How can I erase everything on a hard drive?

I have an external hard drive that I want to erase and then use to archie video. How does one go about erasing everything on an external hard drive?

You can open the drive and drag everything to the trash and empty it in the Finder.
If your wanting to erase and reformat the drive, it depends what your going to use it for.
Drives, partitions, formatting w/Mac's + PC's
It's possible to reformat the drive with the same existing formatting, that will also erase the entire drive of all data provided the entire drive is selected, not the indended partitions if any exist.

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How can I erase (or remove) the hard drive from a dead Time Capsule?

How can I erase (or remove) the hard drive from a dead Time Capsule?

I found this having had the same problem...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=553818
Having removed the hard drive I'm finding I can't reformat it. I manage to mount the HD but Disk Utility crashes when trying to format (HD attached to Mac via Newer Tech. SATA cables to USB) and causes what I think is a kernal panic on my Mac which hard crashes. I see 3 partitions when attempting to mount one of which is AFP. Anyone got any ideas about how to do this? I've dug around but the only progress I've made is to note others have had to work around ACL's when replacing the logic board of the TC. Not sure if this even relates to the problem. However the tool for doing this seems to have been removed from SL. (Forum references to this procedure all relate to 10.5).

How do I erase everything, wipe the hard drive and reinstall OSX?

I am going to be giving my g3 ibook to my son. I want to erase everything, completely wipe the drive and start from scrath with Tiger. How do I do this? Do I need to be concerned with any potential pitfalls? I know I need to deauthorize the itunes on the ibook, but is there anything else I need to do before I start the process? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Do you have the original software CD's that came with the iBook? If so, I would recommend using them to restore the original software before proceeding to upgrade. This way, your son will have all the original software that came on the iBook (like AppleWorks).
A concern with Tiger and a G3 iBook is that some of them have such a small hard drive that it is really (in my opinion, at least) too cramped for Tiger. It's recommended to keep about 5 GB of available hard drive space for OS X to run smoothly and also to allow room for an Archive and Install if it is ever necessary. The newer the version of the OS, the more important the extra hard drive space is.
Also, you don't say how much RAM is installed in the iBook. I suppose you know that Tiger requires 256 MB for installation, and it would be wiser to have the RAM upgraded to its maximum with a 512 MB module, if you haven't already done that.
Good luck!

I have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk?

i have deleted my private folder and do not have enough space to reinstall my operating system. How can i transfer files from my hard drive to an USB drive to free up space when the operating system isn't working. or do i need to erase disk through disk utilities without erasing data (but will it delete my programs such as photoshop, office, creative suite?

Connect the computer to another Mac and put it in FireWire Target Disk mode, or use the Disk Utility to clone the drive or image specific folders with the USB drive as the target. After you've copied off everything you want, you'll likely need to erase the drive and reinstall the applications.
(69695)

How can i erase everything on my brother's old ipad so that i can update it with my apps, music ect?

how can i erase everything on my brother's old ipad so that i can update it with my apps, music ect?

Settings>General>Reset>Erase all content and settings.

How can I move music from a hard drive to iphone

How can I move music from a hard drive to iphone?

Import it into an iTunes library and then sync the iPhone with that library. If desired, launch iTunes with the Shift key held down and create or choose an iTunes library on that drive.
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How can I install after replacing my hard drive?

My hard drive on my pc is failing, and I want to replace it without interruption in creative cloud functionality. How can I install on the new hard drive?

Cloud Getting Started https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/topics/getting-started.html
OR
http://forums.adobe.com/community/download_install_setup
or
http://forums.adobe.com/community/download_install_setup/creative_cloud_faq
Do remove from the old drive first so you don't use up one of your activations
Remove license on a computer http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1442423?tstart=0
-http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/error-maxium-acitvation-exceeded.html

How do you erase and reinstall a hard drive without a disc? I bought this mac book pro under a year ago and am pretty sure i downloaded mountain lion from the app store. Basically Im having startup issues and this is the final step Ive reached

when I start my laptop it loads a third of the way and shuts down automaticallyI've tried to safe boot, repairing discs and clearing RAM but nothing has worked. basically I've come to the final step of having to a erase my hard drive and reinstall mountain lion however Apple support suggest that I install from a disc however I installed mountain lion from the App Store. can anyone help me go about 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.) 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.

How do I erase info on the hard drive

how do I erase info on the hard drive

If you want to give him a really clean new laptop, the best thing to do would be to erase it (or secure erase it, if there's stuff on there you don't want being found if the machine were to get stolen or something) and reinstall the system from scratch
If you want a simpler method, it's probably easiest to just securely delete anything sensitive (put it in the trash and choose Finder -> Secure Empty Trash) and then create a new user for your son. Make him an admin user, then log in as him and delete your old user, making sure to tell it to delete your user folder when asked. Of course, you'll want to make sure your data is safely stored away elsewhere first!
As far as applications go, if they were bought from the App Store, you can legally use them on multiple machines in your household, but you could also delete them by just dragging them to the trash. For other apps, if they required an installer, look for an uninstaller provided by the company that made the app. If not, just drag it to the trash.

