How do I Wipe the Hard Drive?

I want to get rid of an old iMac CRT that I have had since 2000 and need to make sure I wipe the hard drive clean of any personal information, etc. Are there any tried and tested methods to do this, short of removing it and destroying it with a hammer? Thanks

There are software solutions for wiping the drive, beyond Apple's utility that can reformat with a write zeros option. As for physically disabling the drive, you could remove the top cover and then the platters. A less invasive method of destruction would be to drill a few holes through the top cover and the platters. Depending on the capacity of the drive, you could reformat it, then remove it and use it for other backup needs. An IDE-to-USB adapter with power supply (about $15) enables use of the bare drive for quick connection to a USB port. The more expensive (about $30) option is installation in an external enclosure, but that would only be cost-effective if the drive capacity makes it worth the effort/expense.

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How do I wipe the hard drive on my MacBook?

I just sold my circa 2008 MacBook and want to wipe the hard drive prior to handing it over to the new owner. It looks like I can do this using the disk utility. Is that correct?

Complete procedure for an Erase and Install of OSX Snow Leopard here Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install
I assume that you bought the OSX Lion 10.7 Upgrade at the Mac App Store.
If so, then you can't sell it with your MacBook, since the license is tied to your own AppleID and not to the MacBook.
Stefan

I just bought a iMac G5 iSight from my school, how do I clean the hard drive and set it up as a new iMac, I just bought a iMac G5 iSight from my school, how do I clean the hard drive and set it up as a new iMac

I just bought an iMac G5 with iSight. How do I wipe the hard drive and set it up as a new iMac

Boot from your Mac OS X installer DVD. After selecting a language, choose "Disk Utility" from the menu bar.
When Disk Utility launches, use the "Zero Out Data" option under the Erase tab. Erase the entire disk, not only the free space.
One pass of zeros is secure enough for normal use. One pass will take a couple of hours, so plan some time.
Message was edited by: EZ Jim

How to wipe the hard drive on a screen-dead Powerbook G3?

The display on my 1998 G3 Wallstreet Powerbook recently went black and the computer made a noise that I understand is called The Chimes of Death, although the hard drive still makes whirring noises. My local and trustworthy Apple repair service assures me the Powerbook wouldn't be worth repairing even if they could get the parts for such an old machine.
Is there a way to wipe the hard drive and make my data irretrievable before disposing of the computer?
If there's no way to wipe the hard drive, I'd like to find out: (1) How to remove the hard drive. (2) The best way to destroy the hard drive or at least make it forever unreadable (can my shredder eat it?). (3) The correct way to dispose of a Powerbook that has heard the Chimes of Death. (From what the repair service says, I assume nobody would want it as a donation.)

Turtlewiz,
I would not be so quick to pronounce it dead:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=14438
I would try the suggestions in the above article. Will it boot to a CD?
As far as wiping the drive, it is easy as long as you can see a display so you can follow the steps necessary. You just open Drive Setup in the Utilities Folder on the CD > select 'zero all data' in the Initialization Options; do it a few times if concerned.
Removing the HD is relatively easy: Just lift off the keyboard and the heat sink, then remove the HD.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/3.0.0.html
Hit the HD a few times with a hammer and nobody will bother with it...it has a glass platter.
Nothing to offer on the recycling except Good Will may still take it as "non-working" since there are Mac users looking for such bargains.

I have an old ipod touch, and have just purchased a new 4th Gen one. How do I get my Apps from the old one to the new one. I've had to wipe the hard drive on my Pc so they aren't in my I tunes.

I have an old ipod touch, and have just purchased a new 4th Gen one. How do I get my Apps from the old one to the new one. I've had to wipe the hard drive on my Pc so they aren't in my I tunes.

- Transfer your iTunes' purchases to the new computer by:
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a computer
- Try making a backup of the iPod by right clicking on the iPod under Devices in iTunes and selecting Backup.
- Connect your new iPod and restore the iPod from that backup if you wish.

How can I completely wipe the hard drive with out the Mac OS X disc? I don't need any of the info on the computer.

How can I completely wipe the hard drive with out the Mac OS X disc? I don't need any of the info on the computer.

You can't unless you have a bootable system on an external drive you can use. Otherwise, you need either the original disc that came with your computer or a retail copy of Snow Leopard DVD. The latter contains 10.6.3, so your model must be capable of booting from that or an earlier version of OS X.
You can purchase replacement discs from Apple:
Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
To contact product and tech support: Apple - Support - Contact Apple Support.
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.

How do I deauthorize my ibook G4 and wipe the hard drive clean?

How do I deauthorize my ibook G4 and wipe the hard drive clean?

Launch iTunes. From the menu bar click Store / Deauthorize This Computer.
(Mac OS X 10.4): Erasing a disk or volume
Or... Mac OS X 10.4): Erasing disks securely

Disk utility will not boot using COMMAND R. It won't give me the 'ERASE' option when I open Disk Utility. How do I wipe my hard drive?

