how to reset macbook pro early 2011 model back to factory setting.. (not lion)

Are you 100% sure I should erase the 750.16 GB TOSHIBA.... (the one at the very top of the list).

Yes.

If possible could you make a very clear step by step on how to reset a MacBook Pro to factory settings for someone who isn't amazing at English? 🙂

Follow the instructions here. The page should appear using your local language settings.

What to do before selling or giving away your Mac

Since it will remain in your posession there is no need to "deauthorize" your Mac or sign out of iCloud.

Boot from the Snow Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select the startup volume from the left side list then click on the Erase tab. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then click on the Erase button.

After formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Now complete the OS X installation.

Is the "internal hard disk drive" the one at the very top of the list on the left? For example, for me, it says 750.16 GB TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF Media? And if that is correct, then the "volume" that appears under the drive would be Macintosh HD.

Yes, and yes.

If you cannot proceed beyond the grey screen read: Mac OS X: Gray screen appears during startup

1. Find your original system install DVD, insert it, and click the Install Mac OS icon. You will be prompted to restart your MacBook. Let it restart.
2. The Mac OS X Installer screen will appear. Under Utilities menu, select Disk Utility.
3. In the sidebar to the left, select the internal hard disk drive (not the volume that appears under the drive).
4. Click the Erase tab. Name the volume Macintosh HD and set the format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
5. Erase the drive. This will obviously erase everything. It will take about thirty seconds.
6. Quit Disk Utility.
7. Proceed with the standard installation on the disk you just erased.
8. When you are finished, you may wish to install any bundled software that may have come on a separate disc.

Why do you want to set it back to factory, are you transfering ownership?

Do you need to scrub the drive of private data?

Are you having a issue that you think by setting back to factory is going to solve?

Do you just want to scrub internet traces?

Do you have a copy of your personal data file folders (music, pictures, movies etc etc) on a external drive? TimeMachine?

What are you planning to do, upgrade to a new Mac or a PC? Because TM doesn't work with a PC.

Just curious, because a lot of Windows users want to "go back to factory" thinking it's going to cure all their ills, on Windows it usually does, but on a Mac it's not all that necessary, easier options exist if we knew if there was a problem and what the symptoms are. 🙂

Ok, sounds like a factory reset is in order.

Some tips to keep your performance up

When you hold c and boot off the 10.6 disk and use Disk Utility to erase the drive, use the Security Option > Zero option (it should be GUID OS X Extended Journaled formatted)

This will map off any bad sectors you may have, it takes a bit to complete, but worth it later as your reads will be as fast as they can be. (no slowdowns trying to read bad sectors)

Next when you reinstall OS X, setup with your same user name, this way certain files in iTunes and such work, then Software Update fully, then install all your third party programs and then last your files from backup, in that order.

Do not restore from TM drive, so that means you need to have your user files on a external storage drive beforehand.

Also keep the boot drive ideally less than 50% filled, but never more that 75% filled.

Once your data goes past the 50% mark you start losing drive performance.

Another option is to clone your present 10.6 drive to a blank extenral drive with the free Carbon Copy Cloner, that way you have a 'hold option key' bootable copy of everything.

Good luck 🙂

I have this same problem, I bought the macbook pro at exactly the same time and have the same version of the OS but when I bought it, I set it up in the shop with a sales assistant and there was no disc involved in the setup, I turned it on and he guided me through the setup, and that was that, I'm fairly sure that there was no disc?

And I don't have a disc so any advice on what I can do to factory reset this mbp would be greatly apprecitated.

Cheers,

J

Hey John, hopefully you'll see this message even though it's over a year after your post. But could you be clearer on step 3. I'm not up to date with Mac terms/lingo so step 3 was a bit confusing for me.

Is the "internal hard disk drive" the one at the very top of the list on the left? For example, for me, it says 750.16 GB TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF Media? And if that is correct, then the "volume" that appears under the drive would be Macintosh HD.

Thanks if you reply, also English isn't my first language 😝

I've tried all those steps and they didn't work, but I know 100% the reason why so they won't help.

I have seen videos of people resetting their Macs to factory settings but they erased Mactintosh HD volume (the one below the xxxGB TOSHIBA..... but then their macs were working perfectly.

Are you 100% sure I should erase the 750.16 GB TOSHIBA.... (the one at the very top of the list).

If possible could you make a very clear step by step on how to reset a MacBook Pro to factory settings for someone who isn't amazing at English? 🙂

I should also say that I am not abke to get past the grey screen with the Apple logo and so I can't get to my user account to log in.