Removal all personal information from macbook before sending to reseller

I want to purchase a new macbook and would like to send my 2008 in for resale but I would like to insure there is no personal information remaining. How is this accomplished?

You should use the original install disks that came with the computer to erase the disk and reinstall the system and bring it back to 'Out of the box' condition (i.e. as it was when it was purchased). You don't have the right to include any software you added later as this is licenced to you. You should also include the disks when selling it as the new owner will need them if he runs into a need to reinstall.
To erase the disk, insert the install disk (or the first one if there is more than one) and reboot holding the 'C' key down. When it's loaded, don't start an install but from the 'Utilities' menu choose 'Disk Utility'. Select the internal disk in the list on the left and then click 'Erase'. Name the disk 'Macintosh HD' and set the 'Format' drop-down menu to 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)'.
When the erasure has taken place quit Disk Utility and proceed with the installation

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Removing all personal information from e-Mac.

I have just purchased a new i-Mac and whilst I have no problem in transfering all of my stored information from the e-Mac to the i-Mac I am concerned about erasing every bit of personal information from the machine, from e-mail access information to any passwords stored on the machine. How can I be sure that this is all done yet have a saleable e-Mac with all of it's software intact?

The easiest way is to put a new installation of your OS onto the Mac.
Insert your Install disk 1 into to the drive and then Restart, and hold down the C key to take you to the installation windows.
Select your language, the start up Volume and choose Erase and Install.
At the point your registration process starts, abandon the registration, quit and eject the disk and switch of the computer.
This will allow the new user a freshly installed system, whereby they can complete the registration process themselves. Make sure you hand on the disks.
If you want to be extra thorough, you can, booted from your Install disk, use Disk Utility to Zero All Data, before doing the Erase and Install described above, and if you want to be paranoid thorough, you can choose to overwrite the disk with several passes before doing the installation described first. Note this latter process can take from several hours to several days depending on the selection and the size of your internal hard drive.
regards roam

To remove all personal information from an iPhone I am about to dispose of, is it sufficient to use the "erase and reset" command in Settings, or should I do something more?

I am about to replace an iPhone 4. I want to make sure that it contains no recoverable personal information, such a contacts, photos, e-mail, etc. If I use the erase and reset function in Settings will that be sufficient? Or is there a way to write over the old information in a manner similar to a "secure empty trash?"

Try What to do before selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

How to remove all personal information for your blackberry?

I am currently an Altel subscriber, whom is being switched to AT&T. I would like to sell or donate my current blackberry 9630 as it is in new condition. How do I ensure all my data has been removed and it is safe to do so? I checked online and it says to replace your SIMS card, but with what? Wouldn't it have to be carrier specific? But then if I put in an AT&T Sims it would not work, would it? As they are saying we have to have new phones? Please advise. As you can tell I know little on this except I love my phone

Hello jodeebryant,
In order to remove all personal information from the BlackBerry you are first going to want to ensure the memory card and SIM card have both been removed. Whoever you sell it to will need neither for the BlackBerry to function or can get their own.
Secondly, you are going to want to do a Security Wipe to the BlackBerry. Do this by going to Options > Security Options > Security Wipe. Before you do this ensure you have either done a backup on BlackBerry Desktop Manager or do not want ANY information that is stored on the BlackBerry.
Goodluck and hope this helps,
Euclidics
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Erasing all personal information from old phone (got a replacement)

My camera button fell off my Droid X so they sent a replacement. First of all the guy at Verizon was wrong because "everything including by personal backgrounds and ringtones" did not switch over, just my contacts.
But my main concern is following the instruction to "erase all personal information from the old phone". I looked at the security options and settings and I don't see where this is possible.
I'd rather speed this up since they say they will bill me for the full retail price of the phone if it's not sent back in 10 days.
Thanks,
Ben

Use this process...
http://community.vzw.com/t5/DROID-X-by-Motorola/Minimize-Droid-X-Issues-After-Froyo-Update/m-p/330185#M14749

I'm selling my early 2011 MBP because I just bought a iMac. Could someone please tell me how to remove all my information from it but leave the OS working. Thanks so much.

I'm selling my early 2011 MBP because I just bought a iMac. Could someone please tell me how to remove all my information from it but leave the OS working. Thanks so much.

How do I securely delete data from the machine?
Erase, formatting, OS X installs on Mac's

How do you remove all personal info from a notebook when getting it ready for the recycle program?

I havae purchased a new notebook and am getting my old MacBook Pro ready to submit to the recycle program at Apple. The list of "to-do's" asks that you remove all your personal info and take the notebook back to it's original settings. Does ayone have any advise on how to do this?

Boot from the original OS installer disk and do an Erase & Install.
When the Mac reboots into Mac Setup Assistant you quit and shut it down.
It's now a brand new Mac... just like when you got it.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5852122_restore-imac-factory-settings.html
http://www.macworld.com/article/158670/2011/03/prepare_sell_mac.html

How do I remove my personal information from my old iPod touch?

Hello everyone. I am looking at buying a fifth generation iPod Touch and my father gave me the idea of giving him my third generation iPod Touch. How do I go about removing my personal data, including my Apple ID from the device? When I get the new iPod, I want to have my existing Apple ID set up on the new device. Will my father be able to add an Apple ID to my third generation iPod Touch once he has created his own Apple account?

