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I have an old MacBook which I want to get rid of. The instructions say use the command button and r as the computer starts up and it will take you into os mode. It doesn't. Nothing happens. How can I clear my drive so that I can get rid of my computer?
Thanks
What is the exact model of the computer? You can get this information either by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About this Mac", or by entering your serial number here or here.
What happens when you boot into Recovery Mode? Does it actually boot into Recovery Mode or does it boot normally into macOS?
Are you having other problems with this laptop which is why you are recycling it?
Is Filevault enabled on this laptop? If not, the I suggest enabling Filevault and letting the encryption process finish which can take days depending on the size & health of the drive. After that it makes erasing the drive much easier.
FYI, here is an Apple article on how to prepare to sell or dispose of your Apple computer (they assume Filevault is being used):
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065
Edit: Also what version of macOS is currently installed?
What is the exact model of the computer? You can get this information either by clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About this Mac", or by entering your serial number here or here.
What happens when you boot into Recovery Mode? Does it actually boot into Recovery Mode or does it boot normally into macOS?
Are you having other problems with this laptop which is why you are recycling it?
Is Filevault enabled on this laptop? If not, the I suggest enabling Filevault and letting the encryption process finish which can take days depending on the size & health of the drive. After that it makes erasing the drive much easier.
FYI, here is an Apple article on how to prepare to sell or dispose of your Apple computer (they assume Filevault is being used):
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065
Edit: Also what version of macOS is currently installed?
I will answer some of your questions but am a bit out of my depth with some of them. In terms of the MacBook it is a 2,1 with 1Gb of memory. Processor speed is 2 GHz. Serial number W87406PCZSU. Does that help?
Judith
Ok, if booting with Command + R doesn't work, then do you have a OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard DVD or the original OSX installation DVDs for this laptop? If so, then boot from the install DVD and launch Disk Utility and perform a secure erase on the laptop's drive by writing a single pass of zeroes. Then you can select the "Reinstall OSX" option if you would like to reinstall the OS onto the laptop. Otherwise if you are just recycling the laptop you can just leave it blank with zeros on it.
If you don't have one of these Apple OSX install DVDs, then I can provide another option for you to securely erase the laptop's hard drive.
This all assumes the laptop's hard drive is still functioning in order to secure zero out the data.
resetting the hard drive on an old macbook laptop
