Disk Utility’s most secure level erases the information used to access the files on your disk, then writes zeroes across the disk surface seven times to help remove any trace of what was there. Moving that slider to the right introduces progressively more secure erasing. “Fastest” is quick but insecure - data could potentially be rebuilt using a file recovery app. There are four notches to that Security Options slider. The Security Options window includes a slider that enables you to determine how thoroughly you want to erase your hard drive.Select the disk you’d like to erase by clicking on it in the sidebar.Select “Disk Utility” from the OS X Utilities list.Immediately hold down the command and R keys.To securely erase the drive (note this will erase the drive and OS completely) Files may remain on the drive that can be recovered via un-eraser type programs. Reinstalling the OS isn't technically going to wipe the hard drives either. I am not an Apple person, as you might tell! Or pull all 4 x HDD's and burn them in a fire? Or should i just pull the HDD from the older iBook and just run the above on the iBook G4's? What's the best way to factory reset these things without a Mac OS X disc? Only 1 of these machines has some semi-sensitive info on it (the older iBook), the others probably not so much add user, select time/date etc.)īut i do not think the above necessarily properly wipes the HDD? This then took me through the set up process that seemed to me you would go through when purchasing a new computer (i.e. type without the quotes: 'rm /var/db/.applesetupdone

type without the quotes: '/sbin/mount -uaw'Ħ. boot computer and hold the 'apple' key and the 's' key.Ĥ. So i did some more searching, and did this to one of the machines (one of the G4's):ġ.

So from what i read on Google, i need the Mac OS X disc to do a full factory restore Cleaning out the garage, and i've got 3 x iBook G4's and a previous gen iBook i want to tidy up and donate/sell to a collector

Apple Ibook G4 Recovery Disk Torrents