ellemcc
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Macbook wont let me erase and reinstall....

So I was tidying out my room and came across my old Macbook which I purchased in late 2009. Ive put it on ebay as faulty as there are a few issues and someones bought it! Now i just need to erase and reinstall everything so that its fresh and doesnt have all my stuff on it.

When I sold my previous mac a few months ago, all I had to do was restart it and then press cmd + R when the grey screen appeared. It wont let me do it this time however. it just goes straight to the desktop screen as if i were turning it on normally. I don't have any of the discs as it was bough so long ago and one of the issues was thta the dic drive is broke! any advise would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you.

Posted on Jul 21, 2014 11:41 AM

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ellemcc

Q: Macbook wont let me erase and reinstall....

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jul 21, 2014 12:02 PM in response to ellemcc
    Level 10 (271,850 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 21, 2014 12:02 PM in response to ellemcc

    You can purchase replacement discs from Apple:

     

    Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.

     

    To contact product and tech support: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes

    international calling numbers..

     

    You can also purchase the retail Snow Leopard DVD:

     

    You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.

     

    After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8.

     

    But without installer discs you cannot erase the drive. And, without a DVD drive the discs are of no use.

     

    Do you have another Mac available. One that has Firewire capability?

  • by ellemcc,

    ellemcc ellemcc Jul 21, 2014 1:33 PM in response to Kappy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 21, 2014 1:33 PM in response to Kappy

    Hey, well the disc drive is broken so i can't use that anyway. I do have the mac i currently use as well though if that can help in anyway?

  • by Kappy,

    Kappy Kappy Jul 21, 2014 2:42 PM in response to ellemcc
    Level 10 (271,850 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 21, 2014 2:42 PM in response to ellemcc

    If your working computer has a Firewire port, then get a Firewire cable to connect your computer to the 2009 MacBook. Boot the old Mac into Target Disk Mode. Boot your computer normally. On your computer's Desktop you should find a disk icon for the hard drive on your old MacBook. Do the following:

     

    Drive Partition and Format

     

    1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.

     

    2. After DU loads select the hard drive on the old MacBook (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area.  If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing.  SMART info will not be reported  on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

     

    3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.

     

    4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

     

    5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Security button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.

     

    6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.

     

    This will remove all traces of your data from the computer. Now, I don't know what to suggest for installing an OS on the old MacBook. You would need either replacement discs from Apple of the retail Snow Leopard DVD. You cannot install Lion or later that you have purchased and have installed on your computer. So, at the very least you can deliver a completely wiped computer to the purchaser.