Erasing a MacBook WITHOUT the original install disks??

I am selling my MacBook. I no longer have the install disks BUT I have a new copy of Snow Leapard.
How can I erase my stuff from the computer WITHOUT the original install disks?

The "buyer" is my sister. She is not very tech savvy and will just be emailing and web surfing until the Mac book dies.
Still, the original startup discs contain things like the Apple Hardware Test that may come in handy.
Will installing SL erase the stuff on the computer??
If you want to, yes. If not, no.

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Installing OS to MacBook without the original install discs

I'd been having performance issues with my late-2007 MacBook, purchased in January 2008, for some time. At the recommendation of a friend I backed up my important data to an external hard drive, and subsequently wiped the MacBook's hard drive clean. When I went to reinstalI OSX, I discovered that what I thought were the original install disks were in fact from a relative's MacBook purchased some time later, and when I attempted the install anyway I got the error message "OS X cannot be installed on this computer." I tried re-partitioning the drive through Dual Utility, but that did not solve the issue. How can I get my MacBook working again without the original install discs?

So you didn't clone your hard drive prior to erasing it, you just selectively backed up important data?
What operating system level are you running? If OS X 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion you can boot to recovery mode by holding the command and r keys down when you boot and redownload the operating system. If OS X 10.6 or 10.5, you can contact Apple support to see if they still have the original OS X disks available, or you could buy OS X 10.6 from the Apple online store (I'm told you can order them online once again or you can all them, which in the US is 800-MY-APPLE).

I am trying to install a brand new WD 500 gb sata internal hd in my macbook pro. the original install dvd does not recognise the hd. all hardware is ok. any help?

I am trying to install a brand new WD 500 gb sata internal hd in my macbook pro. the original install dvd does not recognise the hd. all hardware is ok. any help?

For some reason OS X disks (whatever edition or flavors) that are supplied with Apple products only seem to contain a limited knowledge of available hard drives on the market at the time of thier publishing. This (rather opportunistically) creates a "Best Before" stale-OS X-software-copy situation where upgrading to or replacing a defective internal SATA hard drive with a newer, better or larger one is a largely hit and miss affair.
If you buy the latest and greatest disk drive available for any older Mac you are likely to run into unresolvable problems making a clean re-install of your own, old edition or flavor of OS X onto any newer or larger hard drive since the OEM (gray) "OS X Install Disks" that Apple supply with retail products seem to contain only time-sensitive lists/mapings of then-known target drives that the Drive Management Tool in the then-published old "Installer Software" will support.
Presumably new (colorful "X") retail versions of OS X (10.whatever.whatever) also contain time-limited Installers with limited knowledge of and adaptability to/compatability with a limited number of old hard drives then kicking-around on the market.
This is especially a problem nowadays since the countless "puny old" hard drives that have been on the market are largely obsolete in a few months time, as manufacturers continue to produce larger and cheaper units, discontinuing older puny products... So if your drive fails you need an exact old (or similar familial) replacement drive for your "backup copy of OS X" to do a fresh, clean OS X re-install. Otherwise you need to purchase a new retail version of OS X, since yours is now effectively obsolete. Purchasing an old, puny drive to re-install your version.flavor of OS X to avoid buying a new version of OS X is a rather false economy.
If you still have a working old hard drive with your old polluted 10.version.flavor of OS X still working on it you apparently must clone it with Time Machine or the newest version of Disk Utility (disk image copying) to most newer, larger drives, and a clean reinstall to such new hard drives is not possible.

How can I fix an invalid sibling link error message without my original install disk?

How can I fix an invalid sibling link error message without my original install disk?

Hi Jeff,
It's not even likely the Install Disc could fix that, but if you want to try...
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
You must repair the HD, your best bet is likely DiskWarrior.
BTW, you might enjoy these DiskWarrior review/recommendations...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9645801&#9645801
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10541019#10541019
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11918925&#11918925
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12684129#12684129
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12744794&#12744794
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12912879#12912879
Finally, you should run DiskWarrior if your Mac explicitly warns you of a problem with your disk in the form of an error message. Most of these errors are reported by the built-in Disk Utility whether your Mac OS X version is 10.3 Panther, 10.4 Tiger, 10.5 Leopard, 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.7 Lion. Here are some of the most common messages:
Disk Repair: The disk was not repairable by this computer. It is being made available to you with limited functionality. You must back up your data and reformat the disk as soon as possible.
The underlying task reported failure on exit.
Invalid node structure.
Keys out of order.
Invalid key length.
Invalid directory item count.
Invalid extent entry.
Invalid record count.
Invalid index key.
Invalid sibling link.
http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/details3.html

How to you wipe the harddrive of a Mac Book Pro without the original install CD?

