Disk Utility stuck on "skipping"

[pagan11460]

Hello, I am trying to sell an old Mac Pro from 2006. I inserted the install CD and restarted the computer while folding down the "c" key. Then I used Disk Utility to conduct a 7-pass wipe of the old files. It took several hours but it seemed to go well. But my husband wanted me to erase the free disk space so... I ran Disk Utility again but this time, I selected "Erase Free Space." That's when the "fun" began. It took hours and hours. Two days later, I started searching online for a solution. There are so many people referencing a similar situation to mine but for the most part, there all saying that - after it was completed - they ended up with no disk space. I didn't want to end up with that problem. I made a call to a company who buys used Macs. The man told me to click on "skip." That was two days ago. It's still skipping. I think I'll need to force quit it. But... then what? Will my computer restart? Can I start it up again from the install CD? This computer is sitting in my living room, of all places, and I need to get it out of there. Can someone tell me... should I force quit Disk Utility? And what should I do next? I'd really appreciate a quick response. (And to answer this possible question in advance, no... I don't have a back up of this computer saved anywhere because I didn't care about the files on it and I didn't think that I'd need it.)

 

[JQuick]

If you already securely erased the disk, then everything has been erased already.

The "erase free space" option. when used on a partition, erases the space used by files which had been moved to the trash.

To get out of the loop you are in just power down the system.

Yes, you can boot it into the install CD again.

A nice thing you can do, if you plan to resell it, it to install a fresh copy of the OS, then shut it down when you get to the "Welcome" configuration screen.

This way, the new owner just needs to enter their information like they would if they bought it new.

 

[pagan11460]

Hi JQuick,

Thank you sooooooo much for such good advice... especially about powering off at the Welcome screen. (I'm sorry that I didn't reply sooner. I was away this weekend.) Anyway, do I just shut the computer off at the power switch? I'm asking because I don't have a menu on the screen that allows me to shut down and I thought powering off a computer via the switch wasn't a good idea. Thanks again!

 

[JQuick]

You are right that it is generally bad form to shut down a computer by cutting off power, but these days the impact of doing is far lower than it used to be.

If the computer is unresponsive or frozen like you described, you don't have much choice, so will need to turn it off by pressing on the power switch and keeping it held down for several seconds.

After doing this, the file system state will reflect that the system went down without unmounting the disk. But since the journal can be used to ensure file system consistency it will not require lengthy checking when it is later powered up. That was the biggest problem with forced shutdown in the olden days.

After reinstalling a fresh copy of the OS, you do not have to force a shutdown. You can use command-Q to exit the setup assistant and power down gracefully.

Apple has a help document on the topic "What to do before selling or giving away your Mac" here: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5189

 

[pagan11460]

You're a life saver. Thank you.

 

[JQuick]

You're a life saver. Thank you.

You are welcome.