Back up your iPod before you wipe it and you can restore your new iPod from the backup:
iOS: Back up and restore your iOS device with iCloud or iTunes

Erase all personal information from intel based IMac MA589LL using Lion 10.7.4

i wanyt to erase all personal from my IMac MA589LL intel based using Lion so i can give away

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11927841#11927841
Do note that your Lion installation is tied to your AppleID and isn't transferrable.

How to back up and then purge personal information from iPad 2?

I want to take advantage of the trade in offer at Apple for the iPad. Before the trade in, I will back up my iPad2 to my iMac. I will also need to purge all personal information from the iPad2.
2 questions:
1. Once the iPad2 is backed up to the iMac, when I purchase the iPad air and sync it with the iMac - will all the apps, etc populate on the new iPad air or will I have to re-install everything?
2. What are the steps to purge personal information from the iPad2? Where are all the locations that personal information may exist and do I need to go to each location individually to delete or is there a way to delete all at one time?

1. Yes. When you restore from the backup and sync the new iPad to your iMac everything should be placed on the new iPad just as it was on the old one. Apps, data, photos, etc...
iOS: Back up and restore your iOS device with iCloud or iTunes
2. You will have to reset the iPad to Factory condition to wipe everything off. Follow these steps to clean it completely.
What to do before selling or giving away your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

How do I stop my MacBook removing all my icons from the desktop ?

How do I stop my MacBook removing all my icons from the desktop ?

Hi Matt
After I create say a word document, file it on my desktop and then shut down my machine. The next time I open up the MacBook the file icon has been removed from the desktop. I can still retrieve the file in a folder labeled with the month I created it. But why has the OS removed it from the desktop and how can I stop it happening?
It happens to alias icons as well!
Regards

Removing all prior info from imac we sold

We purchased a new imac from the Apple Store online which will arrive in a few days. Our G5 iMac has been sold and we would like to prepare it so that all personal information and files are removed before the new owner picks it up. Please assist us in removing anything of personal nature on it. We are leaving the application programs we installed in it.

If you want to leave the current OS and apps as is, you have to first remove all personal data files. You can create a new admin user account in System Preferences Users & Groups pane. Make sure it is Admin. Log out and log in to the new user account. After making sure everything works as expected from that new admin user account, delete the old user account(s). If you kept all of your user data in the user home folder, this should erase your personal data. Be sure to provide the user name and password for the new account to the new owner.
Note: It is possible that some personal data will remain, because you don't know it's there, such in cache, log files, and other files used by the OS and apps. Also, if you intentionally placed personal data outside of the user home folder, you will need to find and remove those folders and files manually.
To ensure the erased files cannot be recovered (using common data recovery tools), do the following:
Run Disk Utility.
In the sidebar, select the iMac's internal drive volume. Select the volume, indented under the drive, not the drive. It is named Macintosh HD, unless you renamed it.
Go to the Erase tab. Click the Erase Free Space button. Using the fastest option (one pass), it will write zeros over all the free space, which makes the data unrecoverable (except by highly specialized tools that most people do not have access to). If you are "paranoid," you can select to do more passes (takes longer). Click the Erase Free Space button. This can take some time, depending on the size of the volume and amount of free space.
You should provide the original discs that came with the Mac to the new owner.

I want to erase all personal information on my mac. When i format the HD, should i only erase the macintosh HD or also erase the other options it gives me?

I'm selling my Macbook Pro and would like all personal information to be gone FOREVER! No possible way for the buyer to be able to recover my information. Do i only need to format the Macintosh HD or do i need to erase every option it gives then just reinstall mountain lion?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
If you don't want that your data can be recoverable by its owner, you can use one of the Disk Utility's secure erase options.
To access to that option, hold Command and R keys while your computer is starting, open Disk Utility and, after selecting Macintosh HD and going to the Erase tab, press "Security Options" and select one. This will take a few hours, but you can be sure the files won't be recoverable by the owner.
Finally, reinstall OS X. Note that the owner won't be able to reinstall OS X because it's registered to your account, so he/she may have issues. In this case, if you upgraded OS X in the computer, you can download OS X from the App Store and create a bootable DVD or USB drive with OS X Mountain Lion with Lion Diskmaker

HT201274 This does NOT erase all personal information

This does NOT erase all personal information! I have performed this and assumed it did what it's supposed to do. IT DOES NOT. There is STILL personal info left on the device! I want to know how to completely erase the device (iPod Touch 8g).

I wondered about the same thing since I have an extra ipod I'd like to sell on eBay. I tested "Erase All Content and Settings" and can confirm Checkmate357's posting. At the very least, your AppleID remains on the device after "Erase All" and can be found by setting up the "new" ipod then going to settings / app store. I agree that this is a serious matter and it makes me wonder what else might slip through the cracks during "Erase All."
Even after signing out then repeating "Erase All," I found the device would recover my Apple ID and attempt to use it to sign into the APP store.
In a third test, I repeated above then disconnected the dock cable before pressing "start using ipod" and found my Apple ID was no longer there. I think the device may be pulling the user ID from iTunes through the dock connector. But I could be wrong.
It's my understanding that solid state media is easier to reformat and erase because you don't have to rewrite over existing files. If this is true, then this problem should be easy for Apple to remedy this, if it is indeed a problem.

How can i remove all PC authorizations from iTunes account?

How can i remove all PC authorizations from iTunes account?

Removing a credit card from an account - iTunes Store: Changing Account Information - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1918 - More information at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/15891166

Removal all personal information from macbook before sending to reseller

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