Venus1023

Q: me clean all the junk on my  iMac and how to prevent duplicate folders??

Hi everyone!

 

My husband bought this used imac, Im not really good wit computers but I told him that we dont know who this computer belongs to, and I dont want any problems.

 

 

latetly all this adds keep poping out on my screen, plus i have so many folders with the same info and Apps please help I really need to go . And also if we could get in trouble because we bought it in a garage sale!!!

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.3)

Posted on May 29, 2014 9:38 AM

Close

Q: me clean all the junk on my  iMac and how to prevent duplicate folders??

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa May 29, 2014 9:44 AM in response to Venus1023
    Level 7 (32,327 points)
    iPad
    May 29, 2014 9:44 AM in response to Venus1023

    What you want and need to do (and the seller should have done) is to wipe the entire hard drive and reinstall the OS. You can try this method (which will work if it came with Lion or later originally):

     

    Press Command + Option + R keys while booting up. It will take up to 10 minutes to connect to Apple's servers. You should then see a Utilities screen. Choose Disk Utility and then erase your drive. When finished, close Disk utility and then choose Reinstall Mac OS X in the Utilities screen. If this works, you should get a factory fresh reinstall of Lion (or Mountain lion if it came with that). You can then download Mavericks using your own Apple ID - which is what you need to do. Everything you obtain at the app store needs to be associated with your own Apple ID or you will not be able to update it or reinstall.

     

    This will give you a fresh install and all the previous owner's info will be gone. If this does not work, post back as you will need to determine what the Mac came with originally and get those install disks.

  • by Venus1023,

    Venus1023 Venus1023 May 29, 2014 9:49 AM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 29, 2014 9:49 AM in response to babowa

    Thanks for the info, just one more thing how can I save all the pictures and info that my husband download already?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa May 29, 2014 9:54 AM in response to Venus1023
    Level 7 (32,327 points)
    iPad
    May 29, 2014 9:54 AM in response to Venus1023

    copy them to an external hard drive first.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis May 29, 2014 10:23 AM in response to Venus1023
    Level 10 (208,037 points)
    Applications
    May 29, 2014 10:23 AM in response to Venus1023

    The first thing to do with a second-hand computer is to erase the internal drive and install a clean copy of OS X. You—not the original owner—must do that. How you do it depends on the model, and on whether you already own another Mac. If you're not sure of the model, enter the serial number on this page. Then find the model on this page to see what OS version was originally installed.

    It's unsafe, and may be unlawful, to use a computer with software installed by a previous owner.

    1a. If you don't own another Mac

    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you need a boxed and shrink-wrapped retail Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) installation disc from the Apple Store or a reputable reseller—not from eBay or anything of the kind. If the machine is very old and has less than 1 GB of memory, you'll need to add more in order to install 10.6. Preferably, install as much memory as it can take, according to the technical specifications.

    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.6, you need the installation media that came with it: gray installation discs, or a USB flash drive for a MacBook Air. You should have received those media from the original owner, but if you didn't, order replacements from Apple. A retail disc, or the gray discs from another model, will not work.

    To start up from an optical disc or a flash drive, insert it, then restart the computer and hold down the C key at the startup chime. Release the key when you see the gray Apple logo on the screen.

    If the machine shipped with OS X 10.7 or later, you don't need media. It should start up in Internet Recovery mode when you hold down the key combination option-command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.

    Some models shipped with OS X 10.6 and received a firmware update after 10.7 was released, enabling them to use Internet Recovery. If you have one of those models, you may not be able to reinstall 10.6 even from the original discs, and Internet Recovery may not work either without the original owner's Apple ID. In that case, contact Apple Support, or take the machine to an Apple Store or another authorized service provider to have the OS installed.

    1b. If you do own another Mac

    If you already own another Mac that was upgraded in the App Store to the version of OS X that you want to install, and if the new Mac is compatible with it, then you can install it. Use Recovery Disk Assistant to prepare a USB device, then start up the new Mac from it by holding down the C key at the startup chime. Alternatively, if you have a Time Machine backup of OS X 10.7.3 or later on an external hard drive (not a Time Capsule or other network device), you can start from that by holding down the option key and selecting it from the row of icons that appears. Note that if your other Mac was never upgraded in the App Store, you can't use this method.

    2. Partition and install OS X

    If you see a lock screen when trying to start up from installation media or in Recovery mode, then a firmware password was set by the previous owner, or the machine was remotely locked via iCloud. You'll either have to contact the owner or take the machine to an Apple Store or another service provider to be unlocked. You may be asked for proof of ownership.

    Launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the internal drive—not any of the volume icons nested beneath it. In the  Partition tab, select the default options: a GUID partition table with one data volume in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This operation will permanently remove all existing data on the drive.

    After partitioning, quit Disk Utility and run the OS X Installer. If you're installing a version of OS X acquired from the App Store, you will need the Apple ID and password that you used. When the installation is done, the system will automatically restart into the Setup Assistant, which will prompt you to transfer the data from another Mac, its backups, or from a Windows computer. If you have any data to transfer, this is usually the best time to do it.

    Then run Software Update and install all available system updates from Apple. To upgrade to a major version of OS X newer than 10.6, get it from the Mac App Store. Note that you can't keep an upgraded version that was installed by the original owner. He or she can't legally transfer it to you, and without the Apple ID you won't be able to update it in Software Update or reinstall, if that becomes necessary. The same goes for any App Store products that the previous owner installed—you have to repurchase them.

    3. Other issues

    If the original owner "accepted" the bundled iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band) in the App Store so that he or she could update them, then they're irrevocably linked to that Apple ID and you won't be able to download them without buying them. Reportedly, Mac App Store Customer Service has sometimes issued redemption codes for these apps to second owners who asked.

    If the previous owner didn't deauthorize the computer in the iTunes Store under his Apple ID, you wont be able to  authorize it immediately under your ID. In that case, you'll either have to wait up to 90 days or contact iTunes Support.

    When trying to create a new iCloud account, you might get a failure message: "Account limit reached." Apple imposes a lifetime limit of three iCloud account setups per device. Erasing the device does not reset the limit. You can still use an iCloud account that was created on another device, but you won't be able to create a new one. Contact iCloud Support for more information. The setup limit doesn't apply to Apple ID accounts used for other services, such as the iTunes and Mac App Stores, or iMessage. You can create as many of those accounts as you like.