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How do i Re-Install El Capitan on my 2011 iMac? Selling iMac
- Thread starter Benz63amg
- Start date
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Boot to your El Capitan installer.
If you don't have a copy of the installer, then just boot to Internet recovery (restart, holding Command-Option-R)
Erase the 2011 hard drive.
Reinstall El Capitan (or whatever system is presented in Internet Recovery, if that's what you want to do)
When the installer reboots to the new user setup, shut your iMac off. Leave that setup for the new owner.
If you don't have a copy of the installer, then just boot to Internet recovery (restart, holding Command-Option-R)
Erase the 2011 hard drive.
Reinstall El Capitan (or whatever system is presented in Internet Recovery, if that's what you want to do)
When the installer reboots to the new user setup, shut your iMac off. Leave that setup for the new owner.
I only have An actual disc of Lion OSX, should I just reinstall high Sierra for the potential buyer? How do I install a fresh copy of high Sierra?
I'd just install high sierra. You can download it here:
Get macOS High Sierra
You only need a USB flash drive with 8GB of storage to make an installer USB. Here's how to make one:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
If you want to to an erase and install High Sierra, then you need to get a copy of the High Sierra installer.
You can download that installer app from this link.
Make a bootable installer using the instructions from this page. I like 8GB flash drives, but 16GB is easier to find now.
Boot to your new installer drive. Erase the internal HD, then reinstall macOS.
[doublepost=1554518548][/doublepost]
Great minds think alike
You can download that installer app from this link.
Make a bootable installer using the instructions from this page. I like 8GB flash drives, but 16GB is easier to find now.
Boot to your new installer drive. Erase the internal HD, then reinstall macOS.
[doublepost=1554518548][/doublepost]
Great minds think alike
If you want to to an erase and install High Sierra, then you need to get a copy of the High Sierra installer.
You can download that installer app from this link.
Make a bootable installer using the instructions from this page. I like 8GB flash drives, but 16GB is easier to find now.
Boot to your new installer drive. Erase the internal HD, then reinstall macOS.
[doublepost=1554518548][/doublepost]
Great minds think alike
Is there no simpler way to do it? i havent created a bootable installer in many years, can i just opt to install high sierrra ontop of the current version of El Capitan that i have installed and choose Erase and install and be done with it?
Can i clear my data from the computer without reinstalling the OS? what if i just manually uninstall the programs i have installed?
You DID start by asking about the "safest way to do this". "Safest", to me, is the same as "secure', which then means at least a full erase of the drive. That will assure that your own data and files are for all practical purposes, gone forever.
(Consider that your passwords likely still exist on the drive, difficult to retrieve, for sure, but still there. Full erase is your best bet. Removing random apps, leaving your previous system intact doesn't quite do the trick. Full erase, then reinstall, using the bootable installer is your simple way to the safest result.
The bootable installer is NOT difficult to make, and gives a bit of extra value for the new buyer, if you put that bootable installer in the box when you sell the old iMac. (And, you know that the drive gets erased, because you did that)
(Consider that your passwords likely still exist on the drive, difficult to retrieve, for sure, but still there. Full erase is your best bet. Removing random apps, leaving your previous system intact doesn't quite do the trick. Full erase, then reinstall, using the bootable installer is your simple way to the safest result.
The bootable installer is NOT difficult to make, and gives a bit of extra value for the new buyer, if you put that bootable installer in the box when you sell the old iMac. (And, you know that the drive gets erased, because you did that)
The thing is that i havent updated my iMac in a long time which is why its on El Capitan, I much rather re-install El Capitan than upgrade it to High Sierra, How do i do a full restore to El Captian?
i'm afraid something might go wrong during the restore which will corrupt the hard drive or anything like that which will make me then be unable to sell the computer, its been running fantastic on El Capitan all these years
If you want to reinstall el cap it’s the same process as high Sierra. It’s very easy to make the usb and install
Want to do things quick n easy?
Then, do this:
Power down, all the way off.
Press the power on button and hold down command-option-R and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN until the internet symbol appears.
If you're using wifi, you may need to enter your wifi password.
BE PATIENT -- let the Mac boot to internet recovery.
When you get to the utilities menu, open Disk Utility.
Choose the "topmost item" in DU's list (on the left) that represents the physical hard drive inside the Mac.
Click "erase" and choose Mac OS extended with journaling enabled, GUID partition format. If you want, you can do a "secure erase" to zero out the drive. I wouldn't bother, but this is up to you. It WILL take longer to erase the drive this way. I wouldn't recommend more than "1 pass".
OK, once the drive is erased, close DU and open the OS installer.
Accept whatever OS Apple wishes to install.
If the new owner doesn't want it, he/she can put another one on later.
Let the OS install. It's probably going to take a while and involve one or more reboots.
When done, you should see the initial setup screen, asking what language you wish to use.
At this point, I WOULD JUST PULL THE PLUG OUT OF THE WALL and let it "go dark". By doing this, THE NEXT TIME it boots up (when the new owner does it), it will be like "starting from new".
That's how I'd do it.
Others may disagree.
Then, do this:
Power down, all the way off.
Press the power on button and hold down command-option-R and KEEP HOLDING IT DOWN until the internet symbol appears.
If you're using wifi, you may need to enter your wifi password.
BE PATIENT -- let the Mac boot to internet recovery.
When you get to the utilities menu, open Disk Utility.
Choose the "topmost item" in DU's list (on the left) that represents the physical hard drive inside the Mac.
Click "erase" and choose Mac OS extended with journaling enabled, GUID partition format. If you want, you can do a "secure erase" to zero out the drive. I wouldn't bother, but this is up to you. It WILL take longer to erase the drive this way. I wouldn't recommend more than "1 pass".
OK, once the drive is erased, close DU and open the OS installer.
Accept whatever OS Apple wishes to install.
If the new owner doesn't want it, he/she can put another one on later.
Let the OS install. It's probably going to take a while and involve one or more reboots.
When done, you should see the initial setup screen, asking what language you wish to use.
At this point, I WOULD JUST PULL THE PLUG OUT OF THE WALL and let it "go dark". By doing this, THE NEXT TIME it boots up (when the new owner does it), it will be like "starting from new".
That's how I'd do it.
Others may disagree.
Go to the app store and update to the latest version of Mojave. Im sure that your buyer will want to install the latest OS version to use the computer, so just do it for them.