before placing the three parts of the cover into the InDesign document for converting to PDF. For example, should I flatten them within Elements before placing them in the InDesign document, then convert to PDF? Or is it better to do that on the complete cover within InDesign?
Any assistance on clearing up this fog would be appreciated.

The print-on-demand site's instruction to flatten really has no direct relationship to InDesign, Peter. They don't say anything about what application you should use prior to creating the pdf, and that's what generated my original plea for help as to whether it would be best to flatten the individual images within PSE before placing them into InDesign, wait until they are combined and then do it, or if it is even necessary to do that at all.
I've been doing some additional reading on the CreateSpace forum and found a couple of very detailed (translation: too detailed for me) discussions on the differences in the output based on how you tell Adobe to create the pdf. I also found the following buried in the Help section:
                  Check the PDF settings that will be used to create your PDF file. If available, select "PDF/X-1a," "High-Quality Print" or "Press Quality" from the list of presets. If your system allows, make sure the following settings are chosen. Any other settings should be left to default in most cases.
                  Fonts and images are embedded.
                  Bookmarks, annotations, and comments are disabled.
                  Document security (any type) is not used.
                  PDF/X format is used. PDF/X is preferred, but if you are submitting non-PDF/X files (for example, PDF/A), any comments, forms, or other non-printing objects could be removed during our review process.
                  Transparent objects are flattened.
                  Spreads and printer's marks are disabled.
                  Downsampling, or decreasing resolution, of images is disabled.
                  Bleeds are enabled (if applicable).
                  Click "Export" or "OK" in the export dialog box.
                  Once created, make sure to open the PDF file to see that it appears as you intended. Otherwise, make the necessary adjustments in the native document and re-create the PDF file.
The mention of "High Quality Print" in the first line and the fact that it was InDesign's default setting for export left me with the impression that I didn't need to do anything other than export the cover and it would be in compliance with the requirements. Then when I read on the other forum about what each of the settings does to output, and all this discussion about which setting is best, I wasn't sure if the comment about flatttening applied to my output pdf or not.
As for bleed, yes, and I hope my math is correct in calculating the spline width for cream b&w paper, 374 total pages, trim size of 5.25x8, and a bleed of .125" all the way around, which increases the InDesign document by .25" in width and height over the trim size. I fully expect to have to do all that again, but such is life in the fast lane.

Best Way to Set up Mac for Sale

Hi,
I have an older Mac (G4, Dual 867) with Tiger installed and am going to be selling it. I'd like to clean it off before doing so, but I wasn't sure the best steps to take. Reformat the hard drives first, I would assume...? Then to reinstall the OS, would I install from the original CD's and then connect to the internet to grab all the upgrades? Or is there an easier/better way?!
Thanks!

See my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/selling.html
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Best way to prepare photos for iPhoto printed book

Hello,
I was wondering what would be the best way to prepare photos for iPhoto printed book on a Macbook Pro so to achieve the most realistic results to what's on the screen
ie. which software should I use to change photos from RGB to CMYK, photoshop or iPhoto itself. I'm guessing maybe the autofix feature in iPhoto? (I don't have Aperture)
Secondly, which monitor color setting should I set the screen at? I'm guessing it's either Apple RGB or Colour LCD, maybe even ColorMatch RGB?
Any any other tips that people can give in achieving the most realistic results to what you have on the screen when your printed iPhoto book gets sent back. I don't want the mid tones to disappear or become too bright because the gamma and color settings were different to what they use at the other end.
Many thanks.

Hi,
The situation has changed a little, our original photos are in RAW format and some of them are slightly over saturated in the higher tones.
I've read on other threads that it is a good idea to run the 'Enhance' tool on all photos before sending the iPhoto Book away.
Since iPhoto's 'Enhance' tools seems to do a lot of helpful things like sharpen, adjust the levels, etc it also seems to notch the contrast up and this would prove destructive for the lighter and darker tones not captured by the camera's dynamic range.
So as I've been advised it's best to use Apple's own tools before sending the iPhoto Book away, so I'm going to download the trial of Aperture.
Does anyone have any more recommendations on which monitor colour profile setting to use etc. I've also read that iPhoto prints best from JPEGS so the RAW will obviously need changed. Will Aperture automatically save to Profile name: Camera RGB Profile after I've done some editing there?
What would be the best way to prepare RAW images in aperture where some of them might need an Image Overlay in Photomatix then imported back to Aperture for printing an Apple/iPhoto style Book?
Many thanks

What is the best way to prepare for CERTIFICATION?

what is the best way to prepare for CERTIFICATION?
what is needed?
where can i read more about it?

