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Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey

Sweet Witch

MVM

[Beginner] wiping a mac?

Hey guys,

I have my father's old macs (G4 667mhz, Macbook2,2, and a new macmini) and I have a few questions:

1) Is there any way to wipe just the personal information off a mac but leave the OS intact? I have no media. I don't know what the G4 has but the Macbook has OSX 10.6.8 or the such and the mini is only about six months old.

2) The Macbook has a Core 2 Duo with 3gb of ram, I'm not sure yet what upgrades the others have. The mini is an "A1347" with the dvd thing. The G4 seems standard. What are the general resale values of the three?

3) Do I *have* to use a mac keyboard and mouse with the mini?

4) Should any of them have a problem connecting to my network instead of his? How about to my Acer monitor?

Thanks

bobrk
You kids get offa my lawn
Premium Member
join:2000-02-02
San Jose, CA
·SONIC

bobrk

Premium Member

1) You'll need a disk to do it right.

2) Values are tough, you'll have to google or check craigslist/ebay for that.

3) No, any USB equipment will work.

4) No, Macs are real computers, they interface with everything. You might need a dongle to attach the Macbook to a monitor...

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

Thinkdiff to Sweet Witch

MVM,

to Sweet Witch
said by Sweet Witch:

1) Is there any way to wipe just the personal information off a mac but leave the OS intact? I have no media. I don't know what the G4 has but the Macbook has OSX 10.6.8 or the such and the mini is only about six months old.

The closest you can get without an OS X install DVD is creating a new user account and deleting the original one (selecting the option to delete the home folder as well). Then use Disk Utility to erase the free space on the drive using either a DoD-crazy-takes-forever method or by simply writing zeros over it.

There may be a few remnants here and there, but the majority of personalized information is in the home folder.
Maggs
Premium Member
join:2002-11-29
Jackson Heights, NY

Maggs to Sweet Witch

Premium Member

to Sweet Witch
Try »www.everymac.com/ for pricing info. It values my 17' G4 Powerbook at about $400, it's still kicking after 80 months in use, that's over 6 years.

Mikey
Premium Member
join:2001-03-12
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Mikey to Sweet Witch

Premium Member

to Sweet Witch
Excluding the G4 because it's a vintage/obsolete Mac, your local Genius Bar will happily erase any Mac you bring in, free of charge - provided it's under 5 years old and you wait at the bar while it images.

Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey

Sweet Witch

MVM

Thanks guys, I'm running back down to his place today to grab a few last odds and ends before sending in the probate paperwork and I'll look for the OS media while I'm there.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

2 edits

haroldo to Sweet Witch

Member

to Sweet Witch
said by Sweet Witch:

...

1) Is there any way to wipe just the personal information off a mac but leave the OS intact? I have no media. I don't know what the G4 has but the Macbook has OSX 10.6.8 or the such and the mini is only about six months old....

as long as it's all "in the family" here's an easier solution...
Create a new user (system preferences/users) ... make it administrator
*Log out of dad's user
*Toggle to new user
*Delete your father's user account (system preferences/users)

This isn't recommended for sales to others, but if you're going to use it and if your father isn't worried about you seeing his data, this should be a very easy way to get a fresh version (that's fully up to date)...and might preserve any programs that you might want or need

Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey

Sweet Witch

MVM

I do need to sell one of them, most likely the mini, but am keeping one for myself.

My father won't mind because he died last month, so it's my choice to not let any of his info out in the wild. I need to do a complete wipe of his personal data so I'll see what media I can find.

buckingham
Doylstown Pa
Premium Member
join:2005-07-17
Buckingham, PA

buckingham

Premium Member

said by Sweet Witch:

I do need to sell one of them, most likely the mini, but am keeping one for myself.

Personally, I'd bag the old G4 system (you may be able to sell it for a few Shekels) and keep the mini for sure since it's current. The Mackbook is also usable for a portable.

not quite right
I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person
join:2001-06-23
Puyallup, WA

not quite right

Member

said by buckingham:

said by Sweet Witch:

I do need to sell one of them, most likely the mini, but am keeping one for myself.

Personally, I'd bag the old G4 system (you may be able to sell it for a few Shekels) and keep the mini for sure since it's current. The Mackbook is also usable for a portable.

I would second this strategy as well. I feel a lot of people under appreciate the Mac Mini for whatever reason. Maybe Apple should change the name to something that doesn't conjure up images of being a second rate computer, but more towards what it really is a bad ass computer in a very small package.

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo

Member

said by not quite right:

... a bad ass computer in a very small package.

Of course we MB Air users think the Mini is massively huge!

Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey

Sweet Witch

MVM

Ok, drove down today and found some media but after ten hours of driving I'm not in any mood to look through it tonight.

not quite right
I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person
join:2001-06-23
Puyallup, WA

1 recommendation

not quite right to haroldo

Member

to haroldo
said by haroldo:

said by not quite right:

... a bad ass computer in a very small package.

Of course we MB Air users think the Mini is massively huge!

Show off lol

Sweet Witch
Be the flame, not the moth.
MVM
join:2003-07-15
Gallifrey

Sweet Witch

MVM

Ok, I know it's been a while but cleaning up his life is quite time consuming.

The G4 has 10.4.6 on it but I can't find the media. I know with windows I can use any copy of the media with the valid number I paid for, is mac the same? If so, where do I find the number on the computer and how do I get ahold of some media?

I've also decided to sell the mini. Will the Genuis Bar save the files and wipe that one back to the os for me for free?

Thinkdiff
MVM,
join:2001-08-07
Bronx, NY

Thinkdiff

MVM,

There aren't any registration numbers for OS X. You can install any version of the OS that'll run on the mini.

I'm not sure if the genius bar will do that for free. You should probably call and ask before you take it in.