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Restore iMac to sell?

G

gaddster

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 26, 2013
85
0
liverpool, england
Hi Guys

Now I know my NEW 27' imac is in the country, I am selling my beloved 2010 iMac.

I have plenty of backups via time machine and copied various folders just in case I need them

Can I do a clean restore or just set up a new user and delete my current user account (will this delete all of my personal docs etc?)

Or should I just do a fresh restore (not sure how to do that though!
 
I would boot from the install disk, and do a security wipe of the hard drive from Disk Utilities. then just do a fresh install.
 
Very simple! When the new machine is turned on for the first time it will initiate Startup Assistant. One question SA is whether you are migrating from another Mac, choose yes then follow the on screen instructions, one option is restoring from Time Machine, choose it and you are on the way!
 
I think the question was about cleaning off the old one, not setting up the new one.
 
gaddster said:
so would this revert to the old operating software i initially bought the mac within april 2010?? or would it keep mountain lion?
Click to expand...

It would install whichever OS you put in the machine. I personally would use the Install disc that came with your machine, if you have that available. Effectively, you are transferring the license to the new owner. Was that 10.6? If you don't still have the original discs, then you could always download any of the upgrades that you have purchased via the Mac App Store, and make a bootable USB drive of that image. A quick Google search will nab you an app to create that USB stick.

I wouldn't use your current version 10.8. Apple may be really flexible with their upgrade licenses, they don't use product keys like Microsoft, but you do agree to specific terms when you buy software. Maybe go with 10.7, as you won't be using it on the new machine, and it isn't that outdated. (Yes I know he got a new license with the new machine.)

The important part is to do the secure wipe. It may take all night, but it is the best way to protect yourself short of pulling the drive and drilling a hole in it.
 
bflowers said:
It would install whichever OS you put in the machine. I personally would use the Install disc that came with your machine, if you have that available. Effectively, you are transferring the license to the new owner. Was that 10.6? If you don't still have the original discs, then you could always download any of the upgrades that you have purchased via the Mac App Store, and make a bootable USB drive of that image. A quick Google search will nab you an app to create that USB stick.

I wouldn't use your current version 10.8. Apple may be really flexible with their upgrade licenses, they don't use product keys like Microsoft, but you do agree to specific terms when you buy software. Maybe go with 10.7, as you won't be using it on the new machine, and it isn't that outdated. (Yes I know he got a new license with the new machine.)

The important part is to do the secure wipe. It may take all night, but it is the best way to protect yourself short of pulling the drive and drilling a hole in it.
Click to expand...

Surely when I bought Mountain lion, I bought the licence for the imac and macbook pro, so when my nw Imac comes it will have a different licence?

PS yes it was 10.6 snow leopard, so long ago now ha
 
Last edited:
gaddster said:
Surely when I bought Mountain lion, I bought the licence for the imac and macbook pro, so when my nw Imac comes it will have a different licence?

PS yes it was 10.6 snow leopard, so long ago now ha
Click to expand...

When you bought ML according to the license agreement is for any mac's that you own to install on... when you sell that mac you cannot transfer the license to the new owner. your best bet is to install the drive back to the securely delete the HDD and use the restore media that came with the Mac and make sure when you sell it you include those discs with the Machine...
 
yeah I had to do another erase but select the security option etc.

All working fine now, back to its original state, bless

Now come on customs, release my new 27" beast :D
 
gaddster said:
Surely when I bought Mountain lion, I bought the licence for the imac and macbook pro, so when my nw Imac comes it will have a different licence?

PS yes it was 10.6 snow leopard, so long ago now ha
Click to expand...

Yes, it did. However, I've seem to recall reading somewhere that user data is imbedded somewhere in it, so that copy you purchased via the App Store and downloaded, may have your iTunes ID imbedded in it. It I was selling it to someone that wasn't already well known to me, I would want the older disk install. That is just me.
 
bflowers said:
Yes, it did. However, I've seem to recall reading somewhere that user data is imbedded somewhere in it, so that copy you purchased via the App Store and downloaded, may have your iTunes ID imbedded in it. It I was selling it to someone that wasn't already well known to me, I would want the older disk install. That is just me.
Click to expand...

