Erasing Macbook Pro HD

After purchasing the new macbook pro and downloading all my informatoin onto it I realized the computer is defective...So I'm returning it back to amazon..I just want to make sure all my information is deleted before I send it back. I have my old macbook with all the information on it so I won't be needing to transfer anything on this new computer.
Is there a quick way to do this?

Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Erase the hard drive:
  1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
  2. 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.
  3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on
      the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
      the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
  4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Shut down the computer.

Similar Messages

  • I am trying to fresh install Mavericks (it gives me no other choice) on my erased MacBook Pro HD prior to selling on. It does not give me choice to use any other OS. Yet Mavericks is not available. ?? What to do please?

    I wish to sell my 2008 MacBook Pro. Have erased hard disk and when I went to fresh instal Mavericks OSX 10.6 (it gives me no other choice in the disk utility program) It says in the Apple Store, it is unavailable. But because this is done from disk utility there is no operating system or access to choose another OS eg Yosemite.  I cannot download anything using my iMac as that came ready loaded with Yosemite, so it does not show as a purchase. I do not want to use the Time Machine backup as that has all my details, apps etc. in it.    Would the best way be to purchase a disk containing Mavericks the OS that was on it most recently. Can anyone offer advice please? 

    You need to re-install the OS the computer shipped with using the disks that were supplied with the computer. Contact Apple Support and have the serial number of your computer available. They will send you new disks for a small fee.
    Selling old Mac
    Selling old Mac (2)
    Selling old Mac (3)
    Selling old Mac (4)          Apple support

  • Erase MacBook Pro hard disk. How? "Erase Disk" is grayed out.

    I want to use Disk Utility to erase my HDD on MacBook Pro. BUT the Erase disk is greyed out. I checked user account and unlocked the padlock for my Admin account. What next please?

    Remember to press the 'C' key to boot on the Snow Leopard disk (or set the boot disk from Preferences -> Startup disk)...
    Also, if you want to install the OS on an external Hard Disk, format it GUI (check the help for instructions).

  • Iphoto external hard drive transfer to erased macbook pro does not look like my orgirinal

    While on an Apple Care phone call, the tech had me erase my hard drive when logging me in as a test user did not fix the problem.
    Mountain Lion is reinstalled but when I transferred my iPhoto Library from the external hard drive to my laptop, rather than putting in the 297 events & 11,292 photos that were on it, it put on some 48,000 photos and very few of my events are still original. Some photos show up 4 times, some randomly, some together.
    It also has done strange cropping things with other photos, part of a face or objects shows up as if it had been cropped, it is a self-induced cropping. Very strange indeed. Information under the photos show lots of different letters and numbers that are foreign.
    So, should I return to the Apple store? This is the second logic that has been put in in the month of December. One on December 12, picked it up on the 18th and it failed. Returned it and another logice board was put in. Is this a software problem, they re-installed Mountain Lion on December 30th.
    Any help would be most appreciated. Hoping to not have to make another trip to Apple. Thanks.

    I imported all info from the external hard drive to the new MacBook Pro. Seems most all data transferred ok.
    Exactly what did you do? With iPhoto there is no "importing" involved - you simply drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the pictures folder of the new machine and launch iPhoto letting it convert as needed
    With the following exception with iPhoto application,
    You would do nothing with the iPhoto application - you use the new iPhoto application installed on yoru new system - you only move the iPhoto library as noted above
    You can try Back up your iPhoto library, Depress and hold the option (alt) and command keys and launch iPhoto - rebuild your iPhoto library
    LN

  • How do I secure erase macbook pro 2012 retina for resale

    How do I secure/erase and set to factory settings 15" Macbook Pro 2012 retina) for resale?

    Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
    Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
    Boot to the Recovery HD:
    Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
    Erase the hard drive:
      1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
      2. 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.
      3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on
            the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass. Click on
          the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
      4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
    Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
    Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
                because it is three times faster than wireless.
    Be sure you disable or turn off iCloud. Deauthorize the computer in iTunes. Remove any Firmware Passwords you may have configured. Turn off FileVault if enabled.
    What to do with iCloud before selling your computer

  • Unable to reinstall Mountain Lion after erasing MacBook Pro.

