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
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:
Once you've removed the old drive, a hammer is a great tool. 😉👍🏽
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:
Once you've removed the old drive, a hammer is a great tool. 😉👍🏽
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.
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.
Thanks. These have been helpful. I've gotten a few steps in. I certainly don't have a T8 Torx screwdriver though for removing the Bezel. Any alternate suggestions?
Do you have a hardware store within 20 miles to get a T8 Torx screw driver? Should cost less than a couple of bucks.
Therapeutic demolition/deconstruction facilitated by @woodmeister50's 5# sledge hammer? 🤣
wipe hard drive
