How can I use my late 2013 27" iMac with Mavericks to zero out my late 2007 iMac hard drive which has Mountain Lion?

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Level 1

1 points

How can I use my late 2013 27" iMac with Mavericks to zero out my late 2007 iMac hard drive which has Mountain Lion?

I want to donate my old late 2007 iMac to our local elementary school. I would like to zero out the hard drive of this computer before I donate it. I transferred all the files that I needed to my new late 2013 27" iMac several months ago but waited to donate the old computer until I was sure that I did indeed move all the files that I really needed. The new iMac has the latest Mavericks update and the old computer was using Mountain Lion. I don't have any original install CDs for either iMac. I transferred the files from my old mac to the new using a direct link with ethernet cable. Is it possible to connect them the same way to zero out the old computer? What procedure do I use to do this?

Posted on Jul 10, 2014 11:35 AM

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Answer 1

Niel

Level 10

726,935 points

Jul 10, 2014 11:43 AM in response to Leo Euler

Phone AppleCare and order replacement original disks, or buy a Mac OS X 10.6 DVD from the online Apple Store. Use that to erase the old iMac's internal drive and install a fresh OS.

If it matters, you can connect the computers with a FireWire/Thunderbolt cable, start up the old iMac with the T key held down, and use the Disk Utility to erase its internal drive.

(109257)

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Answer 2

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,568 points

Jul 10, 2014 11:41 AM in response to Leo Euler

You can format the old machine from the new Mac however I would recommend contacting AppleCare to get the original install discs (available for a nominal cost) to use for zeroing out the machine and then donating them along with the computer, they will likely need them in the future.

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Answer 3

Leo Euler Author

Level 1

1 points

Jul 16, 2014 11:14 AM in response to Leo Euler

When the Mac OS X 10.6 DVD is use to "erase" the drive, does it really Erase or Zero out the drive or does it remove the file names from immediate use list of file names? How secure would this disk be to prevent someone with some good computer skills to determine all of the pertinent information that was on the disk? I understand that a zeroed out disk is the better form of "erasing" the disk and the zeroing process used several times is even better, but very time consuming. Is it possible to zero out the disk with the 10.6 DVD before installing the OS 10.6 on my computer?

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Answer 4

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,568 points

Jul 16, 2014 11:51 AM in response to Leo Euler

When Disk Utility zeros out a drive it gives the option for up to 8 passes. If you use up 4 passes you will extremely secure. Each pass is quite time consuming though, expect a 4 pass wipe to take anywhere from several hours to a couple days based on the drive size. DU will provide an estimate of how long to expect. Unless you have goverment classified info on the computer 4 passes will be more than enough .

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Answer 5

Leo Euler Author

Level 1

1 points

Jul 16, 2014 12:06 PM in response to Leo Euler

If I let it go for 4 passes will I then be able to use the 10.6 DVD to install the operating system onto the computer? Is the zeroing process one of the ways to erase the hard drive before installing the operating system?

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Answer 6

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,568 points

Jul 16, 2014 2:25 PM in response to Leo Euler

Yes x 2

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Answer 7

Leo Euler Author

Level 1

1 points

Jul 22, 2014 9:21 AM in response to Leo Euler

I sent for and received the Mac OS X 10.6 DVD. I turned on my old computer to begin the process of installing the OS 10.6 on it. I'm using the instructions that involve "Restoring your computer to factory settings" from the instructions included with the OS X 10.6 DVD. I inserted the Mac OS X installation disc and then double-clicked the "Install MacOS X" icon. Instead of being given the option of clicking Utilities and then Restart as the instructions say, I'm presented with the Message:

"You can't use this version of the Application Install Mac OS X with this version of Mac OS X. You have install Mac OS X 23.1.1"

The message sounds a bit stilted in the wording, but that is exactly what it says on the screen. This machine presently has OS X 10.7.5, OS X Lion (11G63) installed as the operating system.

What am I doing incorrectly? Should I be inserting the DVD and then restarting the computer while holding down some keyboard key to complete the task?

HELP!

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Answer 8

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 22, 2014 9:25 AM in response to Leo Euler

You need to erase and install. Otherwise it thinks you are trying to downgrade from 10.7 Mountain Lion to 10.6 Snow Leopard.

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Answer 9

Jul 22, 2014 10:32 AM in response to Leo Euler

Are you actually booting from the DVD?

Hold the C key to boot from the DVD or the control key to boot into startup manager and select the DVD. Once you are running off the DVD you can erase and install.

See Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs - Apple Support

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