Safest Way To Wipe My Mac

[MadDoc]

Hi,

I have just taken delivery of my brand spanking new MBP (C2D 2.2Ghz, 2GB RAM, 200GB HD) and am going to sell my MacBook on ebay.

What is the safest way to ensure that all of my data is well and truly removed from my old MacBook.

Do I just need to insert the install disc and format the drive? Will that suffice?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

MadDoc

 

[shu82]

Hi,

I have just taken delivery of my brand spanking new MBP (C2D 2.2Ghz, 2GB RAM, 200GB HD) and am going to sell my MacBook on ebay.

What is the safest way to ensure that all of my data is well and truly removed from my old MacBook.

Do I just need to insert the install disc and format the drive? Will that suffice?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

MadDoc

Just boot it up with the install disk. Then format the hard drive. Make sure to choose the option to write over. Do as many passes as your patience can allow(One is good enough for me), then reinstall the OS.

 

[sxl95]

I'm not sure of the name of the option, but shu82 is correct. It is an advanced option, but you can overwrite your data multiple times. I think the options might be once, 7 or 8 times, and 30 times.

Just look around in Disk Utility on the OS install CD/DVD.

-Sam

 

[TantalizedMind]

Wipe my.... oh... Mac.? I thought this was going somewhere else.

 

[locovaca]

DBAN!!!

 

[apb3]

disk utility offers several options. Weigh the time vs security issues and whatever you feel comfortable with - go with it.

for some light reading on the subject...

http://www.dss.mil/isp/odaa/documents/nispom2006-5220.pdf

... for what we currently need to do with our stuff.

erasing the drive and re-writing with zeros a few times (I think the last time I did this for my sister-in-law - a few years back now - I used 5 passes and it took a few hours) would be fine for your everday stuff though.

On the other hand, I have, over the years, received two used macs, an appleTV, a Wii and one old windows box with various amounts and types of personal (some VERY personal if you know what I mean) info readily available to me with little or NO!! effort. So, be careful.

Luckily for those jokers, I am an honest guy and did nothing nefarious with the info. I did contact them using said personal info to make sure that they were more careful in the future... I was a boy scout after all.

 

[seahawk09]

DBAN!!!

I concur with loco this program is awsome i have used it on my pc a couple times the RCMP even use it for there machines and the military that should convince people