    Hi guys,
    Wondering if there are any smart techies out there willing to help me whilst I wait for Apple's support team to get back to me.
    I recently (a few weeks ago) wiped my Macbook Pro (early 2011) 13" 320GB in order to resell it and now I am trying to reinstall OS in order for it to be a fully working laptop again. It originally came with Snow Leopard but I purchased Moutain Lion through the app store when it came out, I then upgraded to Mavericks and had been running that. Now that its fully erased, it gives me a few options on what to do; get online help, launch the disk utility or reinstall os Lion. The problem I have is I never purchased Lion, I only bought Mountain Lion -  so when I try going through that route it says I have bought it (obviously). Ive been through disk utility and ran all the checks, everything seems to come back fine and dandy so I am not quite sure what to do now. I don't mind reinstallion Snow Leopard or Mountain Lion or whatever, as long as it becomes a fully functioning laptop again...I can always upgrade it later on.
    I would really appreciate any help on this and also I am a complete newbie when it comes to Apple products, so I would be greally grateful for any advice. I should probably add that I can't find any disks that came with the laptop, I never throw anything away but I have read that the older models came with startup disks so I have no idea what to do!
    Thannk you

    Please only reinstall Snow Leopard if that is the original OS that was pre-installed. You must not install any later version of OS X that you acquired because it will not work for the buyer. This also holds true for any App Store software you purchased using your Apple ID. You should not reinstall any of that software because it is useless to another owner. The following procedure will make a fresh installation of Snow Leopard that can be upgraded to 10.6.8. That's all you should provide.
    Clean Install of Snow Leopard
    Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
    the drive and everything on it.
         1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
             with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
             After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you see
             a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
         2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
             button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
             After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
             size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of
             partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
             and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
             (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
         3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer.  Proceed
             with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
         4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
             Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
             username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
             Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
             install of OS X.  You can now begin the update process by opening Software
             Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
    Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
    Also, see What to do before selling or giving away your Mac.

  • HT201376 How to erase macbook pro

    My Macbook Pro has gone very slow. I have completed a back up. I would like to do the followings:
    1. Clean my Macbook Pro and may be erase all files and folders from Macbook Pro,
    2. Remove a few files from Back up on RAID external drive
    3. Put back all remaining files/folders (which are now on back up disc) on Macbook Pro.

    Make sure you have TWO complete backups.  Cause if something happens to the backup while you are erased, you are left with nothing.
    Secondly, use this guide to determine if you have excess files you can take care of:
    http://www.macmaps.com/diskfull.html
    Repair the directory if you aren't too full:
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6412
    If matters are still slow, do you have any third party system maintenance tools that modify system cache?  Those should be removed.
    MacKeeper is the worst as this tip illustrates, since its uninstallation directions from its developer haven't worked:
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3036

  • I force-restarted my MacBook Pro and now it wants me to repair or erase my disk and Reinstall Mavericks.  But I can't back up my files to do this.  HELP!!!!!

    I had to force shut down my MacBook Pro today as it was freezing up and not allowing me to really click on anything.  All it let me do was close out of Photoshop.  What happened was FireFox decided to crash and not reopen after attempting to install an updated version of Flash Player.  When I rebooted after the force-shut down (holding down the power button to turn off my computer, which has always been effective in the past), I got a screen for OS X Utilities with the following prompts:
    Restore From Time Machine Backup
    Reinstall OS X
    Get Help Online
    Disk Utility
    So, the first one is out of the question.  In the 5 1/2 years I've proudly owned my computer, I have never created a Time Machine account/backup.  I have preferred to use an external hard drive.  Unfortunately, the other prompts would be A-okay, if it weren't for the fact that I've been lax in updating my backup and haven't backed up to my external in about 8 months.
    Because.... Unfortunately, to Reinstall OS X, my computer wants to erase all my data, so I need the backup of my files.  (I have a lot of photos on my drive).  But it says I can't even reinstall, because the hard drive is locked.... What?
    And it won't repair my hard drive.  The prompts for why it should be repaired are: Invalid content in journal, Invalid B-tree node size, The volume could not be verified completely.
    When I try to create a new image to backup to my external in order to wipe my system, it says "Unable to create "disk0s2.dmg" (invalid argument).  Now, I am not totally computer illiterate.  I can follow a set of instructions and do my own IT work basically 99% of the time.  But this is ludicrous.  I don't want to loose my images or lesson plans (I actually just got my school issued laptop and was going to transfer school files over to my school-issued computer as soon as I finished with my Internet needs (bills)).
    What do I need to do to get my files backed up or fix this problem.  I've rebooted my computer twice now to try to fix this...