Disk utility will not boot using COMMAND R. It won't give me the 'ERASE' option when I open Disk Utility. How do I wipe my hard drive?

If you're truly running 10.6.8, there is no Recovery partition - that didn't come along until 10.7x.
You'll need to use the set of gray discs that originally shipped with your model. If you don't have them, you can always get your serial number from the bottom of the casing and call Apple to get a set of replacement discs. These will run you about $20 + shipping & taxes. Once you have the discs, boot from Disk One and use Disk Utility to erase your HD and then reinstall whichever version of OS X that shipped with your model. No way around of getting the discs.
Clinton

How can I wipe my hard drive and restore to factory settings without the use of the original OS CD?

I have a 2010 MacBook and I need to wipe the hard drive and restore to factory settings.
The problem is that even though I have the original disc, the CD drive has stopped functioning and will reject any disc put into it.
Therefore, is there another method to do this without the CD?

Not very easily. To restore to factory software you need the original installation DVD (CDs).
If you have another Mac which is the same make and model so that those installation DVD (CDs) would work, you can use a Firewire cable between the 2 Macs and then put your Mac to be reset into Target mode and use the other Mac to install the software. However I suspect that is unlikely.

How to wipe the hard drive

I was wondering what I need to do to wipe the hard drive of my Powerbook G4 12". It has gotten extremely cluttered over the last couple years and I was wondering what I needed to do to start afresh

Welcome to Apple Discussions, Jonathan.
Assuming you have backed up the data that you want to keep, then restart your PowerBook using its original installer disc.
Once the PB has started up, run Disk Utility and select your PB's internal drive from the left hand section of the DU window. On the right, select the "Erase" tab and you will be able to erase the drive.
15" 1.25GHz/12" 1GHz PBs, PPC Mac minis, 12" iBooks G3/G4, Mac OS X (10.4.5) Cube, TAMs, iPods 2G/4G, iPs, AEBS, AX

How do I wipe my hard drive clean so I can sell my iMac G3?

I have an iMac G3 (model #5521) with OS 9 and need to know how to wipe the hard drive clean so I can safely sell it. I tried following the advice someone gave to an earlier post, but was unable to find the security screen for the Zero All Data option or even Disk Utility on the Installer menu for that matter. I have these discs: Software Install, Software Restore and Apple Hardware Test. If someone would be so kind as to walk me through the process step by step, I would greatly appreciate it. I know very little about Apple computers.

You need to boot to the Software Install CD-ROM that came with the iMac. To do so boot the computer off the CD-ROM by holding down the C key. Once it boots up open the Utilities folder displayed in the open CD-ROM window. Open Drive Setup. Open the Functions menu. Select the option labeled Options. In that window select the Zero All Data option checkbox. Open the initialization menu. Select initialization options. You want to make sure the iMac formats its hard drive in HFS+ or Mac OS Extended. Once you've selected all the initialization options click the Initialize button. It will then format the hard drive & check it for bad sectors. Then reinstall the Mac OS. Then it should be ready to sell.

How can I wipe the hard rive of my 2001 apple ibook?

I want to wipe the hard drive of my ibook and reinstall the software so I can sell it. How can I do this to eliminate the possibility of anyone recovering my personal information?

Hello,
Most cases using the system disk that came with your iBook to restore it should be suffice. Just make sure you select option when selecting destination drive and then format before installing the OS.
You can buy third party software that will fully format and clean the drive before you reinstall Mac OS, I've personally not used any so can't recommend. Formatting it using the install disk should be suffice.
Best of Luck

How can I remove the hard drive from an iMac g4 before recycling it?

How can I remove the hard drive from an iMac g4 before recycling it?

There are take-apart guides online. For example
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/imac_g4/imacg4_takeapart.html
However, you can also consider securely erasing the hard drive instead. You can do this using a Mac OS X installation disc with a version that your iMac G4 can boot from the optical drive. If this is a viable option, please post back (include Mac OS X version on installation disc).

I have a MacPro with two 1T hard drives. How do I access the hard drive that is not the start-up drive?

I purchased a MacPro and upgraded to 2 1T hard drives. How do I access the hard drive that is not the start-up drive?

Have you formatted these new drives yet with Disk Utility? That is the first step.
Once they are formatted, if you want to see them on your desktop open the Finder preferences, General, and clock the checkbox that says "Show these items on the desktop" for the hard disks. If that preference was already set you should see the drives appear after they are formatted. Then they are there for you to use as you wish.

How Do I Reformat The Hard Drive?

Hello,
I just bought aToshiba Satellite P505-S8940 laptop. It did not come with a recovery disk. I had to use their Recovery Disc Creator to make copies of 2 system recovery disks and 2 application disks. I would like to know how do I reformat the hard drive? Thanks!

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How do I Wipe the Hard Drive?

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