I am the original owner of a Macintosh Classic II and plan to sell it.
After decades of it resting in a closet in the original box, I recently turned it on and all I got was a relatively large white rectangle on the display that did not fill the screen. The next time I turned it on I just got a blank display. I opened the case and carefully looked at everything I could see and did not find anything that looked like corrosion, leaking capacitors, etc. Except for some dust on the air vent, everything inside looked quite clean to me.
So I took out the logic board to get a closer look but did not find any problems. The battery looked fine - no evidence of corrosion or leaking.
Since I would like to sell it, but don't want to share whatever personal data is on the hard drive, I'd appreciate your advice regarding how I can securely erase all personal data from the hard drive. The challenging part is that now, I do not have a functioning Macintosh of any kind. I do however, have access to a computer that can run a Windows and a Linux operating system -- if that is of any use.
I suppose I could (1) remove the hard drive and just physically destroy it or maybe you can only suggest a way to (2) securely erase everything on the hard drive -- as opposed to just personal data. But I assume either of those options would substantially reduce the selling value of the Classic II. Option (3), deleting all personal data but preserving the operating system, etc., for a potential buyer, would seem to be my best option by far. It seems pretty clear that Option 2 would be my second best choice.
I would really appreciate your advice on this matter.
Also, I think it would be helpful for me to clarify that I am not a computer scientist or engineer or a computer repair expert. I clearly do not have the skills, computer repair parts, tools or computer-related vocabulary that most people on this forum have. Thank you for your understanding of my limitations.
After decades of it resting in a closet in the original box, I recently turned it on and all I got was a relatively large white rectangle on the display that did not fill the screen. The next time I turned it on I just got a blank display. I opened the case and carefully looked at everything I could see and did not find anything that looked like corrosion, leaking capacitors, etc. Except for some dust on the air vent, everything inside looked quite clean to me.
So I took out the logic board to get a closer look but did not find any problems. The battery looked fine - no evidence of corrosion or leaking.
Since I would like to sell it, but don't want to share whatever personal data is on the hard drive, I'd appreciate your advice regarding how I can securely erase all personal data from the hard drive. The challenging part is that now, I do not have a functioning Macintosh of any kind. I do however, have access to a computer that can run a Windows and a Linux operating system -- if that is of any use.
I suppose I could (1) remove the hard drive and just physically destroy it or maybe you can only suggest a way to (2) securely erase everything on the hard drive -- as opposed to just personal data. But I assume either of those options would substantially reduce the selling value of the Classic II. Option (3), deleting all personal data but preserving the operating system, etc., for a potential buyer, would seem to be my best option by far. It seems pretty clear that Option 2 would be my second best choice.
I would really appreciate your advice on this matter.
Also, I think it would be helpful for me to clarify that I am not a computer scientist or engineer or a computer repair expert. I clearly do not have the skills, computer repair parts, tools or computer-related vocabulary that most people on this forum have. Thank you for your understanding of my limitations.