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How can I erase all data on my apple account, macbook air, and iphone?

I have an 11 inch mid 2011 macbook air and an iphone 4s. I'd like to do a factory reset on both of those so that none of the data is recoverable and I'd like it also to be wiped from my apple account. How can I start everything over from schratch?

MacBook Air, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Feb 14, 2013 6:21 PM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Feb 14, 2013 6:26 PM

Your Apple ID account can not be erased. You can stop using it or create a new one.


Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch


Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.


Boot to the Recovery HD:


Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.


Erase the hard drive:


1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.


2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the

left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.


3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on

the Security button and set the ZeroData option to one-pass. Click on

the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.


4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.


Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.


Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible

because it is three times faster than wireless.



If You Are Locked Out Or Have Forgotten Your Passcode or Just Need to Restore Your Device


1. iTunes 10 for Mac- Update and restore software on iPod, iPhone, or iPad

2. iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Wrong passcode results in red disabled screen

3. iOS- Understanding passcodes


If you have forgotten your Restrictions code, then follow the instructions

below but DO NOT restore any previous backup. If you do then you will

simply be restoring the old Restrictions code you have forgotten. This

same warning applies if you need to restore a clean system.


A Complete Guide to Restore or Recover Your iDevice (if You Forget Your Passcode)


If you need to restore your device or ff you cannot remember the passcode, then you will need to restore your device using the computer with which you last synced it. This allows you to reset your passcode and re-sync the data from the device (or restore from a backup). If you restore on a different computer that was never synced with the device, you will be able to unlock the device for use and remove the passcode, but your data will not be present. Refer to Updating and restoring iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software.


Try restoring the iOS device if backing up and erasing all content and settings doesn't resolve the issue. Using iTunes to restore iOS devices is part of standard isolation troubleshooting. Restoring your device will delete all data and content, including songs, videos, contacts, photos, and calendar information, and will restore all settings to their factory condition.

Before restoring your iOS device, Apple recommends that you either sync with iTunes to transfer any purchases you have made, or back up new data (data acquired after your last sync). If you have movie rentals on the device, see iTunes Store movie rental usage rights in the United States before restoring.

Follow these steps to restore your device:

1. Verify that you are using the latest version of iTunes before attempting to update.

2. Connect your device to your computer.

3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in iTunes under Devices.

4. Select the Summary tab.

5. Select the Restore option.

6. When prompted to back up your settings before restoring, select the

Back Up option. If you have just backed up the device, it is not necessary

to create another.

7. Select the Restore option when iTunes prompts you (as long as you've backed up,

you should not have to worry about restoring your iOS device).

8. When the restore process has completed, the device restarts and displays the Apple

logo while starting up:

After a restore, the iOS device displays the "Connect to iTunes" screen. For updating

to iOS 5 or later, follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant. For earlier versions of

iOS, keep your device connected until the "Connect to iTunes" screen goes away or

you see "iPhone is activated."


9. The final step is to restore your device from a previous backup. If you do not have a

backup to restore or don't wish to restore one, then restore as New.


If you are restoring to fix a forgotten Restrictions Code or as a New device, then skip Step 9 and restore as New.

9 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Feb 14, 2013 6:26 PM in response to Katie340

Your Apple ID account can not be erased. You can stop using it or create a new one.


Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch


Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.


Boot to the Recovery HD:


Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.


Erase the hard drive:


1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.


2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the

left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.


3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on

the Security button and set the ZeroData option to one-pass. Click on

the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.


4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.


Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.


Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible

because it is three times faster than wireless.



If You Are Locked Out Or Have Forgotten Your Passcode or Just Need to Restore Your Device


1. iTunes 10 for Mac- Update and restore software on iPod, iPhone, or iPad

2. iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Wrong passcode results in red disabled screen

3. iOS- Understanding passcodes


If you have forgotten your Restrictions code, then follow the instructions

below but DO NOT restore any previous backup. If you do then you will

simply be restoring the old Restrictions code you have forgotten. This

same warning applies if you need to restore a clean system.


A Complete Guide to Restore or Recover Your iDevice (if You Forget Your Passcode)


If you need to restore your device or ff you cannot remember the passcode, then you will need to restore your device using the computer with which you last synced it. This allows you to reset your passcode and re-sync the data from the device (or restore from a backup). If you restore on a different computer that was never synced with the device, you will be able to unlock the device for use and remove the passcode, but your data will not be present. Refer to Updating and restoring iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software.


Try restoring the iOS device if backing up and erasing all content and settings doesn't resolve the issue. Using iTunes to restore iOS devices is part of standard isolation troubleshooting. Restoring your device will delete all data and content, including songs, videos, contacts, photos, and calendar information, and will restore all settings to their factory condition.

Before restoring your iOS device, Apple recommends that you either sync with iTunes to transfer any purchases you have made, or back up new data (data acquired after your last sync). If you have movie rentals on the device, see iTunes Store movie rental usage rights in the United States before restoring.

Follow these steps to restore your device:

1. Verify that you are using the latest version of iTunes before attempting to update.

2. Connect your device to your computer.

3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in iTunes under Devices.

4. Select the Summary tab.

5. Select the Restore option.

6. When prompted to back up your settings before restoring, select the

Back Up option. If you have just backed up the device, it is not necessary

to create another.

7. Select the Restore option when iTunes prompts you (as long as you've backed up,

you should not have to worry about restoring your iOS device).

8. When the restore process has completed, the device restarts and displays the Apple

logo while starting up:

After a restore, the iOS device displays the "Connect to iTunes" screen. For updating

to iOS 5 or later, follow the steps in the iOS Setup Assistant. For earlier versions of

iOS, keep your device connected until the "Connect to iTunes" screen goes away or

you see "iPhone is activated."


9. The final step is to restore your device from a previous backup. If you do not have a

backup to restore or don't wish to restore one, then restore as New.


If you are restoring to fix a forgotten Restrictions Code or as a New device, then skip Step 9 and restore as New.

Feb 18, 2013 8:55 AM in response to Katie340

See this section from above:


Erase the hard drive:


1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.


2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the

left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.


3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on

the Security button and set the ZeroData option to one-pass. Click on

the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.


4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.


Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.


Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible

because it is three times faster than wireless.


In Step 3 note the instruction for optionally zeroing the drive. That's what you need to do in order to prevent recovery of any data from the drive.

Feb 18, 2013 1:46 PM in response to Katie340

That's surprising. There may be an alternate way which is to perform Secure Erase. In the Erase tab of Disk Utility are two options:


User uploaded file


One is the Security Options button which you said is not active. See if the Erase Free Space button is active. If so use that instead. I believe you can choose to use a secure erase.

How can I erase all data on my apple account, macbook air, and iphone?

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