I want to give away or sell a 6500/250 running 7.6.1. How can the hard disk be erased so that the data are gone, not recoverable? thanks, LifeisRich

Question

I want to give away or sell a 6500/250 running 7.6.1. How can the hard disk be erased so that the data are gone, not recoverable? thanks, LifeisRich

Answer 1

I'd recommend that you check for Mac User Group(s) in Orange County.  That's where you'd likely find a diehard Mac fanatic who might want to add your 6500 to his/her collection.  Even if you got nothing for it, it would be better than e-cycling it.  I upgraded my 6500/275 with what was a "large" hard drive at the time (15 GBs), maxed the memory at 128 MBs, installed the 512K L2 cache card, a better ATI Rage Pro PCI graphics card, a USB PCI card, and an internal 56K modem.  With it running OS 9.1, it did all of the pre-OS X stuff I needed it to do.  As I previously mentioned, it's a nice-sounding MP3 player.  Internet Explorer 5.1.7 (the final release from 2001) kept it useful for surfing the web up until 2005, when it became too outdated/incompatible with many web sites.  Unfortunately, the demands of the internet and the need for a modern browser, as well as faster processing to digest it all, are what retired many older Macs from active duty.  So my (2) 6500s and (3) 6400s (same tower design) sit in storage.  There is one concern that I'll pass along: The motherboard has a 4.5-volt alkaline battery, that's a small, black plastic cube, secured in place by velcro.  If your 6500 has been disconnected from electricity for a long time, the battery will undoubtedly be dead.  Unlike the many Apple computers that used a small ½AA lithium battery (that I've never seen leak when completely dead), the 6500's battery can and usually does start leaking.  Because the motherboard sits vertically oriented on its side edge when installed, the leaking battery will drip alkaline solution down the board, corroding any components in it path.  I've seen motherboards ruined from this.  If you're going to give it away or sell it, you might want to pull the motherboard (remove the two machine screws on the rear I/O panel, next to the pull tabs).  Slide out the board and unplug the battery's small connector (has red & black wires), then lift up on the battery, while holding down the "toothed" velcro mount with something non-conductive, like a popsicle stick.  Once it's free, dispose of the battery.  If you're interested, a replacement can be purchased for about $5-$7 from battery specialty retailers - it's a Rayovac 870 or 871.  Even if you don't replace it, removing one that will eventually leak is a good idea, (hopefully) before any damage is done.