Hi,
Do as much as possible exercises based on your course material(which will be more than enough).
If you know (some) Java and have understand the basics of OOP then this is enough for the exam.
And do not forget:
it is a multiple-choice test meaning that you see the possible answers.
Either a single answer is correct (then you will have radio-buttons) or several answers are correct
(then you will have checkboxes; in this case almost all questions will have more than one correct answer).
You can refer to the topics for the certification
https://websmp102.sap-ag.de/~sapidp/011000358700000499112003E
Some links which might help
/message/213564#213564 [original link is broken]
/message/514469#514469 [original link is broken]
/message/1315746#1315746 [original link is broken]
/message/1736299#1736299 [original link is broken]
/message/1736299#1736299 [original link is broken]
/message/257122#257122 [original link is broken]
/message/130164#130164 [original link is broken]
/message/1916905#1916905 [original link is broken]
/thread/167254 [original link is broken]
/message/213564#213564 [original link is broken]
/message/1315746#1315746 [original link is broken]
<b>
you try www.sapdoamin.com
They provide Certification simulation questions which are veryuseful and a must try site.</b>
Yes more questions comes on OOPS so get your OOPS concepts very clear.
You don't need to do extensive coding in OOPS.
Just get the concepts clear and i am sure the certification will be a cake walkthrough.
All the best and good luck with your ABAP Accreditation.

Preparing iMac for sale

I have an iMac MB323B/A running on Leopard 10.5.8, which I want to prepare for sale.
I also have the installation disks for Snow Leopard.
I would like to be able to install the Snow Leopard and then download Lion , i.e. sell the iMac with Lion as the operating system.
I have put all the contents of the iMac onto an external hard drive and I am ready for the next step.
Do I use the install disks for the iMac and do a clean install? I have read on some of the forums that when you get to setup, you should press cammand and 'Q' to avoid the need for a user's name.
Would I be able to install Snow Leopard without updating the Leopard to the full 10.5.8? Would I be able to install Snow Leopard without the need for a user's name or password?
I would like to sell the iMac so the new owner can insert his/her own details from the startup. I want to avoid any evidence of my ownership.
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
John

See > Preparing an old Mac for sale | Macworld
and/or > How To Prepare a Mac For Sale
I'd reinstall Leopard and all the App's that originally came with the Mac and provide the new owner with both the Leopard Disc set and the Snow Leopard Upgrade Disc. That would allow the new owner to upgrade to Snow Leopard, update using the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 , then go to the App's store setup a new Account and purchase Lion, other iLife upgrades and App's using there new Account.
There should not be any problem upgrading it to Snow Leopard before or after selling it, as long as you provide the new owner with the Snow Leopard Upgrade Disc that you purchased for the intent of upgrading that computer.

For optimal sound, what is the best way to connect an iMac to a high end stereo system?

If the answer is wired rather than through an Airport Express, what is the best way to wire an iMac to a good stereo? Is there any way to do it other than through the headphones out jack?

Morning Acousticare,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Thunderbolt cables should not exceed three meters for maximum performance. The Apple Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable (2.0 m) is two meters in length.
For more information on this, take a look at this article:
About Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable (2.0 m)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4614
Hope this helps,
Mario

What is best way to prepare Pre for resale.

I am selling one of my Pres. What is the best way to get it ready for resale. I never 'patched' or 'homebrew' the Pre. I want to make sure that all personal information is wiped from the phone, including purchased apps.
Any help is appreciated.
Post relates to: Pre p100eww (Sprint)

Once you're certain that you've copied off all needed information from your Pre, go to Device Info, Reset Options, Full Erase. This will erase everything, including all apps and data and everything on the USB drive partition. If you're particularly worried about getting rid of all personal info, select Secure Full Erase.

HT5304 what is the best way to connect my imac wireless with airport express or directly plugged into airport unit

what is the best way to connect my imac to internet via airport express. wireless or ethernet plug to airport? thanks

Hello quinstar,
It sounds like you would like to use either your Personal HotSpot to AirPrint from your MacBook Pro or use an Airport to do so without internet access to the home. According to the following Featured Discussion you very well may be able to use AirPrint with Personal HotSpot:
HT4356 Can I use personal hotspot as wifi to connect printer?
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4007254
Also, the Airport products to not need an active internet connection to set up a home Wi-Fi connection so that is another option as well.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Take care,
Sterling

Which is best way to back an iMac?

