Dazvanman
Level 1 (4 points)
Desktops

Q: OS X Base System

HI guys,

 

just a quick ask re the above post.

 

I am in the process of part exchanging my mid 2007 20" iMac and followed the online instructions to erase (format) the HD by going on disk utility.

 

My question is - there is a section saying OS X Base System which will not allow me to erase it. After researching the Apple site I now know what this is and why it is there but am I okay selling my Mac to a third party leaving on OS X Base System? Are people likely to retrieve any old passwords etc from this "BASE SYSTEM" ?

 

I do have the original Snow Leopard CD however before I formatted the HD I was running OS X El Capitan 10.11.3.

 

any feedback appreciated.

iMac (20-inch Mid 2007)

Posted on Jul 5, 2016 12:46 PM

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Dazvanman

Q: OS X Base System

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  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Jul 5, 2016 2:15 PM in response to Dazvanman
    Level 9 (58,704 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Jul 5, 2016 2:15 PM in response to Dazvanman

    If the computer has OS X 10.7.x or later installed, how you format it is restart the computer in the Recovery Partition by holding down Command + R. Select Disk Utility and then format the internal HD.

     

    If you are running an earlier version of OS X than 10.7.x then you will need either the original install DVDs or a 10.6.x Upgrade DVD (NO YOU CANNOT DOWNLOAD IT) which you can get from Apple.com's online store for about $20.00.

     

    Once you have the DVD, start the computer using the DVD, open Disk Utility and format HD.

     

    Also it is STRONGLY recommended that you read:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065