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Reset OS X to intro video/first time use state.

B

Brendon Bauer

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2007
344
0
Good 'ol USofA
Hi, I'm selling my iMac Core 2 Duo on ebay, and I was wondering if when I do a clean erase and install I could have it go back to the intro video state. You know how when you get a new computer from Apple the first time you turn it on it goes through the whole setup and intro and all of that? Well I'd like to set my iMac to do that the next time it's turned on. Is that possible? Also, if I'm going to install an app or two to be there as well as the original apps, could I then reset it to that state again? As in, go through setup or whater, install MS Office for someone, then reset it so that the next user goes through the whole beginning setup again... and when they get into the actual computer MS Office is waiting for them in Applications. Just wondering. It's much handier than asking the person on ebay what they want their shortname to be since you can't ever change that... and telling them the password, etc.

Sorry if this is confusing.. I'm not sure how else to explain this. I'm in a time crunch too, so I didn't have time to search for other posts like this (sorry if this is a common question).

Thanks in advance!
 
after doing a clean install, when it starts for the first time and asks you to start the set-up process, just hit command-q or your power button to turn the computer off. Next time it starts it will carry on from the video. Wouldnt know about pre-installing software though sorry.
 
I kind of figured it would work fine after a wipe and install, but what I really want to know is if I can install MS Office and then reset it back to the intro video/setup.
 
you could always do the clean install, then just supply a copy of the media that you were going to install? either that, or just complete the installation process and create a generic "administrator" account using "administrator" as the first name as well? just some random ideas and ramblings..
 
Yeah, there should always be a spare emergency admin account anyway. So create an 'admin' account called 'admin' with the short name 'admin' and password 'admin' and then he can create his own account later and leave that one there.
 
So should I rename it with like a 2 at the end or something, shut down the computer, and expect it to be reset when I turn it on? If so, can I start the computer up to check it, stop it before it gets too far (like quitting it or something) and then get it shut off so I know for a fact that it will do that the next time for my buyer?

Lastly, if I tried that right now with all my info and stuff still on my HD, would it screw things up just to try it for the heck of it? Could I skip the whole setup and return to my computer normally as it is now? Or will it make me go through the whole setup process again?

Sorry if I sound like such a noob :)
 
Oh wait, that file isn't there (/private), as in I can't see it. My common sense tells me it's invisible... :rolleyes: I'm a complete noob at terminal, so instructions to rename it would be great!
 
Ah, sorry. I don't know why I didn't specify them in my previous post (I thought I had!)

Open Terminal and type

sudo mv /private/var/db/.AppleSetupDone /private/var/db/.setupnotdone

The ".setupnotdone" portion can be whatever you want, really. "/private/var/db/" should be before it, though. It's best to keep it in the same directory for future reference. This will prompt you for your password, type it in and press enter. It shouldn't give you any messages, and you can now close Terminal. I attached a pic for reference -- I forgot the testadmin password, so that's why it prompted me twice. :rolleyes: You may or may not receive the "WARNING:", so thinking that you would, I created a new admin and ran it so you'd see the output verbatim.

There are a few caveats to this whole procedure. The most notable is that the account that you're using is still going to be listed in the Accounts preference pane. Which makes sense, and is also kinda helpful too, because it ensures that they have that backup admin account you were referring to.

EDIT: No, it will not hurt your current install. It will just prompt you to setup your network config (which will likely be autofilled now anyway) and create a user, which you can then delete from the Accounts portion of System Preferences. You'll also need to change the autologin setting back to whatever it was before running the wizard. You can even test it by enabling fast user switching or, if you have autologin disabled, logging out.

Do note that if you do it, you will have to run through the wizard as there's no real way to cancel the procedure. In fact, during testing, I had to run the wizard because I inadvertently locked myself out of single-user mode with the firmware password, and I didn't have my DVDs handy. ;)
 

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That's perfect! Exactly what I needed. I assume if I do this multiple times, it just overwrites the .setupnotdone file, not make copies of it everywhere :rolleyes:. Anyhow, that really comes in handy, so I can preinstall software and still make it an enjoyable experience to my buyer! Thanks for all your help!
 
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