how to erase all contents on the Mac Pro?

When your computer was released, the way you launched the required Utilities (including Disk Utility and Installer) was to use the ones on the Release software DVD. if you have a model-specific version for your model (unlikely) or a Full Retail 10.6 DVD, you use its Utilities, boot and install that version, then use Software update to get to 10.6.8 with all updates, which is the version that can reach out to the Mac App store and download and install a later version. 10.11 El Capitan is a recommended waypoint, even if you expect to install a later version, because it has an improved Mac App Store that makes getting later versions much easier.

The next source of Utilities is the Recovery Partition on the boot drive. If your drive spins up, even if not MacOS bootable, it may still have a usable recovery partition. To get there, try invoking recovery with Command-R or hold Alt/Option at startup and see if the recovery partition shows as a potentially bootable drive.

Recovery Partitions up through 10.12 Sierra can be found with the Startup Manager (Alt/Option boot). At 10.13, if an SSD boot drive is used, the format is transitioned to APFS. The Recovery partition is present, but it is inside the APFS volume structures, and the Startup Manager on an older Mac can not find it.

The next source of Utilities to consider is any MacOS 10.6 or later versions on any additional drives or clones you may (or may not) have lying about, even if they are from another Mac. You can use those Utilities to ERASE a new drive, and start the installer to place MacOS on the new drive.

The next source to consider is a Time Machine backup drive. Versions from 10.7.3 or later are said to contain a Recovery Partition that could be used to ERASE a new drive and run Installer to place MacOS on a new drive.

IF you have a different Mac, you can use it to download MacOS install image, then interrupt the process and create a BOOTABLE USB-stick Installer/Utilities stick. BOOTABLE is key, because the way you will install from this USB-Stick is to BOOT the USB-stick, and use its Utilities to ERASE your drive and start the Installer. here is the article on bootable USB-Stick Utilities/Installer:

What you need to create a bootable installer

• A USB flash drive or other secondary volume formatted as GUID partition Map, Mac OS Extended, with at least 14GB of available storage

• A downloaded installer for macOS Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, or El Capitan.

from:

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

NB>> if you name your incoming USB stick exactly MyVolume, you can copy and paste the very long Terminal command from the article directly into the Terminal window, without having to change anything.

See this link and go to step 7: erase your mac

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support

If your Mac was issued before 2013, you need a "place to stand" while you do this work. You can not cut off the branch you are standing on.

Internet Recovery is NOT available in your model’s ROM, so you will need to explore other ways to boot into Utilities and run Disk Utility to perform the ERASE. You also need s source of older software to Install when you are done. Recent versions will be tagged with your Apple-ID, and are therefore unsuitable for Re-Install on a Mac that is leaving your control.

Press delete.

hope this helps x

Knobby the apple wizard signing out!🪄

[Image Edited by Moderator]