OS X :: Wipe Computer - Defragment Hard Drive?
Feb 12, 2009
Basically I'm trying to install windows xp on my macbook and bootcamp is telling me i need to defragment my hard drive. So i have a few questions. 1. First i don't know the best way to back up all my stuff without having to copy all of it back (I'm hoping to just reload the bare essentials so i can start fresh) - will time machine work well or should i manually grab all my essential files and drag em over to my external hd? Will my stuff be defragmented when i load it all back onto my mac? 2. If i just copy my itunes folder to the external HD, will it save my tags, artwork and library? For Iphoto too, if I just copy the folder will it remember my library? 3. Which system/library folders are essential, what besides my documents, pictures, music, movies and games 4. Is there anyway to copy over applications like Logic 8 and Microsoft Word and not have to reinstall them, and is it worth it?
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Mar 26, 2008
I know there are already several threads with questions on how to wipe an ibook hard drive but this one is slightly different. I can't seem to boot my computer from the install disc that came with it. I turn off the computer, hold down c and get a folder with a question mark in it. However when the computer starts I can see the disc folders. I open up disc utility and can wipe the drive but is this really wiping it? I thought I had to boot up from the CD? I ask as I am selling my machine and don't want to think I have wiped something when I have not. I have also been through the same process (from the disc just running in the drive) to install OSX Tiger. But again how do I know if it has cleared all my old settings? Do I have faulty discs if I cannot re-boot from them. All I want to do is a clean and install.
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Jan 29, 2010
I am trying to defragment the hard drive using snow leopard but I get the following message:You cannot use this algorithm on the selected volume. Off-line algorithms need to unmount the disk so you need to boot from a different disk, partition, computer or CD/DVD. Alternatively, use the Quick (on-line) algorithm.How would I do this without doing a quick algorithm? Basically how do I unmount the disk or boot from a different disk or DVD and run this program, iDefrag.
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Dec 14, 2010
I was using my Mac (Macbook Pro 15" screen) and tried opening a file in GarageBand, at which point a warning message came up saying something about a midi file and something not being allowed, and then froze, resulting in me having to switch the computer off from the power button and restarting (Sadly I didnt realise that this would be the start of a whole host of problems and didnt make a note of the warning message). After rebooting I got the 'stuck on the blue screen with the Apple logo and infinitly spinning wheel' problem that i've seen in a few posts. having tried numerous suggestions posted with no change I ended up taking it to the genius section of an Apple store. When i got it back they said that it may have been a corrupted file, and that they re-installed and reset the starting programs (Something along those lines, I cant quite remember). I can now get onto the computer and use it, though some new problems have arisen.......
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Jun 8, 2009
I want to defragment my hard drive because it's two years old, and I create and delete VERY large files every day.
What is an application that can effectively do this with minimum risk?
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Dec 15, 2008
When using the Disk Utility free space wipe to wipe sensitive data (using the 7 times option), I thought that would be sufficient.
I was wondering though, does the free space wipe option also wipe the slack files on the hard drive? Is this even an issue for a Mac? (I know on Windows the slack file needs to be wiped for a completely secure erase, right?)
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Jul 17, 2009
Is there a way to physically wipe a hard drive (Not a SSD, or Flash drive or anything), but still have it be in working condition.
Like, run a magnet over it, and then restore it to a (workable) format in any OS?
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Mar 9, 2012
I'm trying to sell my macbook pro and I need to wipe the hard drive.
Info:MacBookPro
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Mar 23, 2012
I have a white Macbook. 160GB hard drive. late 2009.I am running OS X Lion 10.7.3 I was looking at my storage statistics and it shows that i have 50gb of "other." How do I get rid or minimize this "other" data? it is taking up a 32% of my hard drive...Or, is there a way to completely erase all files and data, but still keep my OS installed?
Info:MacBook (13-inch Mid 2009), Mac OS X (10.7.3)
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May 20, 2012
I need to dispose of my old MacBook - what's the best way to remove all of the information on it before I put it on Kijiji? Don't want my photos/browsing history/cookies passed on to anyone..
Info:
MacBook (13-inch Mid 2007)
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Dec 25, 2010
This is my first time posting on the forums here, however I've gotten through many a problem in the past. I haven't really been able to find anything that addresses my specific issue, Here is my situation: I got a new iMac after my first one died on me (R.I.P.) the hard drive from the first one is still good and I'm using it via an external enclosure. The new iMac came and I needed to start using it ASAP (school/work) before being able to migrate using the old HD (had to wait on the enclosure to get here.) Now that I'm able to do so (migrate) I'm having a lot of trouble. Is it because I started a new user account? Do I need to wipe the new HD and start from scratch? Migration assistant gave me the option to replace existing user which I chose, however that did not seem to work. I've done it a couple times and tried a couple different ways and the only thing I've been able to do is have the option of booting up using either user. What do I need to do to get everything I need from my old HD? The biggest problem I'm having is getting my new iTunes to find my iPhone backup (contacts, notes etc.) from my old computer/HD along with the whole 2 user thing?
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Jun 13, 2009
I recently destroyed my Macbook pro (didn't react to well to a cider) and I have contacted my insurance company who are going to send out a new one. They initially suggested that I get to keep the hardrive from the machine, but now they are insinuating that I have to send in the entire machine. I have lots of data on the drive including unprotected bank details and other sensitive information.
I somehow need to wipe this clean by monday when I need to send it off. Problem is I have no idea how to do this, the machine won't boot, all I have is a imac, I don't even have a fire wire cable that is compatible between the two machines so I can't start it in target disk mode. I refuse to send it to them with my data on it so my last resort will be to destroy the drive itself (although how I do this without causing structural damage is beyond me).
