I want to give my Late 2008 24" iMac to a family member or possibly sell it to a third party....
I have already migrated my data to my new 27" 5K.
What is the best way to delete all my personal files on the 2008 and ensure they're basically non recoverable?
Can it be done without 3rd Party software?
It is running Yosemite.
Thanks, Dan
iMac (24-inch Early 2008), Mac OS X (10.7.5)
Use the Snow Leopard DVD you used to upgrade to Lion. Then restart the computer with the DVD in the SuperDrive by holding down Command +R on startup, this will boot the computer from the DVD. Open Disk Utility and erase the HD. Then give the Snow Leopard DVD to the new owner, have them boot from it, install SL on it, upgrade to 10.6.8 (Use the Snow Leopard Update Combo) and then the new owner call upgrade to the version of OS X they want.
Use the Snow Leopard DVD you used to upgrade to Lion. Then restart the computer with the DVD in the SuperDrive by holding down Command +R on startup, this will boot the computer from the DVD. Open Disk Utility and erase the HD. Then give the Snow Leopard DVD to the new owner, have them boot from it, install SL on it, upgrade to 10.6.8 (Use the Snow Leopard Update Combo) and then the new owner call upgrade to the version of OS X they want.
Thank you - hopefully I still have the disk.
Be sure to follow all of the steps listed in this Apple document: What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Apple Support
Wipe Personal Data