Which is best way to back an iMac? I have lots of photos and videos on my iMac TIme Capsule or hard drive. I would like to take photos and videos off my iMac but would easy access to them.

steve359 wrote:
CCC stores a "base image", then its incremental backups are stores in separate folders that you would have to search for specific files. If different files were "last changed" on different days, you may have to search different days "incremental folders" to get all files.
Because of this CCC is "managed" ... you cannot fully control how backups are made or where files are stored. And TimeMachine eventually deletes "incremental folders" as they get too old, so it is "managed" as well.
If you have full sets of files you want saved "as a specificslly formatted set", I would do it in another eternal drive that *I* manage as a set of folders.
This is totally 100% incorrect. What you described here is more or less Time Machine, not CCC. CCC is a standard backup program. It does not, I repeat, NOT, create incremental dated backups. While you can save what gets replaced by date archived directories that is not the intent of CCC. It's intent is to have a exact disk image, folder-for-folder, file-for-file, of the source. Under option it just stuffs the files it replaces in a folder.
And you switch what your are taking about halfway through your post to TM.

Restoring iMac for sale

Hi
I have just bought a new iMac i7.
Have sold my iMac Core 2 Duo 3.06Ghz. I would like to no how to clear the hard drive of all my stuff, and restore the iMac to as new, so the new buyer can set it up for themselves, and not be able to access my private data. I do have all the original CD's supplied with the machine. It came running Snow Leopard.

Have a look at this.
http://hivelogic.com/articles/how-to-prepare-a-mac-for-sale
He suggests the 7 pass zero. That is overkill. One pass zero is completely sufficient.
Or this one, but he neglects to mention you should zero out the drive first before reinstalling. With this one, I believe you can install the bundled software from the second disc, where I'm not certain that will be possible using the first method (or use the first method and let the buyer install the bundled software since you are supplying both discs.)
http://hivelogic.com/articles/how-to-prepare-a-mac-for-sale
Be sure to type the commands in exactly as written, observing case and spaces. You will be in Single user mode with complete access to all the system files: one typo can lead to problems or disaster. And, NetInfo is gone since Leopard, so don't worry about deleting that.
http://mikewest.org/2006/04/preparing-a-mac-for-resale

I am getting pop ups on safari and firefox lately and am worried i may have malware or something now on my computer doing this. What is the best way to check this out for sure and remove it?

I am getting pop ups on safari and firefox lately and am worried I may have malware or something now on my computer doing this. What is the best way to check this out for sure and remove it?

Please review the options below to determine which method is best to remove the Adware installed on your computer.
The Easy, safe, effective method:
http://www.adwaremedic.com/index.php
If you are comfortable doing manual file removals use the somewhat more difficult method:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203987
Also read the articles below to be more prepared for the next time there is an issue on your computer.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7471
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8071
http://www.thesafemac.com/tech-support-scam-pop-ups/

Advice on best way to setup Disaster Recovery for SOA Suite 10.1.3.4

Hi Everyone,
I need some advice on the best way to setup Disaster Recovery for a SOA Suite 10.1.3.4 install deploying JSF/ADF OC4J applications.
The way we are trying to do it at the moment is manually copy the "applications" and "applications-deployments" folders for the OC4J application on the production server, then compress and ship the files across to the DR application server nightly. (We don't require high availability).
In the event of a disaster we then extract the files and copy to the OC4J instance (pre-created and configured) on the DR server. Unfortunately to date we haven't been able to reliably setup a DR application (seem to mostly get 404 errors etc), even though the OC4J application has its connection pool resolved to the DR database and is showing as "up" in the ASConsole.
My question is, is there a more "native" way to do what we are trying to do. We do not have Enterprise version of SOA Suite or 11g database so any advanced recovery features are not an option. The setup is also stand alone, i.e. we are not using clustering or RAC etc.
Any ideas would be really helpful.
Thanks,
Leigh.
PS we are also running the production apps server with Oracle Application server 10g 10.1.2.3.0 as the HTTP apache server (with Forms, Reports and Discoverer deployed) and the SOA Suite 10.1.3 applications use the 10.1.2 HTTP server via the HTTP to AJP bridge. So the 10.1.3 OC4J instance is configured to use AJP on port range 12501 - 12600.

For enterprise solutions, AS Guard would work.
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B25221_04/core.1013/b15977/disasrecov.htm#sthref303
However, since advanced recovery options are not available (as you said), then what you are doing should not be too bad.
AMN

Best way to prepare an iMac for sale?

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