Q: Can I restore my iMac hard drive to factory settings without the install disc?
I have an older iMac running iOS X 10.5.8. with a 2GHZ processor. 1GB DDR SDRAM with a Power PC G5 chip
We want to restore the hard drive to original factory settings but don't have the OS X install disc. I have been searching online to find a disc, and can purchase one, but I want to know if I can do this without the install disc? We want to do this so I can give this computer to my nephew. I have already backed up all data.
Currently I have gotten as far as clicking on the "ERASE" tab in the disk utility, but the "Security Options" and "Erase" buttons are greyed out (cannot click on them). According to the Disk Utility help, the buttons are greyed out because I must start up using another disc, such as the Mac OS X install disc.
In addition, I DO have the Mac OS X install for my 13" MacBook Pro. Can I use this disc for the iMac?
Bottom line, I want to know if there is a work-around without having to purchase another start-up disk.
Thanks for your help.
iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
Posted on Jan 7, 2015 11:48 AM