How to restore a 2007 Macbook to factory settings - without a disk?

[lilyb]

I recently got a new Macbook Pro and am giving my old 2007 refurbished Macbook to a friend. It is running Leopard.

I want to reset it to factory settings, format it, delete everything - you get it.

I don't think I have a ~disk~ that people are referring to in other forums, and I've tried to do the reboot - command+r, command+s, command+option+r, but nothing seems to work, and I think this may be because I have such an old model.

Help! I know this is a frequently asked question but none of the other tricks have worked for me. I just want to make sure everything's gone when I give it away, that's all.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Those commands for Internet Recovery, for which your model has not been equipped.
Maybe get Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and do a clean install.

To create a Clean Install (formerly known as Erase & Install) of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (the 19 USD Upgrade DVD is a fully working retail version of Mac OS X and does not need a prior installation of Mac OS X on the Mac, it is available on the Apple Online Store), follow one of the following guides:

• Short version: Clean Install of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
• Long version: Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard: How to Erase and Install

 

[Weaselboy]

I recently got a new Macbook Pro and am giving my old 2007 refurbished Macbook to a friend. It is running Leopard.

I want to reset it to factory settings, format it, delete everything - you get it.

I don't think I have a ~disk~ that people are referring to in other forums, and I've tried to do the reboot - command+r, command+s, command+option+r, but nothing seems to work, and I think this may be because I have such an old model.

Help! I know this is a frequently asked question but none of the other tricks have worked for me. I just want to make sure everything's gone when I give it away, that's all.

If you don't have the factory install DVD or a retail install DVD from Apple, there is not much you can do to get a "fresh" install.

Given this is to a friend, you can just create a new admin user account for the friend, then login to that account and delete your account. That will erase all your personal files from the machine. It may leave behind some configuration files in the system area, but there is nothing personal in them and they are harmless.