Safest reformatting method before resale

[ghostchild]

Hey all, so I'm thinking about selling my MBP and before I do that I want to know which is the best way to reformat my MBP so all of my data is completely erased? I don't want the next owner to be able to see all my info and whatnot.

Thanks,
John

 

[angelwatt]

You can use Disk Utility from the install disc (during boot hold C to start from DVD) to zero out the drive, or use the 7 or 32? pass erase of the HD, then install a fresh copy of the OS. Note that the 7/32 pass will take a long time to finish.

 

[ghostchild]

You can use Disk Utility from the install disc (during boot hold C to start from DVD) to zero out the drive, or use the 7 or 32? pass erase of the HD, then install a fresh copy of the OS. Note that the 7/32 pass will take a long time to finish.

anyway to keep the OS? and erase everything else?

 

[angelwatt]

anyway to keep the OS? and erase everything else?

Not efficiently, and not something that I could succinctly describe in a forum post.

 

[gatepc]

I would do what other people are saying but just do a 1 pass wipe there is no point in any more then that. There is actually a person on the webs some where ( forget the site ) offering 100,000 USD for anyone that can recover data off a 1 pass wipe, just to prove the point that more is useless ( and to this day no one has ever succeeded )

 

[ghostchild]

so under disk utility which drive do I choose it names the drive (hitachi etc) then under it Mac HD which one do I erase?

 

[gatepc]

after you boot off the disc and run disc utility just select the one that says hitachi the other things under it are partitions you want EVERYTHING gone so just select hitachi and go under erase tab select security options choose 1 pass wipe then hit ok and then hit erase wait a long time and then after that re install the os.