How to Erase Old Hard Drive?

I use a G4 QuickSilver 2002; run 10.5.8 Leopard. How do I completely erase a hard drive and make it ready to install as a Master HD in another G4 QuickSilver 2002?

Thank you very much for your assistance, Klaus1!!:)

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How to erase a hard drive on a i MAC Power PC with OSX 10.5.8 pre-intel?

I got this i Mac G5 Power PC with a 20" screen (no iSight) and last generation of i Mac repaired. Capacitors and a power supply did revive my machine and it works fine. I would like to donate my machine and want to erase the hard drive and make sure that all my personal data is gone.
I have the Leopard disk and I am told that if I booth my machine with the disk while holding the C key then I can go to Disk Utility and erase my hard drive.
Does anyone have a step-by-step approach to guide me through this?
Any help will be most appreciated!
Thank you,
Guy

Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. 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.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

Erased Old Hard Drive

I accidentally erased my hard drive when I installed Leopard onto my machine. Is there any way to recover the desktop files I had?

Unlikely. your only hope is data recovery software like [Data rescue II|http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php] or [Filesalvage|http://www.subrosasoft.com/OSXSoftware/index.php?mainpage=product_info&productsid=1]. this is far from guaranteed to work as those files may have been overwritten by new data. you should use that software ASAP to maximize recovery chance. Also, You should start backing up to protect yourself from similar data loss.
Message was edited by: V.K.

IMac G5 10.3 Upgrade to 10.5 How to erase the hard drive with no 10.3 disc

Working on my brother's computer. iMac G5 (no iSight) was running 10.3.11. He tried to do an upgrade to 10.4 along with a RAM upgrade. When he totally hosed it up, he turned it over to me and now wants to upgrade to 10.5. I obtained a retail version of 10.5 and was able to install it but I can't configure it because the old 10.3 Sys Admin is still in there somewhere. Brother has lost password and lost 10.3 start up disc. Can I just wipe the entire hard drive (most info is corrupted anyway) and start over clean with 10.5? If so, how do I accomplish that without the old install disc? Thanks for any help! I'm fairly desperate and pretty sick of tangling with this problem.

Richard, thank you so much for your advice. I will try that first thing tomorrow morning when I'm "fresh". I think the hard drive is fine. I already ran the verify and repair routine. My brother thought he could do all of this himself. I told him to install his upgrade first, then his hardware (RAM stick). Well, he installed the RAM first. Then assumed that something was wrong with the Software when it wouldn't load. Very long story short, one of the 1GB RAM chips was bad. As soon as I took it out, everything was fine. But he did something Very Bad while trying to do the upgrade and I just can't recreate what he did, not to mention how many other people were involved before he called me (and I'm far from an expert!). The Genius Bar at my local Apple store recommended erasing and starting over with the 10.5, but then everything I read on line said I had to have the 10.3 install disc. I bought a MAC when I retired from corporate America so I wouldn't have to do this type of thing any more. My MAC never gives me one bit of trouble. But I speak to it kindly every day and coo in its ears! I'll let you know how it works out! Thanks again. --Pam.

Error trying to erase old hard drive.

Hi,
I have just replaced my hard drive to a new 160GB one as 60 is not enough. When i changed the drive i just did a simple disc image for the new drive.
I have put the old drive in an enclosure and is now an external hard drive but it still has OS X, applications etc.
When i try to format it this comes up;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91173844@N00/1429158764/
Thanks,
Andrew.

In addition to what scb says, you could quit Disk Utility, unmount the disk from the Finder, and then restart disk utility and try to erase it.
bd

How to erase internal hard drive

I want to erase completly my internal hard drive max os 10.5.8 please show me the steps. thank you

1. Reset the PRAM > Resetting your Mac's PRAM
2. Try cleaning the DVD drive with a Lens Cleaning Disc.
3. Check the Snow Leopard DVD, is it cleal and scratch free?
4. Make sure that you have a clean and stratch free install DVD.
5. Only a white Retail Snow Leopard Install DVD will work with your iMac.
(a gray system DVD will only work for the iMac that it came with)

How to erase all hard drive

I want to format a new hard drive only. Can give some steps? Thanks.

