Sometimes the upgrade fever increases, and you have taken possession of the latest and greatest that Apple has to offer. Often you can get rid of the old hardware for a reasonable price. But how do you ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible?
Step 1 – Backup
Actually this should not even be necessary; a little computer user always ensures that there is a backup of the important data. But because we are going to erase the Mac later, we first have to ensure that everything that is on it is safe. Time Machine is easiest when the new computer is a Mac again. If you go to a Windows computer , a USB drive with your data works at its best.
Step 2 – Unauthorize iTunes (and other accounts)
With an Apple ID you can download all kinds of movies and music and play them on your Mac. Then you have to allow the Mac in question to do that. Because this Mac is sold, and you can only authorize 5 computers in total to do that, it is advisable to withdraw it. The same applies to accounts with Dropbox, but also Photoshop and Office you have to deactivate if you want to install it later on another Mac.
Step 3 – What exactly do you have for a Mac?
If you are going to sell the Mac, it is useful to know what exactly you have for meat in the tub. About This Mac offers a solution here. At 10.6 and older you can see some limited information by pressing the Apple button at the top left and then pressing “About This Mac”. 10.7 and later you can give some more information by pressing “More info” under “About This Mac”. You will see the above screen with all vital information from the computer.
Helpful Hint: Take a screenshot and put it on a USB stick or similar. That will be useful later when creating the sales advertisement.
Step 4 – Clear the lot
Note! Before you do this, first be sure that you have everything you want to keep safe. The erasing is not reversible! Now we are going to restart the Mac from an installation disk (10.6 or earlier) or recovery partition (10.7 or later). You turn off the Mac, hold down the Alt (⌥) on the keyboard and turn the Mac back on. This will now give a white screen with all the options you can start from. Select the CD or recovery partition. Now you can open Disk Utility.
– Recovery CD: Press “Tools” -> “Disk Utility” at the top of the bar;
– Recovery partition: Select “Disk Utility” in the first menu after the language selection;
Then press the Macintosh HD (or in my case so Macintosh SSD) partition, select clear, and then press “Clear”. Everything that was first on your disk is now thrown out, and the disk is empty after that.
Step 5 – Re-installation
Of course you do not want to sell an empty Mac. After clearing the disk, the computer will be completely empty . There must of course be a good operating system for sales. Now close Disk Utility (if it was still running) and start a fresh installation of the recovery partition or CD. Once the installation is complete, the Mac will reboot and ask for a new user to be created. Of course we do not want this, so as soon as this asks, you press Cmd (⌘) + Q. Now the configuration wizard will stop and you can switch off the Mac.
Step 6 – Polishing and photographing
This step is optional, but crucial if you want to get the most money out of your computer. Even a cloth over the keyboard, gently with a little glass cleaner on a cloth exterior decrease, and make a few good pictures can make the difference between a tough sell with much haggling and a purchaser mails and says “Go ahead!”. Make sure the Mac is on a quiet background, with all accessories and boxes and the like. Take photos from all sides, and any damage.
Step 7 – Sell or give away?
Of course, hard currency is nice to get for your old stuff. Make a good advertisement with the photos you just shot, and be honest about any damage or shortcomings. You can also sell your mac online with all ease. There are websites like MacBack where you can easily sell your old macbook on just one click. Tell them what is included with accessories and any software, and add the “About This Mac” screenshot. And then it is a matter of waiting for the right bid. You can check a grading here.
But do not forget that a computer may no longer have any value for you, but someone else (grandfather, grandmother, father, mother) can still make you happy. And a Mac is always appreciated as a birthday present. Keep that in mind when the sale does not want to run, a little goodwill with others can never hurt.