How install new system in security mode?

[tryout50]

Hi!

My old iMac (2007) seems to have a hardware problem and the only way it starts up anymore, is in safe mode.

I would like to sell it on Ebay as defect just for people who are looking for different parts of this machine. But for that i would like to delete all my personal data on the machine. Best way would be, to install the system new. But as i cannot start in Recovery mode i would like to know, which way do i have, to install the iOS new in such a case??? Or how to delete all my data in a secure way?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Weaselboy]

Do you happen to have the original installer DVD? You could boot to that and try to just erase the internal drive.

 

[tryout50]

Unfortunately no.

 

[Weaselboy]

Do you have access to another Mac you could use to make yourself a USB OS installer? Then you could boot to that and erase the disk.

Your Mac is too old for Internet recovery, so you are going to need some sort of external boot source.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Weaselboy is correct.

Couldn't the installer be a machine-compatible version of Linux? Anything that could erase the internal drive.

It shouldn't be too difficult to research.

 

[tryout50]

Thanks guys! I have a newer iMac too. So that should not be the problem. I will try to create a USB installer with the same system that is on the old machine (El Capitan). I already tried it with my USB installer Mojave, but that did not work. Maybe because the system is too new for the old one.