Wipe for resale - have no install or repair disks

Question

I am ready to sell my old iBook on eBay, but of course I need to wipe it first. I bought it used, and it did not come with ANY install or repair disks. How can I wipe it without those?

Answer 1

The idea to make another OS X user account (admin level) is good, if the old iBook has an
OS X 10.1 ~ 10.3 installed on its hard disk drive. As suggested, this requires certain steps.
What kind of OS does it have? OS 9.x can be easy if you have some basic utilities. If there
is a mac user group or a used computer store around with Macs, talk to someone about
this matter. Sometimes, you can find Mac OS discs in charity thrift stores; or craigslist ads.
If no OS X in the computer... and you just want your stuff totally wiped:
If you have access to another Mac with FireWire ports, a dual-end FireWire cable could
be used to connect two FW capable Macs; and then boot this iBook G3 into FireWire
*Target Disk Mode*, to use the other Mac's Disk Utility, to secure erase the iBook's internal
hard disk drive; then be sure the partition map is Apple Partition Map, (APM) & reformat
the hard disk drive to HFS+ (journaled) so at some later time, someone would be able
to install a working OS 9.2 or OS X 10.2 on the computer by simply using an install CD.
Without the discs, you can't totally erase everything; and if you use a different system
than one may expect in the computer to erase it, then another new owner may be lost.
{And you can't use an older installer disc than the computer; it has to be either the exact
version it would have shipped with when new, or a retail full install newer than the Mac.
Since the model you have there, usually has a CD-ROM or CD-RW drive, an OS X
version would have to be a Retail set on several CDs. Not one from a different Mac.}
The software set the computer shipped with would be about the best to have with it;
and to have sold that without its original Apple install/restore software packet was not
responsible. The software is an official part of the computer sale, to be included.
With the iBook G3 (white model?) erased and reformatted, anyone with a retail OS 9.2.1
CD could install a working system fairly easy. A few downloads to update that to 9.2.2
are online; but there are no official sources to download the whole OS 9.2 installer and
the OS is no longer available from Apple directly. Some resellers may have suitable disc
sets, or retail ones newer than the computer, which may be supported by the hardware.
You may be able to find information about the install disc set (missing) through use of the
database download from MacTracker: http://mactracker.ca & online @ http://everymac.com
There are Identify by serial number web sites; where build info about your Mac can be found
to help further detail the specific hardware configuration (& help find suitable OS disc sets.)
Once the computer is erased and formatted correctly, it may be possible install a test
OS 9.2 system on there, since OS 9 supports 'drag and drop' installation; this may be
possible if the file were in another computer connected by FireWire (target disc mode.)
There are several means of working around issues specific to older systems & hardware;
so if you have time and interest, the answers are available in greater detail - if needed.
If you can erase & reformat the old iBook, someone could install/restore an OS later.
Good luck & happy computing!