Prepping a computer for sale

I am readying a Dual G5 for sale on eBay.
What is the best way to securely erase the hard drive so an identity theif cannot mine it for files?
I performed a clean install of the original OS from the install discs. I chose Erase and Install from the options.
Is that good enough? Does it completely erase all traces of previous files?

Here's my method.
This is the way I prepare old machines that came with OS X installed, which allows them to act just like one from the factory. First, boot with the Apple Hardware Test disk that came with the machine, run the extended tests, and make sure everything passes. Then, boot with the restore disk that came with the machine, erase and zero the HD (as discussed in those articles). When that's finished, reformat it Mac OS Extended, install the OS 9 drivers (if the machine can boot into OS 9), and then restore the software.
When finished, click on the restart button, holding down the CMD+S keys. This puts the machine into single-user mode and gives you an Unix command line terminal screen. When the text stops scrolling, type in this command and click the return key:
shutdown -h now
This shuts down the computer; the next time it is turned on, the Setup Assistant will appear and the new user will get to personalize it. This also alleviates the necessity of presetting any display parameters, internet and e-mail settings, etc. As long as the monitor can hook up to the machine, the OS will select a usable resolution and the user can use the Display prefpane to suit their needs. They'll also have to run Software Update and bring everything up to the latest version.
G4 450 MP Gigabit Mac OS X (10.4.7)

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Prepping my PB for sale...

I'm about to sell my PowerBook and purchase a MacBook, and I want to prep my computer for sale, without deleting files and software.
What's the easiest way to deauthorize the necessary programs? I know about deauthorizing iTunes, I'm assuming I should remove my info from my Mail and chat programs. Anything else critical that needs to be done?
Someone suggested creating a New User account, then deleting mine, so that they're ready to go.
Oh, and I also have an iPhone and this is the computer I've synced it on. Any preperations I need to do for that?
Thanks in advance.

*I just want someone to let me know that this is the best way to delete my user account and create a new one, but I need to make sure that my files and applications stay intact.*
Those are a bit contradictory goals. First, there's only one way to delete your account without erasing the machine and doing an Erase & Install: you have to create another admin user account, log into it, and delete the original. If you installed your applications the normal way, they should reside in /Applications, not in /Users/your username/Applications, so they're available for all current or future users. As for *your files*, why would you want the new user to have them? Those are private and shouldn't be transfered. Finally, for all Apple apps that didn't come with the machine and 3rd-party apps you installed separately, you need to include the installation disks and manuals; otherwise, what you're doing is illegal. You might want to reconsider why selling the computer tomorrow is so urgent.

Prepping my touch for sale...

I am going to prep my 2nd gen 16gb iTouch for sale since I just bought an iPhone.
Is there anyway to keep the apps I have on there, but remove all my account information? Or should I just do a restore/wipe?

restoring your iPod to new should do it.
you will use your iPhone with the same iTunes account, so you'll just be able to sync the apps to it.

Prepping Computer for sale

My daughter is selling her IBook G4 and she wants to return it to its original settings. When she bought it came with the Pre-Tiger OS. She later bought the Tiger OS software and installed it. She actually doesn't want to revert back to pre-Tiger but she wants to ensure all of her data and personal info his gone. How does she go about doing this and can she do it with the Tiger disk rather then the OS Disk that came with her computer?

Boot from the restore disc. Launch Disk Utility from the Apple menu. Erase the hard drive and be sure to select the option to write zeroes. [The only way to truly remove personal sensitive information is to overwrite the files.]
After the erase and reformat use the restore discs to restore the iBook to the original condition. Then she can install Tiger.
Ensure that you daughter includes all of the original discs and the Tiger discs with the iBook when she sells it.
How does she go about doing this and can she do it with the Tiger disk rather then the OS Disk that came with her computer?
Is she uses the Tiger disc instead of the original restore disc, the iBook unique applications from the restore disc will not be installed.

Prepping Leopard Mac for Sale and removing old details

Hi all,
I'm about to sell my Mac Mini with Leopard installed on it, and I want to remove all my details and user accounts from it, preferably in such a way that the Mac is at the same state it was when I bought it - i.e. asking me for my details, etc.
I realise I have the option of doing a wipe and reinstall and switching it off before entering my details, but this has the weakness that none of the apps that came with it will be installed.
As I'm sure most of you will know, Windows has a tool called sysprep which does what I want to do - does anyone know how to do this for OS X? Is it even possible?
Cheers
Chris

The easiest way is to wipe your HD from Disk Utility I would use the 35 pass option which is time consuming. Then Put your OS install disc that came with your computer in and run thru the install process. Once it is complete it it will restart and prompt for details, At this point you are ready to shutdown and ship to the new owner. I have done this with a couple old computers never had an issue.
JJ

Preparing my MacBook for sale...