    TarahCurrie Sep 10, 2014 3:48 PM
    Restore From Time Machine Backup
    Reinstall OS X
    Get Help Online
    Disk Utility
    MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
    You are running 10.5.8
    Did you try booting off your Install disk holding the c key down.  From here you can get to the drop down menu just a few clicks in (you are not going to install) and run  the Disk Utility>Repair Disk.  See if it will let you do this.

  • I got a macbook pro from late 2008, I've being experiencing a few problems and will like to erase everything and reinstall lion os and all the programs... who can I do this?

    Hello everyone... I've being having trouble with my macbook pro... and someone suggested that I might wanna restore it to it's factory settings... I'm wondering if it's better just to erase it and reinstall all, the only problem is that I don't know how to do neither... any suggestions? thanks

    Just a minor point.  iOS 5.0.1 would never be on a Mac.  You might want to fix that on your profile.
    Here you go.

  • I completely erased the operating system on an old macbook pro. Nothing is left, not even the base system. What to do?

    This was stupid, I know. I didn't mean to do it that way, but the laptop (Macbook Pro intel core2duo 15 in) would freeze, was slow to load, and wouldn't let me partition the drive. I kept getting : unable to unmount when partitioning, or some other partition error. I didn't have much on it, so I know that the harddrive wasn't full or anything. I just had it fixed a few months back to boot with a whole new harddrive and motherboard.
    I'm getting these same issues on my newer macbook pro come to think of it. this has all started happening to both laptops this month, only the older macbook pro was running snow leopard and the newer one is running mavericks. Nothing else other than my apple id is in common. i was able to erase macintosh HD and reintall mavericks safely without an issue on the newer laptop, but when i tried doing the very same with the older one, the entire operating system went missing.
    Anyway, back to the old laptop. I tried loading linux mint onto it just to get it operational. I read on these boards to use rEFIt to load it. The laptop now has rEFIt when it loads, but it won't install anything or run anything else. Not linux mint, not ubuntu. Nothing. 
    I do not have any of the original disks. I know i can order them from apple, but I don't want to do that if it isn't going to load it anyway.
    So i guess my question now is can I get this thing working again without having to take it to a repair shop for hundreds more? I'm trying to save money and have an extra computer for all of us to share. I'm working on my masters myself and the kids' schools are all about macbooks lately.
    Please be gentle with me, I'm only trying to get answers and not insults.
    Thank you,
    N.

    If you're wanting to put Snow Leopard back on your old laptop and you don't have the original DVDs, you should call Apple Support (800-MY-APPLE   USA) and order the version of SL that came with your MBP. You'll be charged a small fee.

  • After having yet another problem with my MacBook Pro and having to wipe the drive, I am now unable to sync my iPhones etc without erasing all the music on them. Is there a way around this? I have no other library!

    After having yet another problem with my MacBook Pro and having to wipe the drive, I am now unable to sync my iPhones etc without erasing all the music on them. Is there a way around this? I have no other library!
    iTunes is a mess! It couldn't find it's own libraries and I was forced to create a new one. Now I don't know where my music is or if any's missing.

    columbus new boy wrote:
    How crap is that?
    It's not crap at all.
    It's not that simple. For example, I've 3500 songs on my MacBook but don't want them all on my phone, so I have to manually select each song again???
    There has to be a solution.
    Why not simply make a playlist with the songs you want on the iPhone?
    and maintain a current backup of your computer.

  • I got an iphone 4. I had to update my macbook pro to Lepard just to sync. I updated to lepard. Now when I try to sync itunes does not recognize my new iphone 4 as mine and wants to erase everything I have bought using the phone.

    I upgraded from Iphone 3g to iphone 4. I had to update my macbook pro to Lepard just to sync. the **** thing with the new iphone 4. I bought and updated to lepard. Now when I try to sync itunes does not recognize my new iphone 4 as mine and wants to erase everything I have bought using the phone before it will sync! It says everything on the phone now will be cleared in order to sync it with my existing info on the computer from my previous iphone. How can I just get everything from my current iphone 4 into itunes, basically add it to the info from my previous iphone 3g that is currently in my itunes?  I dont want to lose what I have on my phone currently....I paid money for half the apps for crying out loud.
    I was so frustrated by this when I first bought the phone that I just pushed it out of my mind and NEVER synced it. Please help...

