macbook question about restore to factory default

my macbook is on the fritz, and i lost my restore discs...can i do a soft reset to fix this?

 

To actually restore to factory default, you're going to need those restore disks (they would be necessary to do a completely fresh install, allowing you to wipe everything out).

Apple might be able to send you replacement restore disks.

Of course, a full system restore may or may not be necessary, depending on what your problems are. But it is a good idea to have the restore disks anyway.

-Zadillo

 

so there's no way to 'soft reset'??

can i download these discs? say from a torrent site?

 

Well, again, what problems are you having? There isn't some simple "soft reset" that automatically restores everything to the factory default.

No, you can't download these disks (this would be illegal anyway). System Restore disks are specially for each computer, and are different from a simple OS installation CD (they also restore the software, etc. that is installed by default).

I would really recommend seeing if Apple can send you some replacement restore discs.

But aside from that, it's probably worth getting a better idea of what problems you're having. A system restore might not be necessary, and it might not even fix the problem depending on what it is.

-Zadillo

 

well, i'd like to rename the computer and delete my HD space...

 

When you say delete your HD space, what do you mean?

 

format the drive

 

You will need the restore disks. Those are one of those things you kinda want to hold on to. You need to either find them or call Apple.

 

OK, I see. Yeah, honestly, if you want to do a complete format of your drive and reinstall, you're going to need those restore disks. You could technically buy a copy of Mac OS X, but it would only install the OS (not the additional apps like iLife, etc. that come preinstalled on a MacBook). That's really why your best bet is to see if Apple can send you replacement disks.

Do you just want to reformat because you said your MaBook is "on the fritz"? It's possible that whatever problems you are having can be resolved without a complete reformat and reinstall (and it's also possible that you might be having hardware problems that would not be solved by a reformat and reinstall/restore).

-Zadillo

 

ok, i think i've got it running better...how do i change my computer name?

 

If you go to System Preferences and choose "Sharing", there is an entry where you can change the Computer Name (the only place where the name of the computer really comes up).

If you meant changing the name of your hard drive, you can do that by simply on the hard drive icon and then clicking again on the actual text label.

-Zadillo

 

cool...thanks...i'm new to macs...bet you couldn't figure that out!

 

No problem.

There's a great sticky thread here that has some useful info too that might help you out.

-Zadillo

 

can you change the "short name" in accounts?

 

Yes, I'm not at my Mac right now but I'm pretty sure you can change that as well (you might need to "Unlock" to make changes though).

Someone else on OS X right now can confirm this.

 

Reformatting because its on the fritz?

Quite frankly, in the Mac OS X world such a thing is pointless. Apple designed OS X in a way so that reformatting wouldn't have to be the answer to every problem you get. The system files in OS X are not user editable, not even the Admin can edit or change those files, only account that can is the root account which is disabled by default, so really theres no reason the system files would be causing the problems, thus no reason for reformats.

This is why we have the three account mininum suggestion here for this exact purpose, it would be a good idea to review the sticky thread here and take close look to the Mac OS X maintenance and security threads that can be found in the sticky thread. You will save yourself a lot of hassle. So really those reformat discs in the Mac world aren't used in the same fashion as the windows world.