#How to wipe a computer and start over password#
#How to wipe a computer and start over Bluetooth#
#How to wipe a computer and start over mac#
#How to wipe a computer and start over windows#

If the accessory doesn't connect within 30 seconds, turn the accessory off and back on.

#How to wipe a computer and start over Bluetooth#

If it needs to reconnect to a Bluetooth accessory such as a keyboard or mouse, you might be asked to turn on the accessory.

#How to wipe a computer and start over mac#

Your Mac restarts and shows a black screen or progress bar.

Click Erase All Content & Settings to confirm that you want to proceed.

#How to wipe a computer and start over password#

If you're asked to sign out of Apple ID, enter your Apple ID password and click Continue.

Click Continue to allow your settings, media, data, and the other listed items to be removed.

Enter the password you use to log in to your Mac, then click OK.

Erase Assistant opens and asks you to sign in with your administrator credentials.

From the System Preferences menu in the menu bar, choose Erase All Content and Settings.

From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.

If you want to start up again from the disk you just erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.

After your Mac activates, click Exit to Recovery Utilities.

Use the Wi-Fi menu in the menu bar to choose a Wi-Fi network, or attach a network cable.

Your Mac now attempts to activate, which requires an internet connection.

When your Mac restarts, follow the onscreen instructions to choose your language.

When asked whether you're sure you want to erase this Mac, click Erase Mac and Restart.

However, if you see an Erase Volume Group button, click that button instead.

Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then specify a name and format: Name: Macintosh HD.

Now select Macintosh HD in the sidebar.

During this step, disregard any internal volume named Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD - Data, as well as any volumes in the External and Disk Images sections of the sidebar.

If you previously used Disk Utility to add volumes to your startup disk, select each additional internal volume in the sidebar, then click the delete volume (–) button in the toolbar to delete that volume.

In the Internal section of the Disk Utility sidebar, make sure that you see the volume named Macintosh HD.

If asked, enter the Apple ID and password previously used with this Mac.

Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.

If you want to start up again from the disk you erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.

Quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window.

After the erase is complete, select any other internal volumes in the sidebar, then click the delete volume (–) button in the toolbar to delete that volume.

However, if you see an Erase Volume Group button, click that button instead

Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then enter the requested details: Name: Macintosh HDįormat: APFS or macOS Extended (Journaled), as recommended by Disk Utility.

Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility.

From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.

If asked, select a user you know the password for, then enter their administrator password.

Start up from macOS Recovery: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold Command (⌘) and R until you see an Apple logo.

Completely erasing the device can take up to a few hours, so be sure to keep the device plugged in until the process is complete.

#How to wipe a computer and start over windows#

This process varies depending on the computer's operating system, so we've listed the steps required for Windows 8, 10 and 11, and recent versions of MacOS. Once that's taken care of, the actual wiping can begin. Since this deletion is permanent, the first thing you'll want to do is transfer anything worth keeping over to an external drive. This wiping process not only deletes all files in the typical method, but also painstakingly overwrites every bit of data in the drive to make file recovery near-impossible. To prevent files from being recovered off your old computer, the drive must be wiped at the system level, and that requires some digging through settings. SSDs in particular are very susceptible to data recovery methods. For this reason, data recovery services can be used to rescue files that are accidentally deleted or corrupted, but they can also be used to obtain someone else's sensitive info. When the bin is emptied that digital real-estate on the hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) will be marked as open, but the actual data will remain until another file comes along to overwrite it. The PC's operating system simply hides it from view, which is why files can easily be taken back out of the trash. This is because data on a hard drive isn't actually deleted by this command. For technical reasons, simply clicking ' delete' on a file or dragging it to the trash bin isn't going to cut it.