You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
I have an old iMac G5, probably dating back to about 2004. Before disposing of it, I would like to perform a full reset in order to wipe the hard drive. I have tried various combinations of Command + R to open in recovery mode, but that doesn't work; it just reboots in normal mode. Any suggestions?
You may well find a market for the case. Lot's of people out there that like to build their own computers that run Apple's OS. Many like the idea of modifying an old G5 case because it looks like the early Mac Pros. You may find ads on eBay or Amazon (and, elsewhere) selling the case, innards and all. I don't know the going price but probably more than the computer is worth.
Yes, they are pretty easy to remove. Just some screws and cables to unplug. The drives aren't worth much. Not many people use drives that old due to interface problems. But if you could wipe them, then you might try selling them on eBay. I don't know how inclined you are to doing that sort of stuff.
You may well find a market for the case. Lot's of people out there that like to build their own computers that run Apple's OS. Many like the idea of modifying an old G5 case because it looks like the early Mac Pros. You may find ads on eBay or Amazon (and, elsewhere) selling the case, innards and all. I don't know the going price but probably more than the computer is worth.
Yes, they are pretty easy to remove. Just some screws and cables to unplug. The drives aren't worth much. Not many people use drives that old due to interface problems. But if you could wipe them, then you might try selling them on eBay. I don't know how inclined you are to doing that sort of stuff.
If you have a true G5 iMac, then it came with a set of Software Restore CDs. You need them in order to wipe the drive and reinstall OS X. However, if you are disposing of the computer, then I suggest removing the drive(s), first. Take the computer to a proper recycling facility.
Get a heavy hammer and use it to completely bust up the drive(s). Dispose of them, properly.
Thanks for your helpful answer, Kappy. I’m not sure I still have those CDs; I’ll have to check my cupboards. I don’t suppose anyone would want to buy it even if I could restore it! Is it easy to remove the hard drive?
Kappy, you’ve inspired me! I’ll give that a go, probably take a hammer to the hard drive as you suggested.
How do I factory reset my old iMac?