Its a friends daughter so I have told her to buy the ML software from the app store when I deliver the imac tomorrow, £13.99 is a good buy really.
 
gaddster said:
so would this revert to the old operating software i initially bought the mac within april 2010?? or would it keep mountain lion?
Click to expand...

You should be able to install it with the original reinstallation disks. If you're selling it, it's polite to deliver it with a clean installation.

gaddster said:
Its a friends daughter so I have told her to buy the ML software from the app store when I deliver the imac tomorrow, £13.99 is a good buy really.
Click to expand...

Snow Leopard is a pretty solid OS unless you specifically need some of the newer stuff.
 
I'm giving my old iMac to a family member and I would also like to clean it up. However, I don't want to wipe the drive clean as I would like to give it to her with iLife and some of the other non-registered apps. At the same time I need to get rid of my bookmarks, browsing history, and data. I'm sure it's simple, just a time consuming manual process.
 
stockcerts said:
I'm giving my old iMac to a family member and I would also like to clean it up. However, I don't want to wipe the drive clean as I would like to give it to her with iLife and some of the other non-registered apps. At the same time I need to get rid of my bookmarks, browsing history, and data. I'm sure it's simple, just a time consuming manual process.
Click to expand...

Then create a new user, make it Admin. Delete your old account, then make sure there aren't files of yours outside the User folders. Do use Disk Utilities to securely erase free space. Log in under the new user and double check all browsing data is cleared, and that you can't find anything of yours.

If you have access to reinstall the Apps you want, I would still do a clean install. Many third party apps are simply drag and drop. If you have registration keys for any, you could reinstall those too. Or, you could use Time Machine and Migration Assistant to simply install just the Apps back to the computer after a full wipe and reinstall. Again, give it a once over before handing it over.
 
bflowers said:
Then create a new user, make it Admin. Delete your old account, then make sure there aren't files of yours outside the User folders. Do use Disk Utilities to securely erase free space. Log in under the new user and double check all browsing data is cleared, and that you can't find anything of yours.

If you have access to reinstall the Apps you want, I would still do a clean install. Many third party apps are simply drag and drop. If you have registration keys for any, you could reinstall those too. Or, you could use Time Machine and Migration Assistant to simply install just the Apps back to the computer after a full wipe and reinstall. Again, give it a once over before handing it over.
Click to expand...

When you delete a user account, you have the option of secure erasing the account.

Personally, I enable FileVault II. My above statement may be function of FVII... I am just not sure.

/Jim
 
flynz4 said:
When you delete a user account, you have the option of secure erasing the account.

Personally, I enable FileVault II. My above statement may be function of FVII... I am just not sure.

/Jim
Click to expand...

I checked, you can choose Secure when deleting an account. Still, my above advice is still sound. A clean install after a secure wipe is the best way to go, even if you are migrating some Apps afterwards. You can never wipe a drive to much if you had personal data on it. The clean install is better for the new user anyway, as errors that have crept into the OS will be eliminated.

Does FileVault make a noticeable impact on file access? I've used encryption before, and it was rather detrimental at the time (years ago, and very slow). Although, not as slow as Disk Doubler was back in the 90's!
 
bflowers said:
I checked, you can choose Secure when deleting an account. Still, my above advice is still sound. A clean install after a secure wipe is the best way to go, even if you are migrating some Apps afterwards. You can never wipe a drive to much if you had personal data on it. The clean install is better for the new user anyway, as errors that have crept into the OS will be eliminated.

Does FileVault make a noticeable impact on file access? I've used encryption before, and it was rather detrimental at the time (years ago, and very slow). Although, not as slow as Disk Doubler was back in the 90's!
Click to expand...

I always turn on full disk encryption as soon as I get the machine... so it is hard for me to give an A/B comparison since I never use it without encryption. Modern microprocessors have encryption instructions... so I think FVII runs with little to no performance degradation. In an case... it is worth it to me to always use disk encryption. Essentially, if someone steals your machine with FVII turned on... all they get is your machine... not your identity.

FVII is a significant improvement to FVI.

/Jim
 
Thanks Jim. I'll have to check it out, and see what it does to my MacBook's performance. I'm less worried about my iMac going missing, as the house security alarm is designed to protect that.

I do individually password protect things like my Tax files. And if they want to break in and get my daughter's ABCMouse password, I guess they are welcome to it! :D
 
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