Securely wipe and update Macbook Air

[Cheetah Designs]

I have a 2011 Macbook Air that is currently running El Captain.

I'd like to securely wipe it and upgrade it to the latest OS. How should I go about this?

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Create a sdcard installer for the latest macOS. Boot too it. Format the drive and reinstall macOS. Simples.

 

[Cheetah Designs]

Create a sdcard installer for the latest macOS.

Excuse my ignorance here, presumably you mean this: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-a-bootable-macos-sierra-usb-flash-drive-1786853248 and then boot it and it will give me the option to securely wipe?

 

[ChrisD.]

Reboot it, hold CMD + R, then format it and reinstall MacOS over the internet.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Excuse my ignorance here, presumably you mean this: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-a-bootable-macos-sierra-usb-flash-drive-1786853248 and then boot it and it will give me the option to securely wipe?

Yes.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Reboot it, hold CMD + R, then format it and reinstall MacOS over the internet.

Or go this root if you have a decent Internet connection. I always preferred the offline method though.

 

[ChrisD.]

Or go this root if you have a decent Internet connection. I always preferred the offline method though.

Either way you have to download the ISO, be it recovery doing it all for you or you doing it in the OS, so I wouldn't have thought it would make the blindest bit of difference.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Either way you have to download the ISO, be it recovery doing it all for you or you doing it in the OS, so I wouldn't have thought it would make the blindest bit of difference.

That depends if you downloaded it on someone else's connection

I get my stuff at work now cos it's where I tend to be most the time.

 

[Cheetah Designs]

Thanks guys, i'll give it a go tonight.

 

[Cheetah Designs]

Presumably I download sierra through the app store?

 

[Deleted member 77746]

Presumably I download sierra through the app store?

That's correct.

 

[metachi]

download macOS from app store then use DiskMaker X 6 to create usb stick automatically for you.

 

[ChrisD.]

download macOS from app store then use DiskMaker X 6 to create usb stick automatically for you.

Or just use OSX recovery which is by far the simplest option if you have a half decent internet connection.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

If you do it direct from the Internet, it will give you the version of MacOS that shipped with the laptop, not ideal. You should download Sierra in the app store, cancel when it prompts you to install it (the download stays on the hard drive), then follow any number of step by step instructions on how to make a bootable flash drive, boot on to it, wipe, and reinstall.

 

[ChrisD.]

Really? I'm fairly certain it's always installed the latest available release when I've done it.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/136828/install-latest-os-x-version-with-internet-recovery

 

[Deleted member 138126]

Really? I'm fairly certain it's always installed the latest available release when I've done it.

Haha probably because you always have the latest model!

 

[ChrisD.]

It seems you're correct.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204904

Do Option-Command-R and it'll install the latest compatible version.

News to me, every day's a school day.

 

[Madgeordie2004]

It seems you're correct.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204904

Do Option-Command-R and it'll install the latest compatible version.

News to me, every day's a school day.

That will only work if you already have 10.12.4 installed. Option command and R will do internet recovery which will reinstall the OS it was shipped with.