I want to sell my Mac Pro but first need to wipe the contents. I have misplaced the original install disk, is there an alternative way to wipe all content?
Thanks

You can use a retail Mac OS X 10.6 DVD or phone Apple Support and order replacements.
(62279)

My 2011 MBP has begun running slow with frequent 'spinning beach ball' events. I'm running Yosemite and wondered if I should of use the original install disk for maintenance.

My 2011 MBP has begun running slow with frequent 'spinning beach ball' events. I'm running Yosemite and wondered if I should of use the original install disk for a maintenance reinstall. I presume I'd have to download Yosemite again, though I'd be happy just using Snow Leopard again too.
Thanks for the help.

When you see a beachball cursor or the slowness is especially bad, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.
These instructions must be carried out as an administrator. If you have only one user account, you are the administrator.
Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select
          SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages
from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select
          View ▹ Show Log List
from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above.
Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first.
Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.
The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.
Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.
Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Reinstalling MacOS from the original install disks

I have a late 2009 Mac mini which I want to sell, so trying to install the original OS (Snow Leopard) from the original install disks. When loading the disk and either trying the option key or the C key the disk simply runs for 10 secs then ejects itself.
I've tried other disks in the drive with no problems.
Any ideas?
I've done this procedure several times over the years on other macs and had no problem, so fairly sure I'm doing it correctly!

Well it took 12 hours to free the space on the hard drive, but completed fine. But still I have the same problems, so borrowed a friend's superdrive, and, it worked, to a point! I know find running through the installation disc setup, when I get to the point where you select your hard drive to install to it the HD has a yellow triangle over it and it says you can't install to this drive!
I ran the repair function on the drive and it says all is OK.
Sorry about this but any further ideas? I'm on the verge of taking to a Apple repairer but would rather sort it myself it possible.
Thanks for your help

How to downgrade from OSX 10.8.5 to Snow Leopard, on an Early 2011 MacBook Pro, without the original installer disk?

Hello! So here are the specs.
I have an Early 2011 MacBook Pro, which came with OSX 10.6.6 by default.
I've lost my installer disk so I though I'd buy a retail one from the online Apple Store, and version 10.6.3 is what they sent me.
Simply running the install OSX app won't work, I get a msg saying:
-- You can't use this version of the application "Install Mac OS X" with this version of OS X. You have "Install Mac OS X" 23.1.1. --
So, I've tried booting from the new disk hoping to erase my current drive and install Snow Leopard, but no can do, I get 3 beeps and have to force shutdown (not RAM related, see below). Laptop works fine when I spare it this maneuver.
After some research I understand 2 things:
1. Only the original installer disk will let me restore factory settings (and I don't have it).
2. I can only install the default OSX (10.6.6) or a later version (that 10.6.3 DVD may not have the correct drivers for my system).
Are these conclusions right? If so, would the Apple Store replace my disk for an updated 10.6.6. one? If not, then what are my options?
Thank you!
References:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/1000/MA1172/en_US/Snow_Leopard_Installatio n_Instructions.pdf
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3910
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2186
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19444837#19444837
https://discussions.apple.com/message/18085179#18085179
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1163160

Phone AppleCare and order the computer's original disks.
(92307)

Is there any way to make a snow leopard partition on an early 2011 MacBook Pro that was upgraded to Lion, without the original boot disk?

So I have an early 2011 MacBook pro, I believe it shipped with snow leopard originally, as I purchased and upgraded to Lion fairly early on. I am trying to make a partition right now and have it run snow leopard so I can use programs that have PowerPC.
I should note, I replaced both the RAM and the harddrive in my Macbook pro. I changed from 4 GB of ram (that came shipped) to 8 GB of ram from a 3rd party, that I installed on my own months ago, have registered in the computer and have been working fine for quite some time now.
Also I should note I replaced my harddrive. I went from what ever the standard 500 GB harddrive that shipped with 15 inch early 2011 MB pro's. I now have a 3rd party SSD that's 240GB's that I also installed on my own, (at the same time as the RAM---Black friday items) The harddrive has been working just fine since then.
In installing the harddrive I borrowed a friends external harddrive and used a program called carbon copy cloner to get everything over to the SSD.
Now here is my issue. I have ordered the Snow Leopard (10.6.3) install disks from apple, I have created a partition on my SSD for snow leopard, but when I try to select the install disc for snow leopard at boot I get three beeps.
I know this issue has been posted elsewere but it said answered and the answer is no longer available. I also am unsure if any of the RAM or Harddrive swapping could have been causing the issue. I have the old harddrive and RAM still, but unfortunatley have no external harddrive anymore or money to afford one.
Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks).
Let me know If there is anything I can do. I'm a now broke college student so i'd like to spend as little $$$$ as possible
*PS I should also note the DVD drive is working fine, it reads the disk, the disk is brand new, it plays DVD's fine and has never had any issues in the years i've used it for similar tasks*
sorry for the long drawn out post, I just wanted to include as much as possible from what I've seen other people have issues with

