smswanson23
Level 1 (8 points)
Notebooks

Q: I have an old iBook with OS 10.3.9. I want to erase the hard disk and not install an OS. I am going to recycle it. How do I do that.

How do I erase an old iBook computer for recycling.

iBook, iOS 10

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 8:33 AM

by Niel,Apple recommended
Niel Niel
Level 10 (314,533 points)
Mac OS X
A:

Restart from a Mac OS X install disk and use the Disk Utility on it to erase the internal drive.

 

(144646)

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 9:24 AM

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smswanson23

Q: I have an old iBook with OS 10.3.9. I want to erase the hard disk and not install an OS. I am going to recycle it. How do I do tha ... more

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  • by Niel,Apple recommended

    Niel Niel Sep 15, 2016 9:24 AM in response to smswanson23
    Level 10 (314,533 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 15, 2016 9:24 AM in response to smswanson23

    Restart from a Mac OS X install disk and use the Disk Utility on it to erase the internal drive.

     

    (144646)

  • by Jan Hedlund,

    Jan Hedlund Jan Hedlund Sep 16, 2016 8:57 PM in response to smswanson23
    Level 6 (9,901 points)
    Sep 16, 2016 8:57 PM in response to smswanson23

    In the event that an appropriate Mac OS X disc is not available, there are a few other options.

     

    An older PowerPC version of a utility called DBAN (bootable disc; try a web search for something like dban-2.0.0) could be used to wipe the hard disk.

     

    Alternatively, the hard drive could be removed (not easy, as can be seen in guides at ifixit.com). The removed hard drive could be erased when connected to another computer (Mac or PC) via a universal USB-to-ATA adapter, or the drive could be destroyed through the use of a hammer or a drill.

     

    If the iBook has a FireWire port, and with access to a suitable second computer with FireWire, FireWire target disk mode can be used to erase the hard disk in the iBook.

     

    There is still an interest in iBook computers, so you may want to sell or give it away once the hard disk has been wiped. If necessary, it is even possible to install a free Linux system such as Ubuntu (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCFAQ).