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Clean install 10.5 without disc? Selling on craigslist! Need help!

Y

yth

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 17, 2012
95
0
I'm selling my laptop on Craigslist. I'd like to clean install -both to protect my files, and to give the new user a clean slate. Unfortunately, I lost the install disc (I bought it ~5 years ago). Can anyone tell me how to do a clean install - or at least do something reasonable - without an install disc? Since I'm selling this on Craigslist, I don't really want to spend $30 to upgrade to 10.6.

Would it work to create a new account, then delete my current account? Or would my files still be vulnerable? Since I own the license to 10.5, could I download it from The Pirate Bay and use the serial number that came with the computer? Where would I find the serial number? Thanks!
 
1. There is no serial number that has to be entered to install OS X.

2. You can't really install the system without an installer.

3. If you are selling a Mac of that vintage, then ideally, you should sell a disk that installs the system. The disk IS the licence to use the OS. If the disk belongs to one person and the Mac to another, then that is technically the same as installing the OS licensed to you on someone else's computer.
Selling without a disk reduces the value of the computer.

4. You can (or could) buy the original disks that come with a Mac from Apple for a small fee. That may have changed now that Snow Leopard disks are quite cheap, of course.

Obviously, things have changed with Lion and onward now that there are no disks for those Macs.

You could delete everything in the user account, and in folders like /Library/Preferences. There is also a hidden file that marks whether the opening "Welcome to OS X" setup app has been run. Deleting it will re-initiate that at the next startup. I can't remember the details, but a quick Google should find it easily enough.
 
Thanks! I'll just grab it from TPB and throw it on a USB. I don't even own any media to burn onto
 
1. This forum's not keen on talking about such things.

2. Pirated versions of OS X have been known to contain malware. I certainly wouldn't want to buy a Mac with a OS from an untrusted source.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like those instructions wouldn't delete files in /Applications or /Library? It looks like they only delete things under /Users/..., etc.
 
yth said:
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like those instructions wouldn't delete files in /Applications or /Library? It looks like they only delete things under /Users/..., etc.
Click to expand...

It does leave 3rd party apps(easy enough to delete also) and App support files(which do nothing), but it does remove all the User files and settings. It is starting clean, even to the point of going through the OS Setup like a new install.
 
why go through all that hassle?
Just delete all the apps you own/license.
Remove all settings from User/Library/Application Support/ and /Preferences

Then remove those from Library/Application Support and /Preferences


Create a new Admin account and delete your old one and you should be fine.
 
AppleNewton said:
why go through all that hassle?
Just delete all the apps you own/license.
Remove all settings from User/Library/Application Support/ and /Preferences

Then remove those from Library/Application Support and /Preferences


Create a new Admin account and delete your old one and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

I added one more step to this. I also wiped deleted space after deleting my old admin account and its home folder.
 
benwiggy said:
1. This forum's not keen on talking about such things.

2. Pirated versions of OS X have been known to contain malware. I certainly wouldn't want to buy a Mac with a OS from an untrusted source.
Click to expand...

Going fishing on a large boat with cannons for OS X has always worked for me. It won't make a difference for apple if I get discs on eBay, clone from my G5, or fish. Does it really make any difference if I clone my OS X install partition on my G5 to a FireWire drive and install it on my G5 iMac, or if I fish for a DMG and clone it to the FireWire drive. If I bought a DVD I'd have to clone it to an image, and copy that image to the iMac while in Target Disk mode, and then install it, the optical drive is dead. Each way makes zero difference for apple.
 
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