Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iMac erase hard drive but iMac won't start

I have taking my iMac to a recycle depot because it will not longer start and quits in the middle of an operation. It is 13 yr old. How do I erase the hard drive under those conditions?


Thanks

GH

iMac, OS X 10.11

Posted on Mar 26, 2021 10:03 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 26, 2021 11:43 AM

You were not specific about which year but if it's a 2011 or earlier it's not too difficult. Here is a video for a 27" 2011 model.


https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_mid27_2011_hd/ you can determine for yourself if you want to do it or not.

7 replies
Sort By: 
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 26, 2021 11:43 AM in response to Gjmh

You were not specific about which year but if it's a 2011 or earlier it's not too difficult. Here is a video for a 27" 2011 model.


https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/imac_mid27_2011_hd/ you can determine for yourself if you want to do it or not.

Reply

Mar 26, 2021 10:18 AM in response to Gjmh

You will have to physically remove the drive if it will not start up. You can attempt to restart in the Recovery Partition by holding down the Command + R Keyes. Then open Disk Utility and format the drive. If it won’t start in Recovery then removing the drive is your only option.

Reply

Mar 26, 2021 11:00 AM in response to rkaufmann87

fyi i'm on my hp desktop pc..

and i'm not able to do anything on mac as something must be corrupted after i wiped off my account because i no longer want to use..

although, ive tried to type my password in recovery mode but i cannot type anything.. did tried the command + R keys and it worked before but now it wont work.. when i do this, there's a flashing question mark at startup.. i tried everything with other keys and the spinning globe constantly pops up at startup where i cannot type my password.. help!

Reply

iMac erase hard drive but iMac won't start

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.