BrettGoudy wrote:
...Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks)...
As the last post suggests, call Apple and order a replacement original disc for about $17. They will ask you the model and serial numbers.
Your retail version of Snow Leopard OS 10.6.3 will not work on that Mac as it requires a minimum of OS X 10.6.7 to boot and operate.
Another alternative is to again borrow another Mac to install your retail Snow Leopard into an external HD or partition, upgrade it to 10.6.8 and then clone it back to a partition on your MBP.

How Can I restore my mac without the original software disks?

Hi I have a preowned macbook pro that i got from a friend. I would like to restore the computer back to its original settings because it is asking me for user passwords when i go to install something and the old owner does not remember the password. I do not have the disks the computer came with. Is there any other option to restoring the computer back to its original settings without the disks? I am still trying to figure out the mac "world" so may not be aware of all settings.

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
First, open "System Information" app or "System Profiler", and copy "Model Identifier", and copy it here. I'm not completely sure if you have a MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Instead of reinstalling OS X, first try resetting the user password. To do it, open  > About this Mac, and see "Version". If it's 10.7 or 10.8, follow these steps > http://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4101 If it's 10.6 or older, you need the DVDs, so call Apple to get replacement DVDs > http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
After doing that, open System Preferences > Users & Groups, and press the + button to create a new administrator user for you

To switch PCs, do I need the original install disk or can I just use the upgrade download and s/n?

I need to download my Acrobat 9 Pro on a new PC, but I cannot find my original product installation disk for Acrobat 8. I have my serial # and the download link for the Acrobat Pro 9 upgrade. Do I need to install Acrobat 8 first, and then download the upgrade? How would I do that without the installation disk?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
You say that you have Mac OS X 10.7.5, so if it came preinstalled, see that you can't reinstall it because it's registered to the old owner. Call Apple to get replacement DVDs
If you want, you can upgrade to Mountain Lion. See if your computer is supported > http://www.apple.com/osx/specs Open App Store and purchase Mountain Lion

How do I start my MacBook without the Battery Installed

My battery has started to Bulge and I am having the usual problems I have read about with this issue, the trackpad isn't working, premature shutdown, etc. I am living thousands of miles away from an Apple Store so I have given the battery to a friend to either get replaced or buy a new one. In the mean time I want to use the MBP without the battery. How do you start the MBP without the battery being installed?
I know there will be a reduction in performance but I am not worried about that at the moment as I need some of the info of my hard disk. It can't run any slower than it is at the moment, it's dead.

Kappy Thanks I have started it again. I actually found this thread and tried it yesterday before my question but nothing worked. I left the computer uplugged over night and thought I had nothing to lose so I tried it agian this morning and it actually worked this time. I only had to use the Restart (Control-Command-Power) option not the SMC reset. Leaving the power disconnected must have cleared something somewhere.
Thanks again.

How can I reinstall printer software only from the original install disks?

my imac 17" printer software got corrupted and I can't use my new printer. Is there a way to just install all the original printer software from my original disks that came with the mac? I have updated all the software on the mac and don't want to go back to the old panther disk.
or is there an apple download site that has just the printer software.
thanks

Insert your original disk and look for additional software, the printers should be somewhere there. Your other option is to get [Pacifist|http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743] and use it to extract the printer data from the install package.

Lost the original install disks

Someone gave me an old iBook (2004) but they lost the original (gray) installation disks that came with it. Will inserting my Leopard install disk contain everything I need to make it work (or see if it works?)
Thanks

What do you mean by "my Leopard install disk"? If it is a retail (black) disk, it should be able to install a copy of Leopard that supports any iBook that meets the Leopard system requirements. If from the gray disk set that came with your other computer, it will not install Leopard on anything except the exact model the set was furnished with.
Be aware in any case that Apple's licensing requirements mean you must have one license per computer for each OS version you use -- for instance, you cannot "share" a single-user Leopard license across two Macs -- and that a retail OS installer disk does not contain, nor does it license you to use, any bundled software that comes on the OEM disk set.

I bought Adobe light room last year but I have purchased a new computer and cannot find the original install disk I have my serial number can I download the product and into my serial number that way?

Can I read download Adobe light room and enter my serial code that way? And if so where can I download the program thank you in advance

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Erasing a MacBook WITHOUT the original install disks??

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