macbook question about restore to factory default

[theonlyone23]

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

[zadillo]

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

[theonlyone23]

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

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

[zadillo]

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

[theonlyone23]

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

[zadillo]

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

[theonlyone23]

format the drive

[cashmonee]

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.

[zadillo]

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

[theonlyone23]

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