Ensuring my data will be wiped out safely

[zoran]

An imac running Yosemite will be sold and want to wipe out everything personal, but without formatting the system drive or reinstalling the OS. As far as personal stuff, the following have been done on the iMac.
1. There are a few applications installed
2. An email account has been set in Mail
3. A lot of browsing with Safari
4. As for file use, there was an external USB3 hard drive connected, nothing written on the system drive, other than the apps installed!

Apart from the listed "personal" stuff above, are there others that must be wiped out that i have not thought of?

 

[grahamperrin]

Encrypt then erase the volume

Not specific to Yosemite:

1. Enable FileVault 2
2. allow conversion to complete
3. erase and install.

OS X: How to erase and install – Apple Support

There are various other methods. The method above will allow you to erase the volume very quickly when the time comes to sell.

You really should erase the voume. It's simplest.

(Without knowing a great amount of detail about what additional applications are installed, how they were installed, and so on, it's impossible to say exactly what you should selectively remove.)

 

[zoran]

I don't understand how can MacOSX be reinstalled after i quit disk utility (step8)! Where will the installation files be derived from? The internet?

 

[Bruno09]

OS X will be downloaded from Apple servers, then installed.

It's a ~5 GB download.

 

[zoran]

OS X will be downloaded from Apple servers, then installed.
It's a ~5 GB download.

1. What happens if the user cannot connect to the internet?
2. Can i choose to erase the drive, using the highest date wipe possible?

 

[Bruno09]

1. no Internet = no download...

2. why not but do you actually need this ?

 

[zoran]

1. no Internet = no download...
2. why not but do you actually need this ?

1. So this way of reinstalling and wiping personal data is not very flexible
2. Well one needs this security wipe it if he wished to pass this Mac to a new owner!

 

[Apple_Robert]

1. What happens if the user cannot connect to the internet?
2. Can i choose to erase the drive, using the highest date wipe possible?

You can install the OS from a USB installer. Just make sure you shut down the computer once it tries to proceed with the user setup.

Just inform the buyer that he or she will have to finish setting up the user part of the OS. Shouldn't be any problem with that.

 

[fisherking]

what i've done:

create a new admin user. log out of your account, and log in to the new one.
then go to system preferences>users & groups, and completely delete the original account. (you may want to clean out applications as well, and change the name of the mac in the sys pref>shared window).

 

[zoran]

what i've done:

create a new admin user. log out of your account, and log in to the new one.
then go to system preferences>users & groups, and completely delete the original account. (you may want to clean out applications as well, and change the name of the mac in the sys pref>shared window).

Thanks, this method though -i believe- will not delete personal data (and data in general) with high wipeout ability, am i correct?

 

[Mike MA]

An imac running Yosemite will be sold and want to wipe out everything personal, but without formatting the system drive or reinstalling the OS. As far as personal stuff, the following have been done on the iMac.
1. There are a few applications installed
2. An email account has been set in Mail
3. A lot of browsing with Safari
4. As for file use, there was an external USB3 hard drive connected, nothing written on the system drive, other than the apps installed!

Apart from the listed "personal" stuff above, are there others that must be wiped out that i have not thought of?

Just create a new admin user, delete the old one and than delete/overwrite the free memory by using the disc utility. Same effect as the Mac is still up and ready while your data incl. all logs and cache is completely whiped out!

 

[fisherking]

Thanks, this method though -i believe- will not delete personal data (and data in general) with high wipeout ability, am i correct?

it will wipe out EVERYTHING related to your account; the last thing to do is change your computer name in Shared preference in system preferences...

see what mike MA says above.

 

[liya1201]

Last time, I wiped out my HD by using the "Shred" in Drive Genius 3 (3 Pass Random). I then scanned the erased HD by Data Rescue 3 without finding any meaningful files.

 

[Apple_Robert]

The simple way is to turn on FileVault. Once the drive is encrypted, go to Disk Utility and erase the disk.

 

[zoran]

1. no Internet = no download...

Will there an Apple ID be required or any other thing or do i just need internet all it does everything by its self?

 

[KALLT]

Can't you just format and reinstall OS X from the recovery partition (command + R before startup)? That way you ensure that all the personal data is indeed gone and the OS has undergone a clean install at the same time. The process is fairly straightforward. I wouldn't use any workarounds with FileVault or admin controls.

Will there an Apple ID be required or any other thing or do i just need internet all it does everything by its self?

You don't need an Apple ID. The only instance where this is suggested is at the account creation process, but even there it's optional. OS X does everything by itself, just follow the steps linked by grahamperrin and it will be finished in no-time.

 

[zoran]

If thats a way to do it, then i have no problem, someone in here advised me about downloading and needing internet connection!
So let me check the steps once again:
1. CMD+R at startup
2. Disk utility and Erase
and then what?

 

[KALLT]

If thats a way to do it, then i have no problem, someone in here advised me about downloading and needing internet connection!
So let me check the steps once again:
1. CMD+R at startup
2. Disk utility and Erase
and then what?

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201376

You quit Disk Utility and the main menu pops up again. There you choose "Reinstall Mac OS".

 

[zoran]

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201376

You quit Disk Utility and the main menu pops up again. There you choose "Reinstall Mac OS".

And no internet is needed then?

 

[simonsi]

And no internet is needed then?

Best you follow the link and actually look for yourself, checkout Step 1:

"Before you begin, you need to be connected to the Internet."

 

[zoran]

Right now im connected to the internet using Ethernet, will this connection be working when i will be looking for a network in step 7 or i would only have to be using WiFi then?

 

[KALLT]

Right now im connected to the internet using Ethernet, will this connection be working when i will be looking for a network in step 7 or i would only have to be using WiFi then?

Obviously ethernet will be enough.

 

[zoran]

Thank you all for the help!
Lastly... one more thing, what if instead of Yosemite the imac was running SnowLeopard, what should i do then?

 

[AlanShutko]

Lastly... one more thing, what if instead of Yosemite the imac was running SnowLeopard, what should i do then?

If you want it to keep running Snow Leopard, you can reboot with the Snow Leopard install disc and format that way.

 

[DeltaMac]

Thank you all for the help!
Lastly... one more thing, what if instead of Yosemite the imac was running SnowLeopard, what should i do then?

For Snow Leopard - you would boot to your Snow Leopard installer DVD, and erase/reinstall with that. (there is no internet install for Snow Leopard, as with newer OS X versions)
If you don't have the DVD - the Snow Leopard installer is still available for sale from Apple.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard