Nuisance issues in clean reinstall on Mini

[pshufd]

I've been trying to wipe my M1 mini 16/512 for resale and spent a while unable to wipe the internal SSD. Option and Command R don't work and it appears that the mini recognizes my USB keyboard too late to get those commands in. Same with my Apple Bluetooth keyboard from 2009. I did create a bootable installer flash drive as well and I couldn't set that as my startup drive. So what does the average user do if they run into this problem?

I reformatted an external SSD and I'm install Big Sur onto it and then will boot into it and wipe the internal drive. I will then remove the external drive and then install from the thumb drive. I fortunately have several external SSDs but I don't think that the average person does too. I suppose that having a relatively recent Apple keyboard doesn't have these problems.

 

[IngerMan]

you need a KB that you can plug into the USB A on MM, can you borrow one?

How to Erase an M1 Mac

This article explains how to erase (or format) the built-in startup disk of a Mac with Apple silicon. Note that erasing your Mac permanently deletes...

www.macrumors.com

 

[DeltaMac]

There is another option...
You can erase all content and settings, leaving only the macOS system - your own files and apps will be gone.

Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings - Apple Support

Use Erase All Content and Settings to quickly and securely erase all of your settings, data, and apps, while maintaining the operating system currently installed.

support.apple.com

 

[pshufd]

you need a KB that you can plug into the USB A on MM, can you borrow one?

How to Erase an M1 Mac

This article explains how to erase (or format) the built-in startup disk of a Mac with Apple silicon. Note that erasing your Mac permanently deletes...

www.macrumors.com

I tried that. Unfortunately the keyboard comes on after the chime and Apple logo. Probably a crappy keyboard.

 

[pshufd]

There is another option...
You can erase all content and settings, leaving only the macOS system - your own files and apps will be gone.

Erase your Mac and reset it to factory settings - Apple Support

Use Erase All Content and Settings to quickly and securely erase all of your settings, data, and apps, while maintaining the operating system currently installed.

support.apple.com

That article is for Monterey and I'm on Big Sur.

I finished installing Big Sur on the external SSD and just erased the internal SSD and was surprised that I had the Activation Lock on and had to enter credentials. I will need to check that it's not on after I get Big Sur installed. If it is, then I guess I'll have to disable it by logging into my iCloud account and then turning off Find My Mac. After which I'll have to reinstall Big Sur again. No wonder that some Macs for sale just have a wiped disk. You have to install macOS yourself.