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Jul 25, 2009
I'm selling my old white Macbook so I can purchase the new Unibody one. I wasn't sure how exactly to "wipe" my old hard drive on Mac. Do I have to install the OS all over again? Did my Macbook come with the disc so I could do this? If not, is there a way to wipe everything without formatting the hard drive?
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Aug 28, 2009
I just bought this and i have 24 MB left on my macbook, is there an option in the installer to format the hard drive?
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Mar 6, 2010
I have a 5 year old iMac that has started to behave strangely.
First Microsoft Office, which had been running just fine for years, now won't open (an error required it to close). When I installed OpenOffice.org, that also showed the same message when I fired it up. Other apps are closing suddenly at a rate much higher than previously.
I have already applied advice I gleaned from the web, and forums. Problem persists.
I figure that I might as well do my very first rebuild, rather than spending ages trying to figure out the problem. With the PC, it was an annual event, so I got used to it, but I've never had the need to rebuild a Mac.
Are there any reliable web pages that tell how to wipe the hard drive and start again?
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Oct 26, 2009
Is there any quick, easy way I can wipe my iBook G4's hard drive, leaving only the operating system?
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Oct 19, 2005
I have a removeable hard drive(with more than enough space) and a mac mini. What do you all figure is the best way to wipe my hard drive and reinstal a fresh copy of OSX while maintiang all my programs, files and settings?
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Jan 12, 2011
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148a Safari/6533.18.5)
I apologize as I suspect this post would be better placed in a Mac os x forum instead. When I had a PC, I would periodically (once a year) wipe the hard drive and reinstall everything. I found this helped to have the computer run quicker, I assumed by cleaning the registry out.
Obviously my Mac runs a number of maintenance protocols that help to mitigate this. Regardless, is there any benefit to a wipe and a reinstall from time capsule, or would the results be effectively the same?
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Jan 19, 2009
I reformat my mac every now and then. It's probably not great for my hard drive, but what can you do?I like the "clean" feel of a fresh OS install...
Most of my media, though, is on an external hard drive. Whenever I reformat, I have to re-rank my songs. Is there a way I can save the ranking of my songs?
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Jun 17, 2009
I previously had a Windows partition that I created with Boot Camp. I was running out of room and wanting to try out Windows 7, so I deleted it and tried to create a larger one. So far, i have not been able to create a new partition. The error I'm currently getting reads "Verification failed. This disk could not be partitioned. Use Disk Utility to repair this disk." When I do that, I usually get that it needs repairing, I repair it, and then it happens again. I've done the repairing using the Leopard DVD or booting from another hard drive that's bootable. Another error I was getting said there is currently data there that cannot be moved. That errors told me to back up, wipe my hard drive, and do a reinstall. I really don't want to have to do that, and I really don't NEED Windows, but I did recently want to play some games and dug up my old games for Windows.
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Sep 15, 2009
After seeing the system requirements for Windows 7, I decided to upgrade to a larger hard drive later this week. I plan on giving my old 160 gig drive to a friend who uses Windows but I want to wipe it clean first. Do I insert my Leopard disc and use disk utility to reformat?
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Mar 16, 2010
I am going to be selling my iMac, and I want to know something. If I securely empty the trash for all my files, is it necessary to use 7 or 35 pass when wiping the hard drive?
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Apr 13, 2010
i am sending back my new mbp for the new one. how do i wipe the hard drive and back up my itunes?
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Jan 31, 2012
Would like to sell my old iMac, but have yet to figure out how to wipe it clean of my files, etc.. Have old operating system of tiger 10.4.11 IMac is from 2006. Do not have OS X install disc anymore.
Info:
iMac (24-inch), Mac OS X (10.4.11)
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Feb 2, 2012
Have to throw out my old Power Mac 8600, since no one wants an old but perfectly good computer.How do I wipe the hard-drive clean before throwing it away?
Info:
PowerMac, Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier
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Nov 17, 2010
i just got a new imac and thought i'd firewire from my old one, but doing this is set up after the intro video only let me register in my ex's name (who the older mac is registered to) - i obviously dont want this! how do i reset my imac so that i can register it without his name as the owner of the imac?!
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Dec 2, 2009
I spilled coffee all over my MacBook Pro and since it is not covered by AppleCare it will cost $1,200 to fix. I can still turn it on but most of the keyboard isn't working properly. I got it back in July 2007 (15" 2.4ghz 160gb) and I think I'm going to buy a new one. I managed to get all of my school work off of it even thought it took awhile and was very frustrating. My question is, is there anyway to completely wipe the hard drive then sell it? I was trying to look on eBay
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Apr 5, 2010
I recently sold my older MBP and already backed up the system via Time Machine. However, I need to wipe clean the hard drive for the new user. Is there a clear cut way to restore the system? I do not have the boot drive with me as I am traveling but would like to know if there is a way without using the disk.
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Aug 3, 2006
Hello. I am looking to sell my old iBook (for parts) but first want to wipe it clean. Unfortunately, part of the reason I want to get rid of it is because the cd player doesn't work anymore. Therefore, I am unable to 'c' boot from the original OS X disk and erase the hard drive. Is there another way to wipe all personal info from my computer, leaving only the operating system?
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Mar 17, 2012
Tried to restart didn't work. Light is on, but nothing makes noise or anyhting. Been charging it for hours so it has power. Tested the chord on my ther computer and it worked
Info:
MacBook
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