Reset/restore iMac for kids' use

I am giving my 2007 iMac to the kids and want to wipe out all of my docs, photos, music so it is free for their own stuff (homework, photos, etc).
I'm running Lion and it seems that if I reset to factory settings I will have to reinstall with the discs that came with the machine which was Leopard (or maybe Snow, don't remember).
If I do that, how do I get Lion back?
Do I even need to go to that level of wiping out since it is staying here (ie., not selling it to someone else)?
If not, how do I just get rid of my data but keep Lion and all the apps?
Thanks.

The Apple Support Communities are an international user to user technical support forum. As a man from Mexico, Spanish is my native tongue. I do not speak English very well, however, I do write in English with the aid of the Mac OS X spelling and grammar checks. I also live in a culture perhaps very very different from your own. When offering advice in the ASC, my comments are not meant to be anything more than helpful and certainly not to be taken as insults.
Following the directions for OS X Restore, you should be able to erase the internal HDD, reinstall Lion and then configure the iMac for your kids.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

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http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/printer/Officejet/1/storefronts/CB023A%2523B1 H
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Restoring iMac for sale

Hi
I have just bought a new iMac i7.
Have sold my iMac Core 2 Duo 3.06Ghz. I would like to no how to clear the hard drive of all my stuff, and restore the iMac to as new, so the new buyer can set it up for themselves, and not be able to access my private data. I do have all the original CD's supplied with the machine. It came running Snow Leopard.

Have a look at this.
http://hivelogic.com/articles/how-to-prepare-a-mac-for-sale
He suggests the 7 pass zero. That is overkill. One pass zero is completely sufficient.
Or this one, but he neglects to mention you should zero out the drive first before reinstalling. With this one, I believe you can install the bundled software from the second disc, where I'm not certain that will be possible using the first method (or use the first method and let the buyer install the bundled software since you are supplying both discs.)
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phunk wrote:
I use the AE both for home to stream music, at the office to extend a network and while traveling to create wireless network in hotel rooms. Each time I have to reset the base station and basically start over. I use Leopard at home and Vista at work and travel. Is there something I can do to not have to go through the whole setup process each time?
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Hello Eby,
is there a way to format/restore it for Windows use on my Mac ?.
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How do I reset an iMac?

How do I reset an iMac for recycle?

http://www.thesafemac.com/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-sale/
Choose Zero Out Data. Do not select 7 or 35 pass. A one pass zero is sufficient. Anything else will be overkill and may leave you twiddling your thumbs for days.

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What does it mean when my ipad is in Recovery mode? It's connected to my imac for software update and it says I must "restore" the ipad before itunes can be used. Will I lose everything on my ipad?

Unless you have a backup from which you can restore, yes you will lose all of your data and settings.
You should be able to sync your content back to the iPad if you have been syncing with iTunes all along. If you don't sync with iTunes, you can download much of your paid content again for free as long as you use the same Apple ID. This explains downloading past purchases.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
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How can I access the password or, if necessary, reset it.
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I am gifting my iMac to my niece and need to wipe the disc for her use. I have an external backup and also (smile) a brand new iMac I'll need to set up.What is the "best" process for ensuring the safety of my information as well as providing a "new" comp

Gang,
I've just purchased a new iMac for myslef and am gifting my "old" iMac to Niece. Original iMac has Snow Leopard upgrade (came with Leopard) as well as Word for Mac -student addition. I also have an external backup drive and use Time Machine as specified.
What are the easy and appropraite steps to provide my niece a "new" iMac (clean and free of my items) as well as protect my info so I can place on my new iMac? Will I also need to de-authorixe audible for iTunes?
Thank you for your help. I know this is probably a very basic procedure but I want to get it correct and ensure I don't harm either iMac.
Best,
pshdawg1

