Can this be done without reformatting? im selling the laptop and want all my personal data off it.
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restoring Leopard to factory defaults
- Thread starter austinsevo
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No, there is no such thing as factory default with computers. Your data is on the hard drive until something is done to to move that data such as a deleting of that data or a re-format. And even then you may have to use some 3rd party software to ensure all your data is off if you are concerned about that.
Why can't you just dump all important files into trash, do a 'secure empty trash' then create a new, default user account and then delete the old one?
Also, if you really wanted to get creative, you cold boot off the install DVD, delete the temporary account and modify that file (can't remember name ATM) that tells OS X whether the first-time setup has been run.
I suppose custom apps would need to be deleted as well...
On second thought, a reformat sounds easier if not necessarily faster.