You will need any Apple ID to complete the updates.

Once on the new desktop update to the latest OS by either clicking 'app store' on the dock or Apple logo top left and clicking software update.

Now when setting up the computer it would be like brand new, with no data from the previous owner.

Now click 'Reinstall Max OS X' and it will download the os via the internet.

Close disk utility with either the red x top left or you may have to click 'disk utility' top left and click quit on the drop-down to get back to the main screen (like first image).

Click erase (doing this step deletes the previous user's data).

Now choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' and name the drive.

On disk utility click the 'Macintosh HD' then the erase tab on the right.

Before clicking reinstall click 'disk utility'.

Still holding CMD + R wait for recovery screen to appear that gives reinstall option.

With Mac off Hold CMD + R and tap power button to turn on computer.

Also an Apple ID is required - so setup a free generic one. I will however expand on the steps required. The comment by 'The_IT_Guy_You_Don't_Like' is exactly correct. With Apple when you 'reinstall' you are only refreshing the operating system files and not actually formatting the entire drive like you would on a Windows computer. I can confirm from resetting many display models in my shop that you need to complete steps 6 and 7 from your first link otherwise the previous owners data will remain. Is this possible? Can I wipe all of the user data from this machine and start anew? Am I going to be required to create an Apple account to be able to use this machine?Īn Apple ID is not required. I do not have, nor have I ever had, an Apple account. Apple is pushing Yosemite on the OS X page ( ) and doesn't seem to provide Mavericks anymore.įurthermore, I am a Linux user and every machine I have available to me is running Linux (Ubuntu 14.04). I have spent hours Googling and it seems that I can do a complete disk wipe and reinstall using a USB flash drive, but I cannot find a downloadable version of Mavericks anywhere. In neither of these processes was I ever prompted for an Apple ID. (Apple also explains the process here: but the instructions at seemed easier to follow). I also tried the cmd+opt+p+r thinking that user account info might be stored in NVRAM but that didn't seem to do the trick either (I know it's only supposed to be system settings like: time, locale, monitor res, etc. I have tried the cmd+r reboot and reinstalled OS X but the original user data is still there. I do not have the login info to the machine. So, I want to wipe all of the user data, essentially doing a 'factory reset'. I'd like to re-purpose it for my web designer to use here at my office, since she cannot easily run the Adobe suite on the Ubuntu machines we already have.

Reset os x yosemite