pshdawg1 wrote:
Gang,
I've just purchased a new iMac for myslef and am gifting my "old" iMac to Niece. Original iMac has Snow Leopard upgrade (came with Leopard) as well as Word for Mac -student addition. I also have an external backup drive and use Time Machine as specified.
Well I don't think your niece is going to rob you blind or sell your company secrets to the highest bidder, so a full 7x- 35x government grade overwrite and operating install is likely overkill.
Just likley some personal files, pictures and videos, stuff like that you want to make sure doesn't get seen.
My suggestion is to clean out your user level files manually in each of your Documents, Pictures etc folders, any bookmarks in browsers (reset Safari, clear cache) and emails you don't want carried on.
Then download and run the cleaning aspects of OnyX, followed by a Disk Utility > Erase Free Space option. (in your Applications/Utilities folder)
http://www.titanium.free.fr/
You can create another Admin account in her name/nick and delete the first one with your name and all that.
If you really want to get rid of your name from everywhere in the comptuer, then the only option is a c boot from the installer disk, Disk Utility Erase with Zero (7x or even 35x overwrite) and then resintall OS X and shutdown the machine,
When this is done, OS X boots into the first "Welcome to OS X" video you saw when you first setup the machine. Of course you lose Word as that's not on the installer disk. But LibreOffice is free and much much better.
http://www.libreoffice.org/
pshdawg1 wrote:
Will I also need to de-authorixe audible for iTunes?
Your allowed up to 5 computers with your iTunes content, but you can deauthorize the computer in iTunes so it doesn't take one of your authorizations.
Also before you do anything, make a MANUAL backup of your data to another drive just in case Time Machine/Migration ***. etc doesn't screw the new pooch on you like it's been known to do.
I always c boot off the new installer disk on new machines and Disk Utility Erase with Zero option the entire boot drive then reinstall OS X, it's not that I'm paranoid, it's that drives are not checked for bad sectors at the factory, they just slap OS X on it and off it goes, problems appear later on as people use the drive or can't read the software correctly off the drive.
So I map off the bad sectors ahead of time, so the software is on good sectors and never have a post issue like others do with new machines.
If you ordered a Mac with custom software installed, obiously your going to need to reinstall it after this.

Need to reset imac for selling

Hi I am trying to reset my imac and somehow have messed it up all i have at startup is the image of a folder with a ? flashing on screen

Before you sell or give away your computer, in addition to the steps listed in this support article, take these steps:
1. Run Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test. The buyer will do this (or he should), and you don't want to be surprised by the results.
2. Reset the PRAM and the SMC, which might contain personal information.
3. If you set a firmware password, remove it by running Firmware Password Utility in Recovery mode.
4. If you activated FileVault in OS X 10.7 or later, turn it off.
5. If you use Boot Camp, the partition must be deleted.
6. If you created any other data partitions on the internal drive, remove them in Disk Utility.
7. If the machine has an internal hard drive, erase the one remaining data partition with the option to zero out data. An SSD doesn't need to be zeroed.
You can't legally or practically transfer any software downloaded from the Mac App Store to the new owner of the machine, even if it was free. That includes OS X, so if you upgraded to OS X 10.7 or later, you must reinstall an older OS, either from the installation media, if applicable, or by starting up in Internet Recovery mode (option-command-R at the startup chime.) If you installed from physical media, deliver those to the new owner.
If you're selling the machine, or donating it in working order, and it originally shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, then you have the option of installing either from the discs that came with it or from a retail Snow Leopard disc (which you must then transfer to the buyer.) The buyer should understand that if he doesn't get the original discs from you, he won't get the bundled iLife applications or the Apple Hardware Test. Replacements for the original discs can be ordered from Apple.
The new owner will have to redownload any software that came from the App Store, including OS X upgrades, under his or her Apple ID. If you ever updated the bundled iLife applications (Garage Band, iMovie, and iPhoto) through the App Store, you can't transfer those either. The buyer will have to purchase them.
Remove the machine from your list of registered products. If it's still covered by an AppleCare Protection Plan, transfer the coverage to the new owner by following the instructions in the AppleCare Terms and Conditions (under the heading "Transfer of Plan.")

Reset/restore iMac for kids' use

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