iMac 2012 resurrection help needed.

[Triops1954]

I’ve been given my mates late 2012 (Mountain Lion) iMac 21” with Catalina installed as the latest version. After getting corrected batteries out of the keyboard it’s working well and am backing up his files to an external drive and will sign him out as per Apple’s suggestions so it can be transferred to me as a new owner. He could never get on with it!

My questions are:

1) if I make a MacOS boot usb using its present macOS on the iMac I have been given will it allow me to upload that OS from the boot usb stick and allow me to input my Apple ID as a ‘new’user so I end up with Catalina on this iMac with my new Apple ID?

or do I have to download Mountain Lion its original macOS when it was purchased in late 2012.

I am very familiar with iPhones, PCs and Linux but not Macs so you help would be very much appreciated. This iMac is still lovely and I want to avoid ‘bricking’ it

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I have a few questions.

1. You have access to his account, yes?
2. Do you need, or I suppose need to have access to updates, the applications he installed?
3. Is there some kind of security reason he'd want his data completely erased?

Oh, wait, your question is simply can you use a bootable Catalina USB to erase/reinstall the OS and start from scratch with your credentials?

Yes.

Mountain Lion is simply the oldest OS it can run, you can erase/reinstall with any OS that's supported by the machine.

 

[Triops1954]

I have a few questions.

1. You have access to his account, yes?
2. Do you need, or I suppose need to have access to updates, the applications he installed?
3. Is there some kind of security reason he'd want his data completely erased?

Oh, wait, your question is simply can you use a bootable Catalina USB to erase/reinstall the OS and start from scratch with your credentials?

Yes.

Mountain Lion is simply the oldest OS it can run, you can erase/reinstall with any OS that's supported by the machine.

Thanks, He’s got his data on a PC but I’ve put his photos on a hard disk regardless. It’s up on his iCloud anyway. Yes I have all his account details. His data is in his iCloud plus now on a usb drive.

So creating a bootable stick from this working iMac will be ok for me to use to boot up with me as the only user. Basically I’m putting the computer into ‘resale’ condition. Correct me if that’s not the case. Anyway thanks for your help on this. I thought if have to climb up from M Lion stage by stage to Catalina😳

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Thanks, He’s got his data on a PC but I’ve put his photos on a hard disk regardless. It’s up on his iCloud anyway. Yes I have all his account details. His data is in his iCloud plus now on a usb drive.

So creating a bootable stick from this working iMac will be ok for me to use to boot up with me as the only user. Basically I’m putting the computer into ‘resale’ condition. Correct me if that’s not the case. Anyway thanks for your help on this. I thought if have to climb up from M Lion stage by stage to Catalina😳

yup.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Thanks, He’s got his data on a PC but I’ve put his photos on a hard disk regardless. It’s up on his iCloud anyway. Yes I have all his account details. His data is in his iCloud plus now on a usb drive.

So creating a bootable stick from this working iMac will be ok for me to use to boot up with me as the only user. Basically I’m putting the computer into ‘resale’ condition. Correct me if that’s not the case. Anyway thanks for your help on this. I thought if have to climb up from M Lion stage by stage to Catalina😳

You do NOT have to climb up from M Lion to Catalina.

Boot up with the drive, erase the disk, install catalina, done.