Hiall,
I am planning on upgrading my MacBook to a MacBook Pro in a few weeks, and want to figure out how to best prep the MB for sale, system wise. I'm currently running 10.4.11, on a 2.16 C2D machine. I've just upgraded the RAM to 4 GB.
I'd like to scrub the drive, and re-install the OS to Leopard. What's the easiest way to do this...should I upgrade, then do a scrub and reinstall? Basically, I'd like the computer to as fresh as if...well, they were opening the box from Apple themselves. I'm most likely selling to a friend, but would still like to get all of my personal files off the machine anyway.
Any advice anyone could give me would be great!
Thanks so much in advance,
Liz

Thanks! I just ordered a copy of Leopard, which I will provide to the buyer, along with the original Tiger disks should they decide to downgrade later on.
I'm not super worried about my data (since it'll most likely be someone I know), just want to make sure that she'll have a fresh computer to play with (she was planning on buying a new MB, but it'd help me out if she bought mine so I can get a new toy!!!)
Thanks so much!

How can i fully erase and reset my computer to get it ready for sale

how can i fully erase and reset my computer to get it ready for sale?

Please read and carefully follow these articles:
Prepare a Mac For Sale
Preparing your Mac for sale

Prepping iPhone for sale?

Looking through the support communities I see lots of problems when someone sells a iPhone, but does not prep it for sale. I know most know how to erase the iphone, but it seems with the newest IOS that people are not turning off all the security features, like logging out of iCloud, and turning off "Find My Phone". Does anyone, or has anyone posted a procedure on how to do this?? Just wondering?

Thanks Meg, now if we could only get this to required reading before you sell and ship your old iPhone to a new buyer.

Help Needed: Prepping a MacBook Pro for sale

I'm going to be selling my MacBook Pro 15", and I was wondering if there are any reference lists with steps to prepare the laptop, namely, how to:
- remove my own files;
- remove any identifying indications on any software;
- generally making sure that all of "me" is no longer on this laptop.
I appreciate any help, and welcome any tips beyond the topics above.

From Kappy:
Prepare Your Mac for Sale
Boot from the OS X Installer Disc One that came with the computer. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities (Installer menu if using Panther or Jaguar) menu. After DU loads select the startup volume from the left side list then click on the Erase tab. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then click on the Options button. Select the one pass Zero Data option and click on the OK button. Then click on the Erase button.
Note: You can skip the Zero Data option if you are not concerned about removing sensitive personal data from the hard drive. If you choose to skip this part of the process then it is possible for others to recover data from the hard drive. The Zero Data procedure will prevent others from getting access to your personal information.
This process will take 30 minutes to several hours depending upon the size of the hard drive. After formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Now complete the OS X installation. At the completion of the installation do not restart the computer. Instead just shut it off. The next user will be presented with the Setup Assistant when they turn on the computer just as it would if new out of the box.

How do I prepare my iMac for sale? And best practice for transferring media to a new system.

This is my first time posting in a forum, so I will apologize in advance if I'm doing something wrong. I've tried to search for a very clear answer to my questions in the existing discussions, but have not had much luck.
I ordered a Macbook Pro today and would like to sell my current iMac to supplement some of the cost. I purchased my iMac in March of 2011 with OS X Snow Leopard preinstalled. I've since updated to Mountain Lion. When my computer came in it did not have OS DVDs, so I am not sure exactly how to take it back to factory default and remove ALL of my information safely in order to prepare it for sale. I'm afraid to tell it to format if I am going to need a boot disc/drive to reinstall the OS. I've been trying to research all day and have learned that I will not be able to sell it with the current OS, only the one that came with the computer at the time of purchase (to the best of my understanding).
Secondary to all of this, I have a question about backing up info and porting it to my new system. I have run the Time Machine backup to my external hard drive. However, I DO NOT want to port it to my new MBP as an image of my past machine. I did that when I got my iMac from my old MBP and my iMac thinks it is a MBP (MBP EFI/SMC Firmware Update Icons in my system utilities folder as well as identified as a Macbook Pro on my network). I've never been able to get all of these things to go away and I feel like it's chewing up hard drive space for no purpose whatsoever. I also worry that it could create system issues that I'm just not savy enough to catch before they are beyond control. That being said, I'd like to begin fresh with my new MBP. What is the best method of bringing my photos from iPhoto and music/movies/books/etc from iTunes to my new system? My word documents are easy enough...I keep 3 flash drives updated with them at all times.
Thanks in advance!

