How do I delete everything off my computer?
I can't restart and then cmd+r, my keyboard is broken. Can't find anyway to erase disk in disk utility. External keyboard doesn't work with command+r, windows key+r, or just holding alt.
I can't restart and then cmd+r, my keyboard is broken. Can't find anyway to erase disk in disk utility. External keyboard doesn't work with command+r, windows key+r, or just holding alt.
If the keyboard doesn't work, then why do you need to erase the hard drive? Get the keyboard fixed first.
I'm selling it, and I want my data deleted.
Hard to do without a keyboard.
What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Apple Support
If your computer came originally with Snow Leopard or earlier, then instead of Step 6 in the above do the following:
Clean Install of Snow Leopard
1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came
with your computer. Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer.
After the chime press and hold down the "C" key. Release the key when you see
a small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue
button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
After DU loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive
size.) Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the number of
partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button
and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended
(Journaled, if supported), then click on the Apply button.
3. When the formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. Proceed
with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
4. When the installation has completed your computer will Restart into the Setup
Assistant. After you finish Setup Assistant will complete the installation after which
you will be running a fresh install of OS X. You can now begin the update process
by opening Software Update and installing all recommended updates to bring your
installation current.
5. If you are planning to sell or give your computer away, then do the following:
After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, the computer restarts to a
Welcome screen and asks you to choose a country or region. If you want to leave
the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue with the setup of your system. Instead,
press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac,
the Setup Assistant will guide them through the setup process.
Download and install Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1.
You could get and use an iFixit.com repair guide (for takeapart) to remove the internal
storage drive (hard drive, ssd, etc) so you could access it by another computer's disk
utility, a simple secure erase or complete reformat may do it. This would wipe the
recovery partition on the hard drive, so this is not recommended unless you were to
go online and restore the system from Apple servers.
• iFixit repair/takeapart guides: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac
A bluetooth keyboard may not work under certain circumstances, a USB keyboard may
do OK, even a Windows PC keyboard if you know which keys to try & use.
• Using PC keyboard with a Macintosh: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/970299
If the computer was damaged, then you could physically destroy the hard disk drive so
it could not be read. A big hammer? Maybe. Or, friend with an oxy-acetylene torch, etc.
And if the unit requires a repair, then it won't be worth anywhere near retail. A shop that
repairs those, may charge you less a fee to remove the hard drive, if they want to buy it.
Which computer model sales build year Mac are you having this issue with?
Also, if your computer did not ship with Yosemite, and had a previous system
on board, then you could attempt to start in Recovery and re-install the original
OS X. If the computer is old enough to have an install-restore DVD, then that
is the correct tool to try & use to erase/install a new non-personalized system.
A trip to an Apple Store with Genius bar, with an appointment, may be of help to get the
unit to work, or see why it won't. If there is a warranty still, then it may be sent to repair.
In any event...
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂
How do I delete everything off my computer?