Restoring Mac Mini to factory settings

I am trying to restore my MAC MINI to factory settings.
I am unable to access "disk utility" by restarting while holding down COMMAND+R keys.
I am using a windows keyboard.
Please help.
Thanks

Turn off the Mac. Do not restart.
Then, with your finger over the Alt key, turn on the unit, and depress the Alt key just after doing so. You should have it depressed well before you hear the chime and keep it depressed until after the list of bootable devices pops up. If you see an apple logo then things have not worked.
Keeping the key down before you startup often makes computers think that the key is stuck and ignore it altogether. I've not seen it on Macs but I certainly have on PCs.

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Restoring Mac Mini to factory settings - which disk do I select?

Hello,
I am trying to restore my mac mini to factory settings.
I was able to access the disk utility but am not sure which disk I should select before erasing.
Options in Utilities pane:
500.11 GB Toshiba MK506GSXF Media
     Macintosh HD
Disc 1
     Mac OS X Base System
I want to reformat disk so that no existing data is retrievable AND want to be able to resintall the operating system thereby restoring to factory settings.
Your help is much appreciated!

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.

How do I restore Mac mini to factory settings?

I received a Mac mini from my mom & I want to wipe the entire unit & place my info on it and I'm not familiar with Macs. I could use a little help please

If it shipped with Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier, insert its original disk and restart the computer with the C key held down.
If it shipped with Mac OS X 10.7 or newer, restart with the Command and R keys held down.
Use the Disk Utility to erase the partition with Mac OS X installed, and then install a fresh OS onto it.
(98317)

Completely restore mac mini to factory

how do i completely restore a mac mini to factory settings and totally wipe out any casched info?

If the computer has Lion or later, boot into the recovery partition and reformat/reinstall the OS
Some Solutions for Resetting Forgotten Security Questions: Apple Support Communities
- Other do the same with the OS installation disks

Return 2009 mac mini to factory settings without disk

Hello I just bought a used 2009 mac mini and it has programs and a partion I dont want    command+R    dose not work I dont think it has a recovery   start up + command only shows one harddrive

If it's running Mavericks but has no Recovery HD, then you need to do the following:
Use a Snow Leopard retail DVD:
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
Be sure to make a backup first because the following procedure will erase
the drive and everything on it.
     1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
         with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
         After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
         a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
     2. 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.
         After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
         size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
         partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
         and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
         (Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
     3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
         with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
     4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
         Assistant. Be sure you configure your initial admin account with the exact same
         username and password that you used on your old drive. After you finish Setup
         Assistant will complete the installation after which you will be running a fresh
         install of OS X. You can now begin the update process by opening Software
         Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your installation current.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
From here you can redownload Mavericks.

How can I reboot my Mac mini to factory settings. I want to save my iTunes folder and then reload it after the reboot. I am using OS X Mavericks.

Help please

What to do before selling or giving away your Mac
Or simply boot to the recovery partition and go to disk utility and reformat the HD and then reinstall the OS
OS X: About OS X Recovery

How do I restore Mac Mini late 2009 to factory settings. Error occurs.

I have a late 2009 Mac Mini with 2.26 ghz core and 2 GB memory running Lion 10.7.4. I wish to restore my computer to factory settings but when I put in my Snow Leopard disc I continue to get an error message that reads "You can't use this version of the application Install Mac OS X with this version of Mac OS X. You have Install Mac OS X 23.1.1."
I wish to restore my Mac to Snow Leopard and then redownload Lion from the App Store and start fresh with 10.7.4 on my restored Mac but I am finding it incredibly difficult.

You might have to erase the Drive first, but did you try reinstalling Lion from the Restore Partition?
Hold CMD+r keys at bootup?
Otherwise...
1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
   2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at the top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
      *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
   3. Click the Erase tab.

I bought a mac 2 days ago and transferred some files on there using migration assist which I did not want to. How do I restore my imac to factory settings so I can start again?

I bought a mac 2 days ago and transferred some files on there using migration assist which I did not want to. How do I restore my imac to factory settings so I can start again?

Look in /Users folder. You can go to System Preferences > Users & Groups, open the lock and "-" delete the account it created.
This is a problem whenever you use migration assistant after the initial install. The proper way to run Migration Assistant is in Setup Assistant when you first boot your Mac. I don't know why Apple isn't clearer about this issue.

