Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I am giving away my iMac, and I want to reset my os (Lion) back to how it was when I first bought it. I know how to do that with a Windows computer but not for the iMac. Can anybody tell me how to do this or point me to a link that describes the process?
Thanks!
iMac
First, an important question:
Did your iMac come with Lion pre-installed? Or did you upgrade it at the app store?
(This is important because the licensing requirements are different).
It came with Lion pre-installed. I only got the computer in September 2012 so it isn't even half a year old yet.
Okay, if it was pre-installed, then you are allowed to make a onetime transfer of the Lion license, so....
Make sure you back up the files you want to keep.
Use the internet recovery method to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
You will first get this window:
Use Disk Utility to wipe the drive since you are giving it to someone else. After it is wiped, choose reinstall Mac OS X. The aervers will identify your machine and should install the exact same version of Lion that it came with. Using Internet Recovery will tie the OS to the machine, so the new owner should be able to reinstall if necessary.
Please help with how to reset the Lion os to "factory settings"
