How to Restore a MacBook Pro to Factory Settings?

There are a number of reasons that you may want to reset your MacBook Pro to its factory settings. Perhaps you're selling it and want to wipe your data off of it. Maybe it's infected with a virus. Maybe it's not working properly.

Here’s how to send your MacBook Pro back to square one:



Step 1
To start, make sure that all of your files are backed up elsewhere. When you revert your MacBook Pro back to factory settings, you will also be wiping out all of the data on your hard drive. If there is anything you want to keep, take the time to move it all onto an external hard drive.

Step 2
Once your files are backed up, shut down your MacBook Pro. Plug it into the AC adapter, and then boot it back up. Finally, press and hold “Command-R” (the “Command” and “R” keys at the same time) to start the restore process. Hold these keys until the Apple logo appears on the screen, and then release them. You will be taken to an alternative boot screen with a “Mac OS X Utilities” menu.

Step 3
In order to complete a system restore, you will need to connect your computer to the Internet. Select “Wi-Fi” from the Utilities menu and find the router you will be using. Enter your Wi-Fi username and password to connect.

Step 4
Depending on which version of OS X you are using, your Utilities menu will be slightly different. Look for either “Internet Recovery” or “OS X Recovery,” and select whichever one you find. This should present you with a “Reinstall OS X” option. Click on it, and then wait as your MacBook Pro connects to the Internet and gathers information on your laptop from Apple servers.

You may be prompted to provide your Apple account information, including username and password. If so, provide it. In any case, this process will eventually reach the point where your MacBook downloads the latest version of OS X, as well as the standard programs that Apple includes pre-installed on every laptop. Your hard drive will then be automatically formatted, and the computer will restore itself to factory settings.

Step 5
Once the reinstallation process is completed, you can either restart your computer, provide your Apple ID information, and start copying your files back over to the computer from your external hard drive, or you can turn the computer off and go about selling it to a new owner.

How To Master Reset A Mac To Its Original Factory Settings

How to master reset a Mac is a very common question that many Mac have, especially before selling their Mac or handing it over to somebody else. It is always safe to remove the personal data before selling your Mac so that no one else can access your data. Also, a clean Mac OS X looks better to the buyer. So, how to restore macbook pro or Macbook Air is a very important topic that the Mac users keep searching on the internet. By following our guide you can easily restore Mac to factory settings without any hassle and without the help of any technician. Factory reset will bring your Mac to the same state as it was when you bought it, by wiping all the data.

If you want to use Back to my Mac software to transfer files, click here. The method is provided with step by step process.

Steps To Restore Mac To Factory Settings

Before you proceed with the factory reset procedure, make sure that your Mac is connected to the Internet so that you can download the latest Mac OS X copy.

Clone The Hard Drive Of Your Mac

Restore Mac to factory settings wipes out all the data, so the data should be transferred from the old Mac to some other place so that you can restore your new Mac. The best idea is to make a clone of the whole hard drive and keep it safe for the time being, later you can restore your new Mac. For that you can use SuperDuper orCarbon Copy Cloner program with an external storage (hard drive). Choose the main hard drive in Source and external hard drive in the Destination. Now, you will have to click on Clone button, which is placed at the bottom right corner.

Later, you can boot from the cloned hard drive (external). To make sure that this is possible, reset your Mac and keep holding the Option while booting. Select external drive using the arrow keys on your Mac and hit Enter.

You can re-clone the cloned drive to the main drive if you want to restore your Mac or access the files from your computer after the data is removed from the internal hard drive.

De-Authorize ITunes

The next step is to de-authorizing from iTunes to remove the connection between your computer and iTunes account. Maximum of five Macs that are locked to your iTunes account can be used to play movies and music. For that, launch iTunes > Store > De-authorise this Computer. Provide your Apple ID, password and then click on De-authorise.