HELP!! I accidentally erased everything on my hard drive!! How can I get my macbook to work again?

I need help...
I accidentally erased everything on my harddrive, don't ask me how I have no idea....
When I start my computer all I get is a blinking folder.... From what I see on internet this is bad news.... Can I use the DVDs that came with my macbook (late 2008) to restore it? I do not need to keep any files on the computer and would like to have a clean start and have a back-up (not using time capsule restore thingy) of the files I would like to put back (mainly photos and documents).
What can I do?

If you can boot from the install DVD, you can look at the disk from there and see if everything is truely gone.
If it is you can reinstall again from the install DVD.
If you have a backup you can restore your files from there.
Allan

I had to erase everything on my hard drive and need to re download Photoshop but can't find my serial number

I had to erase my hard drive and so deleted photoshop 6 and need to download it again but i don't want to pay again..
plus i cant find my serial number, and cant get any help from Adobe directly.. please help

You can refer following link to recover SN from your Adobe account:
https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/find-serial-number.html
Regards,
Ashutosh

How can I transfer Itunes from external hard drive to a new computer?

Hello,
I had a Dell laptop with Windows XP on it recently crash, but I have everything saved to a Seamagine external 1 terabyte hard drive. I have about 250 gigabytes of media on it, mostly CD's and audiobooks. The setup I had on the XP computer was my Itunes folder saved on the C drive, but I kept all the actual music and audiobooks on the external hard drive, which was labeled the F drive.
After the crash, a relative sold me their three year old Compaq laptop, with Windows 7 instead of XP as the OS. My relative already had Itunes downloaded on it, but when I opened the Itunes on the new (new to me) laptop, Itunes only recognized their (my relative's) account. So, I uninstalled their Itunes and then I re-downloaded Itunes for 64-bit Windows 7. I then opened the Windows Explorer folder so to drag and drop my backed up Itunes folder and library information from the old C drive to the new Itunes folder in the new C drive. But, it wouldn't do anything. It still wanted the password info from my relative's account. It wouldn't recognize my account, even though I had uninstalled and then reinstalled a newer version of Itunes. Dragging and dropping my backed-up Itunes folder from my external hard drive to the new C drive didn't work because it said it didn't have certain permissions or something like that. I think I might have downloaded a newer version of Itunes, different from what I had saved a couple of days ago, which might be one of the problems here, not to mention that I switched OS's from XP to Windows 7.
When I plugged the external hard drive USB into the new laptop no Seamagine manager came up for user-friendly accessibility. I didn't know what to do, so I installed Seagate Dashboard onto the new computer. It didn't do anything for me either. No problem, I thought, I'll just use Windows Explorer to move the Itunes library, and then once I transfer (i.e., drag and drop) the old Itunes folder to the one, all will be as it was. I could then direct my Itunes account to use my external hard drive as the media source folder. I was wrong. It won't let me do that either. It says I don't have permission to do it.
How c an I get my old Itunes library info onto the C drive of this new computer, but keep the 250GB of media files on the external hard drive, just like the setup I had on the old laptop before it crashed? If you can help me, then you will be my hero. I'm scared to death that I've lost my library info and afraid to mess with it too much more for fear of erasing it or, worse, losing the 250 GB of media that is on the external hard drive, which has taken me a tremendous amount of time and money to compile. It is, in effect, irreplaceable. I'm very worried and frustrated. I've been working on this for days, to no avail. You're my last hope. Thank you.

Hmm, I think we should start over...
Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
In the image above the red outline denotes the "media folder", that is the folder listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. In the standard layout where the "media folder" is inside the "library folder" the iTunes library has the advantage of being self-contained and portable. Since you've lost the "library folder" from your old computer you're going to have to start over so you might as well get organized properly.
If the folder curently holding your media files is called G:\iTunes then rename it as G:\Media.
The support doc How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one explains how to create a new iTunes library where you want it. In short click the icon to start iTunes and immediately press and hold down the shift key. Keep holding until asked to choose or create a library, click Create and browse to G:\, make sure the folder is going to be called iTunes and click save.
Move the folder that actually holds the media inside the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. We're going to let iTunes reorganize everything (unless you have a collection of .wav files in which case stop and tell me because they require a different approach).
Use File > Add folder to library and select the folder G:\iTunes\iTunes Media. iTunes will search through the whole series of subfolders adding all media files into the library and reorganizing them into the correct artist & album folders.
Again, for data security, you really ought to obtain a second external drive at some point and backup your library to it. Only having one copy, as you have found, leaves you vulnerable to failure. External drives are no less prone to it.
A) Windows uses \ as a folder separator in path descriptions, Mac uses /.
B) Do you have a backup of the iTunes folder that was on drive C:\ or are you simply referring to the location of your media as a "backup" when it really the only copy? If you have a backup copy of your "original" iTunes library you could move/copy that to G:\iTunes shift-start-iTunes to open it, and then I can offer tools or techniques for fixing the links that will be broken becuase the drive letter has changed.
C) Use Store > Sign out and then Store > Sign in to sign into your iTunes account. You will also need to use Store > Authorize the computer to allow playback and transfer of any protected content. If your new library contains protected content from any other accounts then you will have to authorize the computer for those too.
tt2

