how do i prepare a MBP for sale?

[sbb155]

I have a MBP, that I want to get ready for sale
How do i do that?
Do i just reinstall the OS?
I have a bootcamp partition, so i need to eliminate that too.
And i want to have the HD wiped so sensitive items cannot be retrieved...
Can someone help out?
THanks guys.
samantha

 

[-Ryan-]

I'd say just make sure, as you say, that everything is back to factory settings. Just reinstalling the operating system will be enough to stop data recovery in 99.9% of cases, but if you're worried it is possible to wipe data in more sophisticated ways. You can check those out in Disk Utility when you boot up onto the restore disk. There's no need to delete the Boot Camp patition first if you're going to be wiping the whole disk, so just do it all in one go.
Also, maybe think about cleaning the computer itself so it looks presentable..use iKlear if you have it.

 

[parapup]

1) Deactivate all your activations - iTunes Store/Audible etc. Backup all your data from OSX as well as Windows Partition if any - documents, music, Application data etc. Use external drive for this.
2) Insert the OSX Installer DVD #1 and boot from it (Press C while booting)
3) After the installer starts go to utilities->Disk utility
4) Click on the disk in left hand pane (not the partition that is child of the disk)
5) Select the Erase tab. Click on the Security options and select the one that mentions Zero and then come back to the erase tab and click erase - leave it running and go out for a walk - it takes time to zero the disk
6) Create a single Mac partition (HFS+ Journaled)
7) Install OSX as usual on the new partition - leave out the part where it asks you to register and create a new account - new owner can do that and it provides a like-new experience to the buyer

I think I covered everything - you should be all set to sell the laptop after performing above steps. Good luck!