Google has many many how to's on this. Here is just one:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2063795_format-hard-drive-mac-os.html

Old Hard Drive Fried! How To Add Photos and Music from iPod to iTunes

Hello! I'm in serious need of some help.
My old hard drive died without any warning, so I lost everything that was on it. Luckily, my iPod is full of very important photos and all of my music.
How do I transfer these images and mp3s into iTunes on my new computer?
I've lost everything else, so the last thing I want to do is lose the only photos I have left along with the gigs and gigs of music I spent months gathering and organizing.
Please let me know the surest way to transfer these images and music files from my iPod into iTunes.
Thank you so much for your help! This event has saddened and exhausted me completely.
All the best,
Sunshine
Toshiba Satellite Windows XP

If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers has been introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows. The procedure is a bit involved but if you're interested it's posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. This is just a selection, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, they are generally quite straightforward. You can also read reviews of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
iGadget Windows Only
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
PodPlayer Windows Only
CopyPod Windows Only
If your iPod is set to update automatically take care when connecting back to your computer and an empty iTunes. You will get a message that your iPod is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all songs from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Don't uncheck Sync Music it will be unchecked by default when you choose the manual setting: Managing content manually on iPod
Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync again. I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up in case you have problems again. External drives are comparatively inexpensive these days and you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay.
For some additional ways to retrieve photos from an iPod try:
iPodPhotoCopy Windows only
CopyPodPhoto Windows only
iPod Photo Liberator Mac & Windows
Use Disk Mode to copy photos from iPod

I have a new hard drive on my imac I want to sync my ipad(which has the files I lost when my old hard drive died), which holds the files I lost when my old hard drive died. How can I sync my ipad with my new hard drive?

My hard drive on my IMac died, so I have a new hard drive. I want to sync my Ipad(which has the files I lost when my old hard drive died) back with my IMac. How can I sync my Ipad with my new IMac hard drive without erasing my legacy files on the Ipad at the same time?

Copy everything from your backup copy of your cpomputer to your new hard drive.

How do I erase the Hard drive????

My iBook is about 4 or 5 years old with a brand new 80GB hard drive and brand new Charger plug. Now my logic board is broken and I don't want to put any more money in fixing it. So I just want to sell it but want to erase the hard drive first. Anybody can tell me how to do that?

ElkeTheStallion, welcome to Apple Discussions.
Here's how I understand your request.
You have an iBook that is inop due to a logic board failure. This precludes booting the iBook with a CD/DVD to use Disk Utility to erase the HD. You also can't boot the iBook in Target Disk mode to interface with your MacBook to erase the HD.
So your only alternative is to remove the HD from the iBook and install it in an external drive housing - USB or Firewire (best). Then you can interface the HD to your MacBook to retrieve the files & transfer to your MacBook & then erase.
These links give the instructions for removing the HD.
Fix It Guides for Mac Laptops & Mini
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/
The guides can be viewed on-line or you can download a PDF file.
How to Upgrade, Repair, Disassemble an Apple/Macintosh Laptop or Notebook
http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_apple.html
PowerBookTech
http://www.powerbooktech.com/
Suggestion - If you are going to sell the iBook for parts, don't reinstall the HD. It won't bring you much more $ in a laptop that won't work. Retain the 80GB HD and use it as a backup for your MacBook.
 Cheers, Tom

How do I erase a hard drive

I got a " new to me" computer and want to fire wire my old computer over. Problem is "new to me" computer still has stuff on it and I need to erase the harddrive so that I can swith my computer over. Any one know how to do this?

What you need is the install disk for your "new to you" machine. Boot from that and you can erase the hard drive and then reinstall the original OS.
There may be another way, but would need to know the exact OS versions:
Which OS version did the "new to you" machine come with (originally, if it was upgraded), and
which version is on your own old computer (the one you want to move data from)?

How do I transfer data from old hard drive to new mac exactly the same as it was on my old one?