How can i sync ipod to external hard drive ?

Help needed please, brief history,i have an ipod classic and using windows, friend came to tidy up itunes said he would delete doubles and he lost 3/4 of itunes in the process (not good) so ipod still had 150gig of songs on, but itunes was down 70gig with lots of tracks missing,after that i didnt not connect pod to itunes incase it removed tracks from ipod.
Now another friend (better) has transfers all contents of ipod to an external hard drive, and i have wiped itunes completly, thought it best to start a fresh, my question is when i turn my external hard drive(J Drive) on with all the music files how can i sync it to itunes to get everything back into itunes from the external ? i have gone into preferances and advance and changed the sorce to J Drive but it isnt finding anything...... please help

Do you want to keep your tunes on the external drive of have them back on your computer?
If you want them on your external drive, do this:
Go to preferences > advanced in iTunes. Ensure that 'Copy Files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library' is NOT ticked. Now, in windows file manager, navigate to the folder where all your music is stored on your external drive. Drag this to itunes. It should import of the your music's data, but keep the files on the external drive
If you want them on your computer: Do the same but tick 'Copy Files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library'
You should now be good.

How can i restore my backup from hard drive, it says files modified by OSX

Hello
Before i update my mac i backup all my files to the external hard drive after i update it to OSX (10.9)i can not restore them, due to new update i had to change my hard drive thats how i lost all my files
please guid me how can i restore my files
regards

Not familiar with the Mac file structure either but you can transfer the entire content of your Firefox profile replacing entire content of a firefox profile you created on new HD. For me copying over a few files was out of the question all of the files are updated and I wasn't about to reinstall 150+ extensions and set up configurations for everything and to do that for that 20 profiles and .ini file. Except for 3 most didn't have a lot of extensions but it would be rather impossible.
I copied everything from the Mozilla folder down in the user libraries so all my profiles were set, it did something similar for application libraries.

How can I boot images on external hard drives with an older OS

Hi,
I recently bought a new MacBook Pro Retina (running OS 10.9.2 Mavericks), because I had to give back my „old“ one (bought in February 2013, running OS 10.8 Mountain Lion), which was only a loan from University.
So here comes my problem: I used Carbon Copy Cloner to create bootable images of my old MacBook on two independent hard drives. I tested these images and they both booted perfectly well on the old MacBook. As it turns out, I cannot boot from these images on my new MacBook Pro, I just get a crossed grey circle (both images work perfectly well when I boot from my internal hard drive and I just use them as external drive, by the way). Is it really correct, that it is not possible to boot a system with an older OS as the OS of the MacBook? Why? I really would like to have the option of booting these images, since I have some applications installed I might want to use from time to time in the future (and I don’t want to migrate all applications to my new MacBook, but prefer a clean install). As I understand, it would be necessary to update the images to Mavericks. But how do I do this when I have no computer which is able to boot them?
I still have a very old MacBook from 2007 running OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and I also tried booting the images with this computer - didn’t work either. Would it help to update this to Snow Leopard? What OS would I need to boot my Mountain Lion images?
Any help on this is highly appreciated!
Thanks!

Hi!
Thanks for your prompt response. The reason I don't want to migrate all apps is that I had installed a lot of scientific applications on the Mt-Lion MacBook that I will definitely not use in the future, some that I might use only very rarely, and I can migrate only the complete applications folder (and I have only a 256 GB hard drive). Of course I could deinstall the unused apps manually after the migration, but I am not 100% sure, if this procedure completely removes all the stuff from the libraries and preferences, etc. Moreover I also started playing with some time ago with server applications like apache server etc. and since I am a complete newbie in this field, I have to admit, I really don't know how to uninstall these things properly. So I figured a clean install for the new MacBook would be the best. Well, maybe I will migrate everything and remove the unnecessary stuff afterwards manually. I am just a bit disappointed, because I didn't anticipate these problems with the images...
Just one further question: Is it correct, that if I find a way to update my images from Mt-Lion to Mavericks (if that is possible at all?), this would make them bootable again?
Thanks!

How can I erase everything on a hard drive?

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