Q: If I erased OS X from my old Macbook Pro that I plan to sell, can the files saved on the laptop be recovered by its future user?

I'm planning to sell my mid-2009 version of Macbook Pro. I didn't erase my old files on it, but erased the OS X system (erased MacIntosh HD, OS X Base System was unerasable). After failing to re-install OS X 10.10 Yosemite, I'm wondering if the old files saved on my laptop can somehow be recovered by the future user of this laptop. Any ideas?

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10), mid-2009 Macbook Pro

Posted on Apr 6, 2016 9:37 PM

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Q: If I erased OS X from my old Macbook Pro that I plan to sell, can the files saved on the laptop be recovered by its future user?

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by Rysz,

Rysz Apr 6, 2016 9:48 PM in response to emillie89
Level 7 (21,001 points)

iPad

Apr 6, 2016 9:48 PM in response to emillie89

You should follow these guidelines and you'll be safe.
What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Apple Support
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by emillie89,

emillie89 Apr 6, 2016 10:01 PM in response to Rysz
Level 1 (8 points)

Notebooks

Apr 6, 2016 10:01 PM in response to Rysz

What if I didn't sign out of iTunes and iCloud before erasing OS X? Not sure if it's because I was trying to reinstall 10.10 on a much older version of Macbook Pro, but I was prompted to sign in with Apple ID and password when initiating reinstallation. I tried inputting my ID and password. It showed that the operation was temporarily unavailable. Does this mean that my iTunes and iCloud accounts were automatically signed out?
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by Rysz,

Rysz Apr 7, 2016 9:08 AM in response to emillie89
Level 7 (21,001 points)

iPad

Apr 7, 2016 9:08 AM in response to emillie89

Not signing out of these accounts has no effect on security - everything on the disk has been erased.

"Signing out" means to simply log out, not to close these accounts. The issue you're having with signing in, is not related. Try again later.
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Q: If I erased OS X from my old Macbook Pro that I plan to sell, can the files saved on the laptop be recovered by its future user?

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by Rysz,

by emillie89,

by Rysz,

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