Prepare Macbook Pro to factory settings ready to sell.

Officially, here are the Apple instructions for preparing to sell your Mac.

One particular way you can do this, with step-by-step details for the set-up: Download Mavericks, generate a USB keydisk from the Mavericks installer, boot that keydisk, clobber the disk from Disk Utility. This approach is free, and works fine if you have a large-enough scratch keydisk handy. A disk of 8 GB or larger should work. If you load Mavericks after wiping the internal disk, the buyer can also then boot and register OS X Mavericks with their AppleID account. You can also keep that keydisk around and use it with your next Mac, too.

You can NOT Sell a 2010 Mac computer with Mavericks installed on it. You MUST Return it to the Original version of OS X that came on it when it was new and supply the original system discs with it to the buyer.

On that model year Mac all the Download Only version of OS X are TIED to an Apple ID of the person that originally downloaded and installed them. They can NOT be Transfrred to anyone else.

MrHoffman wrote:

Officially, here are the Apple instructions for preparing to sell your Mac.

One particular way you can do this, with step-by-step details for the set-up: Download Mavericks, generate a USB keydisk from the Mavericks installer, boot that keydisk, clobber the disk from Disk Utility. This approach is free, and works fine if you have a large-enough scratch keydisk handy. A disk of 8 GB or larger should work. If you load Mavericks after wiping the internal disk, the buyer can also then boot and register OS X Mavericks with their AppleID account. You can also keep that keydisk around and use it with your next Mac, too.

LowLuster wrote:

You can NOT Sell a 2010 Mac computer with Mavericks installed on it. You MUST Return it to the Original version of OS X that came on it when it was new and supply the original system discs with it to the buyer.

Interesting. The What to do before selling or giving away your Mac article lists none of those requirements.

The sequence I've written about does differ slightly, in that I am referencing the Mavericks download and the keydisk rather than any recovery partiton. But after wiping the whole disk and reinstalling, the results will be the same.

Further, the new owner will have to use their AppleID to register the box.

I'd suggest querying the  folks directly if you're concerned about this, or about the contents of the cited Apple support article, if an official answer is required.

You cant transfer even free OSX Mavericks, any upgrade of 10.7 or later must reinstall the original OS.

http://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX1082.pdf

SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR OS X MOUNTAIN LION

http://www.apple.com/legal/sales-support/applecare/appmacnaen.html

10. Transfer of Plan ℹ With Transfer of Covered Equipment to New Owner. Subject to the restrictions set forth below, you may make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your rights under the Plan to another party, provided that: (a) the transfer includes the original Proof of Purchase, the Plan's Confirmation and all of the Plan's packaging material, including printed materials and these Terms and Conditions; (b) you notify Apple of the transfer by sending, faxing or e-mailing notice of transfer to Apple Inc., ATTN: Agreement Administration, MS: 217AC, 2511 Laguna Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95758, U.S., fax number 916-405-3655 or agmts_transfer@apple.com, respectively; and (c) the party receiving the Plan accepts the Terms and Conditions of the Plan. When notifying Apple of the transfer of the Plan, you must provide the Plan Agreement Number, the serial number of the Covered Equipment being transferred and the name, address, telephone number and email address of the new owner.

(ii) With Transfer From Original Covered Equipment to New Covered Equipment. You may make a one time, permanent transfer of the coverage under the Plan to a new Apple product that is owned and purchased by you within thirty (30) days of the Covered Equipment purchase. The new product must be eligible for coverage under the Plan and at the time of transfer both products must be covered under the manufacturer’s one (1) year limited warranty. Apple will issue a Plan Confirmation for the new product, which will then become the Covered Equipment. When notifying Apple of the transfer, you must provide the Plan Agreement Number, the serial numbers and Proof of Purchase of the products being transferred by sending or faxing, where available, notice of transfer to Apple as set forth in the section immediately above.

Well common sense tells you that if a version of OS X is TIED to an Apple ID because it was downloaded from the Mac App Store and nothing downloaded from the Mac App Stpre can be transfrred to some other Apple ID then you can't reinstall that version of OS X on a Mac computer when you sell it.

If you do, which it seems many people do, then when the new owner goes to update it or reinstall it they will be asked for that particular Apple ID which they do not know.

Again: I'd suggest querying the  folks directly if you're concerned about this, or about the contents of the cited Apple support article, if an official answer is required. The cited tech note makes no mention of all of the hoop-jumping.

You can't sell a Mac computer with any of the Download Only version of OS X if it did not Originally Come with That Version.

As pointed out in my last reply to you.

No need to Query the folks at Apple as they have already made it EXTREMELY CLEAR. For most anyone that has any Common Sense.

MrHoffman wrote:

Again: I'd suggest querying the  folks directly if you're concerned about this, or about the contents of the cited Apple support article, if an official answer is required. The cited tech note makes no mention of all of the hoop-jumping.

<Edited by Host>

I would take it to a apple store to reboot so it's fresh and clean and let them install mavericks

I've noticed the fact that the kb article does not mention the legal requirements contained in the SLA (snd have therefore not referred anyone to that article because it does not contain the most important requirement):

From the SLA:

http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX109.pdf

So, you will need to reinstall the original system, which was most likely Snow Leopard or the buyer will not be able to reinstall the OS as the license is tied to your Apple ID forever and is not transferable.

Slowburn87,

As I'm sure other users have pointed out - you need both the discs that shipped with your MacBook Pro and a 'new' disc for Snow Leopard installation. Total cost would be close to $50 for both.

There's just no way of getting around it if you want to legally and cleanly sell your Mac.

Good luck,

Clinton

I mean the actual question was, and I quote:

"So I guess I will have to reinstall the original OS X that it shipped with, which I think is Snow Leopard, but my install disc is damaged. Is there any way that I can use internet recovery to install Snow Leopard instead of Mavericks or am I going to have to buy a new Snow Leopard disc from Apple?

If your disks are damaged, then you can call Apple and get replacements (you'll need to give them your serial number as the disks are machine specific) at a nominal cost.

If the original OS was not Snow Leopard (which I doubt as the mid 2010's came with it as far as I remember), then you can still get the replacement disks and there is no need to buy a retail Snow Leopard disk unless you want to - you are fulfilling the legal requirements by selling it with the original OS.