Can't restore MacBook Pro to factory settings/boot from usb or dvd

So I recently got a MacBook Pro, currently running OS X 10.7.4 Lion. I am well-versed in the world of Windows, however am quite new when it comes to macs (whole reason why I got it).
I'm trying to restore it to its factory settings without owning a restore disc. The HDD only has one partition (no recovery partition).
I have located and downloaded a torrent for an OS X installer, specifically a .dmg image file containing OS X 10.7.
I tried burning that image to a DVD, but when I go to boot from the DVD (to my understanding, this is done by holding "C" during boot) it doesn't work, and just continues to proceed to the logon screen as it normally would.
I have tried converting the image from a .dmg to a .iso (something I am far more familiar with) using one of my Windows machines, and then burning that to a DVD, however, it yields the same result as above.
I have tried using the Disc Utility to format a flash drive (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)) and then using the same Disc Utility to "restore" the image file to the USB drive. When I go to boot from this (holding alt/option at boot) it shows the internal HDD as the only bootable drive.
Is it possible that since I am technically running a newer version of Mac OS X (10.7.4 and using an installer of 10.7) that it will not allow me to do so? I know Apple has made it difficult to downgrade iPhones and the like, and I suppose it wouldn't surprise me a great deal to find out that the same applies to their computers.. But if I am attempting to boot from a different source, and use that to format and repartition my HDD, then I don't see why that would matter...
Any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestion, Shootist007, but that's not accurate. There were no disks of any kind included with the MacBook Pro I bought. I am very anal about keeping everything that comes with a computer. I don't misplace or lose them. I've been buying computers since '88, and I am very careful to maintain original items. I searched the original MacBook Pro box several times, and there's nothing in there but the original purchase receipt from the Apple Store and the form fitting black plastic tray and cushion.
I did try wiring the system, and that's when it tried to restore Lion (and wouldn't let me do a restore of anything else).
Are you saying that if I do upgrade to Lion, and then do a system restore, then the buyer will not be able to use Lion?

I recently purchased a new Iphone 5C and want to give my Iphone4S to my husband to use. An old email id that no longer exists keeps popping up and I cannot restore the 4S to factory settings so he can use it as his own. Any suggestions?

I recently purchased a new Iphone 5c and gave my 4s to my husband to use. However an old email address of mine keeps popping up that no longer exists and I don't know what the password was
and I cannot restore the 4s to factory settings. Is there any resolution for this?

Find My iPhone Activation Lock
Find My iPhone Activation Lock- Removing a device from a previous owner’s account
The problem is covered in the above links. Unless you know the Apple ID and password used to set up the Find My Phone lock originally, then the phone is useless. If you have proof of ownership and that you are the original purchaser, then you can ask Apple to release it from the activation lock.

I had to restore my computer to factory settings. It wiped out my itunes and it was not backed up. How do I get the music, including music I did not buy from itunes back on computer?

I had to restore my computer to factory settings, this wiped out my itunes and I did not backup. How do I get the music (including music not purchased from itunes) back on my computer?

Assuming the music is sitting on your iPod, try Detune:
http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/35334/detune
Just be careful that you don't allow the "empty" iTunes to wipe your ipod.

How can i restore mac back to factory

I want to restore my mac back to factory settings. How can I do it? Thanks

see posts here
https://discussions.apple.com/message/18059769#18059769

TS4062 I had to restore my computer to factory settings now i can't sync my phone to my computer,help please

I had to restore my computer to factory settings now I can't sync mine and my husbands IPHOne to my computer

See Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

Item unavailable when restoring a macbook to factory settings

I am in the process of restoring my Macbook to factory settings. while following the steps listed on the Apple website. Unfortunately when I get to the step where you select where the OS X will be installed on, I get an error message that says the item is temporarily unavailable Try again later. I attempted to complete the reset earlier as well and did not have this issue. Unfortunately, I had a limited internet connection and had to cancel. I am now stuck at the Mac OS X Utilities screen unable to install an operating system. I am attempting to reinstall OSX Lion (10.7).
Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hey RyNem,
It sounds as if your erase and reinstall of Lion on your MacBook Pro was interrrupted and you need to start over again. You should be able to restart the computer by holding down the power button to shut it down.
Use the steps in this article to erase and reinstall -
OS X Lion: Erase and reinstall Mac OS X
Note that it is important that you have a good Internet connection when doing this.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Be well,
Brett L

Help please! Urgent! How do I restore my computer to factory settings?

I got a potential buyer for my macbook pro because I'm selling to buy a Mac Pro. Anyway, he wants to pick up the computer in an hour and a half. I need to restore the computer to factory settings WHILE ALSO getting Windows XP off of this computer and making it one big Mac OSX hard drive as if someone just bought it. How do I do that? Please help! THANK YOU!

First, use the Boot Camp software to restore the drive to one partition (although I don't think you need to do this, it can also be done with what I'm about to say). Then, boot up using the system software the computer came with (the grey OS X discs), and open up the Disk Utility program. Format the hard drives you want to format, and if you didn't do the first step I said, I think you can format the Windows drive then format the Mac drive, then merge the two.
Then, restart and re-install the OS (Mac), and everything should be the way it was.
Just make sure to backup any data you want to save!
Hope that helps.

Restoring Mac Mini to factory settings

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