Turn FileVault Off

FileVault encrypts all the files on the hard drive, it is suggested to turn this option off before you proceed with thefactory reset macbook pro as security is not a concern here. To turn this option off, head to System Preference > Security & Privacy > FileVault. Now check if it says FileVault is off for the main drive, if not, then you have to click on the padlock icon which you will find at the bottom left. Type in your password and click Unlock. Next, you have to click on the option Turn Off FileVault.

Image source – www.macworld.co.uk

Deactivate ICloud

From System Preference, click on iCloud and hit Sign Out Now. “Delete from Mac” needs to be clicked on to erase all your personal data.

Restart Your Mac Into Recovery Mode

We already mentioned before that you have to stay connected to the Internet during the whole process because Mac OS X needs to be installed from the Internet. Click on Apple, then Restart. Now hold down the R keys and command until you see the Recovery Mode Utilities Window.

Click Continue after selecting Disk Utility. Choose the main Startup Volume and click on Unmount. Select Erase tab and then click Erase in order to clean the hard drive. After this step is finished, select Disk Utility and click Quit Disk Utility to exit the program.

Image source – apple.stackexchange.com

Install Mac OS X

Now ‘Re-install Mac OS X’ needs to be clicked on and continue. A blank copy of Mac OS X Mavericks will be downloaded and installed on your Mac. No need to enter the Apple ID, password and also skip the set up process. The person, who will buy this Mac, can do the rest.

How To Use Back To My Mac To Transfer Files

Back to My Mac is an apple software that comes with you Macintosh. It is a free software that provides free screen-sharing and allows you to remotely access your computer. It also gives you the facility of easily transferring your files from one Mac to another over internet securely. Another convenience that it provides you is that you can control your Mac at home remotely while you are not at home and can access your documents from wherever you are as long as you have the internet connectivity. The screen sharing option of Back to My Mac is a really useful feature which you can use to access your iMac from far away and see the screen of your remotely situated Mac on the Mac you are working with just as if you are sitting in front of the other Mac.

Here we’ll tell you how to use Back to My Mac to transfer files between computers. For that the first thing that you would need to do is to set up Back to my Mac.

Back to My Mac is a part of apple’s iCloud feature which you must already be aware of.

So for using Back to My Mac turn on iCloud.

You must already be having iCloud set up on your computer. To check go to System Preferences and click on iCloud. You must be able to see your account information there. If you are unable to see that then it means that you are not logged in. So use your Apple id and password to log in to iCloud. If you don’t have an Apple id and password then you can easily create one. Once you are done with creating an id and logging into iCloud you would need to set up the Back to My Mac feature.

Now to get access to Back to my Mac to transfer files open iCloud. In the list you would see the option of Back to My mac. Click on the checkbox next to the Back to My Mac. Now your Back to My Mac feature is initiated.

So you are done setting up the Back to My Mac on your computer. Now let’s see how to use back to my mac to transfer files. Here is a step by step guide for that.

Steps To Set Up Back To My Mac To Transfer Files

• In File you will see the option of a New Finder Window. Click on that.
• Now the Finder Window has been initiated. You will be able to see that on the sidebar at the left side. It should generally appear below the devices.
• Click on the New Finder Window.
• When you click on the New Finder Window, you must be able to see the option of Other Mac.
• By clicking on the Other Mac you must be able to connect to the other Macintosh over internet.
• Once the connection has been established you would be able to see the main folders of the connected computer.
• From there you can access the files.

You have the option of opening them or copying them onto the device you are using from the other Mac.
So now you know how to set up Back to My Mac to transfer files from one computer to another. And the best part is that it’s free to use this feature to access your files remotely, or transfer files, or share the screen on another Mac.

One disadvantage the Apple’s Back to My Mac has is that it can only work with another Mac. You would not be able to connect a Windows PC using this feature. But what you can do is to connect your iPad or iPhone using this Back to My Mac feature. This can be done by using apps which are available on the Apple App Store.