Unfortunately my 2009 iMac has been written off due to a faulty motherboard. Thankfully the company we got the mac from are providing me with a brand new one at no cost as I am under warranty. My old hard drive had many important documents and applications on it and we have requested for the old hard drive back. What I would like to know is how to I go about transferring all the stuff of my old hard drive to my new iMac? I would like everything to be set out exactly the same as it was on my old mac so basically I would like it cloned identical on my new mac from my old hard drive.
Thanks Nathan

In general, most people will recommend Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! You can find either one easily enough with a web search.
However, in your case, I imagine you are going to have a hard disk returned to you all by itself, and you will need to install it in an enclosure. Don't let that bother you as this is easy to do and the enclosures are not expensive ($40 or so).
Once that is done, I would recommend you set up your brand new Mac by answering all the questions during initial setup as usual. Be sure to use your correct Apple ID - probably the same one you used to log into this support forum. When you reach the point in which it asks you if you would like to transfer your old documents and settings, connect the old hard disk and select it as the source. It will take some time as it copies all its contents to your new Mac. All your familiar items will be exactly as they were on the failed Mac.
After that, you can use the old hard disk as a Time Machine backup. When you are satisfied everything on your new Mac is running as it should, go ahead and erase the old disk. Then, tell Time Machine to designate it as a backup, and the rest is automatic.

How do I erase the hard drive on my 2007 Macbook with operating system 10.4.11 ?

I am going to recycle my old Macbook and want to erase the hard drive. When I go into utilities-disk utility-click on Macintosh HD-and the Erase tab, the only active button is Erase Free Space. The Security Options and Erase button are not active. How can I erase the entire hard drive? The operating system is 10.4.11.

You have to boot to another drive. You cannot erase the drive to which you are booted. Typically you would use the system installer discs that were provided with the computer originally.
Alternatively you can use another computer which is running OSX and put the old one in Target Disk Mode. The old one will simply be seen as a normal hard drive which you can erase.
How to use FireWire target disk mode - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661 - includes description of hardware and software requirements. [What to do if your Mac doesn't enter FireWire Target Disk Mode|http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75414], also read about [Open Firmware Password Protection|http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/openfirmwarepassword.html] which can disable Target Disk Mode.

How can I erase the hard drive securely?

I want to sell my old iMac G3 with OS 9.2. First I'd like to erase the hard drive securely, so that no information can be recovered later. OS X allows you to do this easily with the Erase tab in Disk Utility. Can anyone advise how this can be done in OS 9.2?

Hi, iHope -
To do a reasonably secure wipe of the hard drive, use OS 9's Drive Setup utility while booted to an OS 9 Install CD - it's in the Utilities folder on such a disk. Select the Zero all Data item in the Initialization Options item in the Functions menu of Drive Setup.
This article provides excellent step-by-step instructions - Using Drive Setup

I want to remove all of my photos out of iPhoto there are approximately 35000 some imported from an old hard drive and a SD Card from my Nikon D500 how do I do this

I want to remove all of my photos out of iPhoto there are approximately 35000 some imported from an old hard drive and a SD Card from my Nikon D500 how do I do this?
I have iPhoto version 9.1.5 (615)
Mac OS X version 10.6.8
I want to do this because when I imported from my old hard drive there was an error message stating that 12 photos were not imported as the programm did not recognise the format even though they were jpegs like the other photos in that particular album. The dates of the photo folders are wrong I have multiple copies of photos and every time I start iPhoto I get the following message 12 photos have been found in the iPhoto library that were not imported would you like to import them No or Yes
if you press Yes the same message comes back again and if you press Yes again the program flicks to last import for 2 seconds and then opens events.
if you press No the message The photos have been placed in the folder/user/judith/pictures/iphoto Library recovered photos then if you press OK the original message 12 photos have been found.............
if you press No at this point the message The photos have been placed in the folder/user /judith/pictures/iphoto Library recovered photos_11 the end number goes up by 1 every time you go through this process
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Did you import an iPhoto Library from the old Hard Drive? Do you still have that old Library?
The way to clear out a Library is to Export the photos - Apps like iPhoto2Disk or PhotoShare will help you export to a Folder tree matching your Events.
For the annoying start-up message:
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.

How to Erase Old Hard Drive?

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