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wipe hard drive

I have a 13 year old iMac that seems to have finally died. It will not turn on at all. I've tried troubleshooting everything but nothing. That's okay, but this old Mac is not used. But before I toss it out, I'd like to make sure to remove or wipe the hard drive of any personal information.


I haven't been able to figure out how to remove the hard drive. Is there any easy way to do that or to make sure the drive is wiped before I toss it out?

iMac, OS X 10.11

Posted on Jan 24, 2020 11:57 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 24, 2020 12:22 PM

Learn what to do to erase and clear the data from your old Mac:

What to do before you (recycle) your Mac - Apple Support


If the Mac in question will not restart or boot, you can find teardown and repair guidance here at iFixit so that you can pull the drive:

Mac Desktop Repair - iFixit


Once you've removed the old drive, a hammer is a great tool. 😉👍🏽

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 24, 2020 12:22 PM in response to backtomachad

Learn what to do to erase and clear the data from your old Mac:

What to do before you (recycle) your Mac - Apple Support


If the Mac in question will not restart or boot, you can find teardown and repair guidance here at iFixit so that you can pull the drive:

Mac Desktop Repair - iFixit


Once you've removed the old drive, a hammer is a great tool. 😉👍🏽

Jan 24, 2020 4:56 PM in response to backtomachad

Can you put the iMac into Target Disk Mode? I know it won't boot, but if it has any power at all, then it may work well enough so you can securely erase the drive since Target Disk Mode does little more than power on the drive and a few other circuits. It may work even if you cannot see anything on the screen. I only mention this since people say it won't power on when they really mean it won't boot.

Jan 24, 2020 12:28 PM in response to backtomachad

To open the iMac:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+20-Inch+EMC+2133+and+2210+Hard+Drive+Replacement/1008


Since the machine is dead (and being that old isn't worth much

any way) , there not all that much need to take much care in the

disassembly or slapping back together for recycling.


Then, about a five pound sledgehammer will do nicely to insure

the drive is unreadable. I did that to drives I remove before turning

old computer in for recycling.

wipe hard drive

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