    Nope - you cannot restore a backup from a newer iOS version on to a device running an older iOS version.  The reverse works, but in your case to use your backup, you must update to iOS 7.0.3 - no other option if you want to use that backup.

  • Can't erase and install SNow Leopard on old MacBook Pro

    I am trying to erase and install Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro3,1. I boot up with the installation disc, get to pick a language but then a window pops up that says "Mac OS X can't be installed on this computer" and gives me the options to Restore from Backup or Restart.
    I had upgraded to a 500GB hard drive on this machine which I used for months, but it is currently running off the hard drive of a new MacBook Pro that got fried. The installation disk I am using is the one I got with that unfortunate machine. Could this be the problem?
    Any other suggestions?
    Other info: Mac OS X 10.6.1 (108504)
    Other History: The machine I am trying to erase and install on recently had its logic board replaced under warranty because of the NVIDIA graphics card issue. I have not found the service centre in South Africa to be very trustworthy, in fact the first time they claimed to have replaced the logic board, the computer (which had been intermittently failing to boot up) immediately started displaying the same problems. Another mac shop said to me that the "new" logic board looked so dusty that it seemed extremely unlikely that it had been replaced a week prior. Anyway, it has ostensibly been replaced again, along with a faulty superdrive.
    When it went back to the service centre, they put in the hard drive of another, new, MacBook Pro of mine that got fried in an unrelated incident
    Please help! I want to give this machine to an employee but
    a) want to make sure it's stable and functioning properly, and
    b) want to give it a clean slate with my personal data and settings erased.

    You need a retail Snow Leopard installation disk. Available for $29 USD. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MACOS_XSNGL
    Once you install it onto the old machine, you can use the setup assistant to migrate your stuff and apps from the other machine.

  • Please help! I erased my Macbook Pro on Find My Mac.

    Hello, I purchased a refurbished Macbook Pro in December 2012.  Fast forward to September 2013, my hard drive crashed (lost everything) and was forced to bring it to the store to replace the hard drive.  Picked up my laptop this last Saturday and it was in brand new factory condition (had to set it up like the first time).  As I am setting up my Macbook on my Find My Phone app on my phone, I was a bit confused because the pre-hard drive crash Macbook was under my list of devices and I chose to Erase it because I thought I was removing it from the list (very stupid).  Well apparently, pre-hard drive crash Macbook and new hard drive Macbook turns out to be the same one and I completely erased all factory settings from my laptop.  Since I was sans laptop for 2 weeks at the Apple Store, I decided to re-install the Mountain Lion as per the instructions of start up since I did not have anything saved other than a couple of profile settings, etc.  Once installed, everything seemed fine, but when I come to use it today, I am missing a ton of applications that originally came with my Macbook, iPhoto, Garageband to name a few.  I need help as I do not want to pay for all these apps that came with my laptop originally, btw they cost $14.99+.  Also, my flash player doesn't work, I can't view an online PDF menu for a restaurant for example.  I have a scheduled appointment at the Genius Bar this week, but I am afraid how long that is going to take.  Please help!!  Thanks

    The genius bar appointment is the easy way to get things restored.  You can try yourself by opening the App Store, sign in by clicking Store on the menu bar, and the select Prurchases.  See if your iLife applications show up.  If they do, download each of them.

  • HT1414 having bought a new MacBook, I wanted to Sync my iPhone4 to it, but it insists the only method to do so is to "Erase and Sync" or "Cancel" which leaves no option to just use iTunes on the new MacBook Pro - how annoying is that???

    I have had the iphone4 for 2 years now and I bought a new MacBook Pro, opened iTunes and it knew I already had other machines with iTunes sync'ed with it but it still insisted on offering one option or sync'ing with new MacBook - "Erase and Sync", which means deleting EVERYTHING on the iphone. What if I want my iPhone to dictate and get iTunes on the Macbook to match up with the iPhone??? Or at least get iTunes to relate to what my iTunes account obviously has on it and update that way. Come on Apple, as per usual, very pretty but not very practical!!!

    You can only sync everything with your one syncing computer/iTunes library. Yu can:
    - Make this your syncing computer by:
    Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities
    - Use the manual method to copy music and videos from any computer/iTunes library to the iPod. See the manual method included here:
    Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities

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