Whoever said you can't sell you iMac with the current Mac OS X is wrong, I believe.
Unfortunately, it is not wrong.
Any OS purchased/obtained at the app store - as is the case here - is not transferable. The license is tied forever to the Apple ID used to obtain it. The SLA states that the seller needs to erase the drive and reinstall the original system.
@ Kamikazwe:
You can call Apple and give them your serial number and they will send you copies of your original disks at a nominal charge.
You do need to use your original Snow Leopard disk, boot from it, erase the drive, and reinstall Snow Leopard. The buyer of the machine will need to purchase his/her own copy of Lion or Mountain Lion with their own Apple ID or they will never be able to reinstall or update the OS.
SLA Excerpt:
3. Transfer.
A. If you obtained the Apple Software preinstalled on Apple-branded hardware, you may make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your license rights to the Apple Software (in its original form as provided by Apple) to another party, provided that: the Apple Software is transferred
together with your Apple-branded hardware; (ii) the transfer must include all of the Apple Software, including all its component parts, printed materials and this License; (iii) you do not retain any copies of the Apple Software, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or
other storage device; and (iv) the party receiving the Apple Software accepts the terms andcconditions of this License. For purposes of this License, if Apple provides an update (e.g., version 10.8 to 10.8.1) to the Apple Software, the update is considered part of the Apple
Software and may not be transferred separately from the pre-update version of the Apple Software.
B. If you obtained your license to the Apple Software from the Mac App Store, it is not transferable. If you sell your Apple-branded hardware to a third party, you must remove the Apple Software from the Apple-branded hardware before doing so, and you may restore your system to the version of the Apple operating system software that originally came with your Apple hardware (the “Original Apple OS”) and permanently transfer the Original Apple OS together with your Apple hardware, provided that: the transfer must include all of the Original
Apple OS, including all its component parts, printed materials and its license; (ii) you do not retain any copies of the Original Apple OS, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or other storage device; and (iii) the party receiving the Original Apple OS reads and agrees to
accept the terms and conditions of the Original Apple OS license.

Apps no longer found on App Store - despite long been "Ready for Sale"

As discovered yesterday, all our paid apps have been "lost" from the iOS App Store.
An alert saying:
"Your request could not be completed. The item you've requested is not currently available in the US store."
...appears instead.
Nowhere are they to be found, either by navigating directly to their urls in a browser, or by searching via iTunes on computer, iPhone or iPad.
Not even when clicking the link from within:
[ my developers account > iTunes Connect > Manage your account > [particular app] > View in app store ]
...will they appear, despite them being marked as "Ready for Sale".
This has been confirmed for the Swedish and US app stores so far, on different computers/locations.
All these apps were approved between mid 2009 and mid 2010, and all have long had (and still have) the status "Ready for Sale" and are distributed worldwide.
At the same time, only our FREE-apps are still to be found on the App Store.
I've submitted a report to their support, but receiving a reply could take a while and in the meantime I'm loosing income.
Does anybody know what's going on?
Is this happening for others, or is it just our apps? Has this happened to others before?
Thanks.

Yes, apparently all of a sudden my previously active iOS-contract has been placed under "Request Contracts" instead of in "Contracts In Effect".
When there's a change in contracts you'll always get a notification from Apple is my experience, but now nothing.
My iAD and Free-contracts are still in effect, though.
Could it be connection with having just paid the Mac OS X-developer fee? I strictly remember having ADDED this to my existing account, not creating a new one.
So should I request a new contract, with all the hassle of having to send them the w8ben-form etc (taking forever)? Or is it a shorter process since I've been a registered developer for more than 2 years?
Eh, I'll go ahead and click the "Request"-button for the iOS contract. If you have any more input I'll gladly hear it.

How do I reset MacBook Pro to original settings for sale?

I want to reset a slightly used MacBook Pro to original factory settings... plan to resell on eBay. Thanks!

Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
Step One - Back up your data:
       A. If you have any Virtual PCs shut them down. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
       B. Clone to an external drive using using Carbon Copy Cloner.
          1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
          2. Select the Source volume from the Select a source drop down menu on the left side.
          3. Select the Destination volume from the Select a destination drop down menu on the right
              side.
          4. Click on the Clone button. If you are prompted about creating a clone of the Recovery HD be
              sure to opt for that.
               Destination means a freshly erased external backup drive. Source means the internal
               startup drive.
Step Two - Prepare the machine for the new buyer:
          1. De-authorize the computer in iTunes! De-authorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
          2, Remove any Open Firmware passwords or Firmware passwords.
          3. Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
          4. Turn off File Vault, if enabled.
          5. Disable iCloud, if enabled: See.What to do with iCloud before selling your computer
Step Three - Install a fresh OS:
     A. Snow Leopard and earlier versions of OS X
          1. Insert the original OS X install CD/DVD that came with your computer.
          2. Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
          3. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu; repartition and reformat the internal hard drive.
              Optionally, click on the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
          4. Install OS X.
          5. Upon completion DO NOT restart the computer.
          6. Shutdown the computer.
     B. Lion and Mountain Lion (if pre-installed on the computer at purchase*)
         Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because
                   it is three times faster than wireless.
          1. Restart the computer while holding down the COMMAND and R keys until the Mac OS X
              Utilities window appears.
          2. Select Disk Utility from the Mac OS X Utilities window and click on the Continue button.
          3. 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.
          4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on the Security button
              and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
          5. Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
          6. Quit DU and return to the Mac OS X Utilities window.
          7. Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
          8. Upon completion shutdown the computer.
*If your computer came with Lion or Mountain Lion pre-installed then you are entitled to transfer your license once. If you purchased Lion or Mountain Lion from the App Store then you cannot transfer your license to another party. In the case of the latter you should install the original version of OS X that came with your computer. You need to repartition the hard drive as well as reformat it; this will assure that the Recovery HD partition is removed. See Step Three above. You may verify these requirements by reviewing your OS X Software License.

ITunes has compilations for sale of, for example, Folk Music and Reggae, usually with 3 levels of inclusion. How do I find these in iTunes to purchase them?

iTunes has compilations or samplers for sale of, for example, Folk Music or Reggae, usually with 3 levels of inclusion: a beginner selection, one which includes more, and a deeply inclusive set. Many of these are very good but since upgrading iTunes I can't figure out how to find these. How do I find these in iTunes to purchase them?

If for some reason you failed to import any purchases made on your iphone to your computer, not good, then
you can redownload some itunes purchases in some countries:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store

Preparing iMac for sale

I have an iMac MB323B/A running on Leopard 10.5.8, which I want to prepare for sale.
I also have the installation disks for Snow Leopard.
I would like to be able to install the Snow Leopard and then download Lion , i.e. sell the iMac with Lion as the operating system.
I have put all the contents of the iMac onto an external hard drive and I am ready for the next step.
Do I use the install disks for the iMac and do a clean install? I have read on some of the forums that when you get to setup, you should press cammand and 'Q' to avoid the need for a user's name.
Would I be able to install Snow Leopard without updating the Leopard to the full 10.5.8? Would I be able to install Snow Leopard without the need for a user's name or password?
I would like to sell the iMac so the new owner can insert his/her own details from the startup. I want to avoid any evidence of my ownership.
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
John

See > Preparing an old Mac for sale | Macworld
and/or > How To Prepare a Mac For Sale
I'd reinstall Leopard and all the App's that originally came with the Mac and provide the new owner with both the Leopard Disc set and the Snow Leopard Upgrade Disc. That would allow the new owner to upgrade to Snow Leopard, update using the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 , then go to the App's store setup a new Account and purchase Lion, other iLife upgrades and App's using there new Account.
There should not be any problem upgrading it to Snow Leopard before or after selling it, as long as you provide the new owner with the Snow Leopard Upgrade Disc that you purchased for the intent of upgrading that computer.

Computer for After Effects

Hello! i want to build one computer where I am going to use mostly After Effects and Premiere. Can somebody tell me what would be a good computer for it? not just the minimal nor something exaggerated, but something that will respond me very good when i do my videos. Thanks

My $1000 personal computer - Quadcore cpu (2.4), quadcore mobo, 2x2gb ram, 20x SATA dvd burner, ATI 2600 512mb, case w/ 450 power supply, 2x500gb WD sata HD, Acer 24" monitor.
Next Xmas, I'm hoping to get another 2x2gb ram, new videocard, Vista64.
Have you built a computer before? It's safer if you buy retail; I had bluescreen issues which my brother finally resolved for me. Computer runs perfect now though. Amazed that the computer only cost $700 and the monitor was $300 (including CA sales tax).

Prepping a computer for sale

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