Erasing a 2019 iMac with Intel chip - did I miss something?

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Level 1

18 points

Erasing a 2019 iMac with Intel chip - did I miss something?

I just purchased a new iMac with the M4 chip. Moving from a 2019 21.5" iMac with an Intel chip. The migration was seamless, as expected.

So I went to erase the old iMac so I can give it to a friend. I couldn't use the newer "Erase" option in system settings since this is an older iMac. So I did it the old way after searching around here in the forums. Things seem to have gone fine. I followed the steps in the attached screenshot. When that was finished, I restarted, and reinstalled Sequoia (second option) as per the instructions.

So at this point I thought I would see the "Hello" screen. Instead, I see the "Select Your Country or Region" screen. Did I miss something? I just want to make sure everything was erased, and it is ready to go for my friend before I send this out to him.

iMac 24″, macOS 15.1

Posted on Nov 20, 2024 8:42 AM

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Answer 1

den.thed

Level 10

82,504 points

Nov 20, 2024 9:15 AM in response to gsyrba

Yea' those directions were recently modified, making them hard to follow for Intel Mac's.

You need to completely Erase and Format the iMac's Drive, not just the Macintosh HD APFS volume.

Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

Then reinstall the original macOS that came on that iMac and let the new owner upgrade the macOS.

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

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Answer 2

gsyrba Author

Level 1

18 points

Nov 20, 2024 10:53 AM in response to den.thed

This is one of those "duh" moments when I wonder why I never thought of the cable connect? lol

I think I'm going to do what rkaufmann87 suggested, and call Apple Care at this point. Thank you for your help today!!

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

144,018 points

Nov 20, 2024 10:32 AM in response to gsyrba

Got it, perhaps you will have better luck if you just call AppleCare:

AppleCare Contact Info

Explain what you attempting to do and they will be able to assist. By the way, it is wise to keep a USB keyboard and mouse on-hand as sometimes Bluetooth can disconnect and without a USB keyboard and mouse re-connecting is difficult at best. They are very cheap.

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Answer 4

den.thed

Level 10

82,504 points

Nov 20, 2024 10:32 AM in response to gsyrba

Older battery powered ones may not connect without help from USB ones.

The rechargeable Magic ones can be connected to the iMac with the charging cable.

If you can't connect your Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad to your Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 5

gsyrba Author

Level 1

18 points

Nov 20, 2024 9:55 AM in response to rkaufmann87

I am guessing that I may have missed a step like you said. I followed the link at the beginning of the article you shared - the erase assistant isn't available on my Mac (according to the pop up that kept coming up).

So looking through these other instructions for the above mentioned link, step 9&10 (see attached screenshot) were not like this in the earlier instructions I followed this morning - they lead me to believe I would see the Hello screen instead. Now the machine seems to be stuck in the setup position when I restart. Do you have any advice on what to do at this point?

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Answer 6

gsyrba Author

Level 1

18 points

Nov 20, 2024 10:00 AM in response to den.thed

I did follow the same instructions that you have in your first link. That's what I did this morning, step by step, and yes, I did erase the main iMac's drive, not the APFS volume.

As for reinstalling the original macOS, I did not see that option, only to reinstall Sequoia. That's what I did. It took 30 minutes to install (figured that's normal) then went directly to the "Select your country" screen - where I am stuck now. A restart at this point brings me right back to this screen.

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Answer 7

gsyrba Author

Level 1

18 points

Nov 20, 2024 10:21 AM in response to rkaufmann87

I'm one of those people that have always been annoying about updating everything as soon as possible on every device I own. I was on Sequoia's most recent update from yesterday.

If I am currently just at the screen where it asks you to select your country, and a restart brings you right back to it... then I'm not sure how I can follow the instructions in the article. That's my dilemma at the moment - I seem to be stuck here, and at a loss.

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