You can turn off the Back to My Mac feature whenever you want. For doing this, go to system preferences in Menu. In that you’ll see iCloud. Click on that. Now go to iCloud preferences. In iCloud preferences you can just deselect the Back to My Mac to turn it off.

How To Fix Google Play Store Error 919

Method 1

You need to delete cache and data from Google play store. Follow the steps to do that.

> First go to Settings.

> Tap Application and then All.

> Search for the Google play store and click on that.

> You can notice two buttons there, Clear cache and clear data. Press the buttons one by one to clear the c cheand data from Google play store.

> Return to the application again and press Download manager to clear the data from there as well.

> Go back to home screen and open Google play store once again to download the app.

Maximum chances are there that the problem will be fixed now. You can also try the second method.

Method 2
Sometimes slow Internet connection has been proved to be the reason of this 919 error. So, changing thenetwork connection can help to fix Google play store error 919.

If you were using mobile data connection for downloading, then try to use Wi-fi or else use mobile data connectionif you were unable to download using the Wi-fi connection. But if the size of the app is more than 50MB then this isnot possible and you need to follow the first method.

Fixes To Solve IOS 7 Bluetooth Problems

A large number of apple device users are facing Bluetooth issues after updating their iPhones, iPod touches and iPad to iOS 7. Though some problems are related to hardware like speakers, external keyboard, and headset but most of the issues are related to Bluetooth connectivity with other iOS devices and cars. This issue is not limited to any particular manufacturer, it’s something like a Pionner deck or custom Alpine or the built-in Bluetooth receivers that many vehicles come with. And it not only creates Bluetooth issue rather also can impact call and voice connectivity, audio output and music playing, turn-by-turn directions from mapping services and steering wheel controls. So here we will discuss some general tips that will help to solve iOS 7 Bluetooth problems.

Steps To Resolve IOS 7 Bluetooth Connection Issue

The steps that we are going to discuss are applicable for any device running iOS 7 such as iPhones, iPod touches and iPads.

Things To Check Before Following The Fixes

Before you follow the troubleshooting steps, check the speakers, stereo and power source of the Bluetooth device. Make sure that the batteries are charged and also check is the item plugged in? Because signal strength and Bluetooth connection will get weak with low battery and weak power source. It may create unpredictable behavior like failed or dropping connectivity.

Toggle Bluetooth Off And On

Go to the Control Center to get Bluetooth icon. Now toggle off the option, wait for 30 seconds and toggle the Bluetooth On. This simple trick worked for a lot of users who were facing iOS Bluetooth problems.

Reset Network And Bluetooth Settings

Reset the network and Bluetooth settings. To do that, head to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network settings. Following the steps will remove all Bluetooth pairing of all phones or devices. It will also erase the setting and configuration made on your iOS device. After this step is completed, you will have to re-add and re-pair any Bluetooth hardware with your iOS device. If you do not want to follow other steps, just follow this one first. Then pair everything from the scratch again.

But one thing remember that it will also trash the saved wifi password and custom networking configuration, so you will need to join wifi routers again.

Update The IOS

This step is quite easy, head to Settings -> General -> Software Update and ensure that any iOS updates that are waiting have been installed. The updates often include bug fixes, so you should install them always.

If all the above steps fail to solve iOS 7 Bluetooth problems, then

• Check that the Bluetooth device’s battery is charged and has enough power source
• Turn the Bluetooth device off and then on again
• Confirm that the devices are not out of range (Not more than 10 feet)
• Turn your iPhone, iPod or iPad off and On.

You can also check by connecting the device to your Mac and use OS X tools in order to check the connection strength. If it is seen that the Bluetooth device cannot connect to iOS mobile device but connects to Mac easily, then you can try syncing a wireless keyboard to your iOS mobile device to make sure that official Apple hardware works easily.

Along with all the above things, double check both the iOS device and Bluetooth device and see if they can connect to other devices. If it is found that one works while another does not, then it could be a hardware issue on either side.