Wiping Old Macbook Pro

[skllzdatklls]

I just bought a brand new top of the line macbook pro and now am trying to get rid of my old one by giving it away to whichever friend wants it, of which there are plenty.

It is a 2008 17'' macbook pro. I'm trying to completely wipe the laptop / zero out the hard drive before giving it to someone. I do not have the original install disc any more but I did get a 10.4.8. dmg I could burn onto a dual layer dvd if I go buy one. Its currently running 10.6.8.

What is the easiest way for me to wipe it and give it to someone in workable condition? Am I already on the right track with the 10.4 dmg?

Thanks!!!

 

[MCAsan]

Boot to the Recovery partition. Reformat the main partition with disk utility and reinstall the OS on the main partition. It will look like an out of the box unit for the new owner.

 

[asriznet]

Boot to the Recovery partition. Reformat the main partition with disk utility and reinstall the OS on the main partition. It will look like an out of the box unit for the new owner.

Unfortunately 10.6 does not have a recovery partition.

If you still have 10.6 installer dmg file, yes you need to burn it to a DVD to perform the erase and install. It would also be nice if you pass that DVD to the next owner or they will have trouble when faced with any installation issues in future.

I just bought a brand new top of the line macbook pro and now am trying to get rid of my old one by giving it away to whichever friend wants it, of which there are plenty.

It is a 2008 17'' macbook pro. I'm trying to completely wipe the laptop / zero out the hard drive before giving it to someone. I do not have the original install disc any more but I did get a 10.4.8. dmg I could burn onto a dual layer dvd if I go buy one. Its currently running 10.6.8.

What is the easiest way for me to wipe it and give it to someone in workable condition? Am I already on the right track with the 10.4 dmg?

Thanks!!!

Apple have created a useful article for this exact situation: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT201065

Point number 1 is IMPORTANT if you buy stuffs from iTunes Store.

 

[Weaselboy]

I just bought a brand new top of the line macbook pro and now am trying to get rid of my old one by giving it away to whichever friend wants it, of which there are plenty.

It is a 2008 17'' macbook pro. I'm trying to completely wipe the laptop / zero out the hard drive before giving it to someone. I do not have the original install disc any more but I did get a 10.4.8. dmg I could burn onto a dual layer dvd if I go buy one. Its currently running 10.6.8.

What is the easiest way for me to wipe it and give it to someone in workable condition? Am I already on the right track with the 10.4 dmg?

Thanks!!!

What you could do rather than fuss with DVDs is just DL Mavericks free from the App Store then stop the installer when it launches. Then use this app and a 8GB or larger USB key to make an installer. Then option key boot to the installer and use Disk Util to erase the disk then install Mavericks.

This will give you a Mac with a clean install of nothing but the OS on there.

Just tell the new owner to go to the App Store and "purchase" the free Mavericks upgrade so it is available under their AppleID if they ever need to reinstall the OS.