It has been along time since I last did this:

My eMac came with four discs. I want to wipe the HD before giving the computer to my local school.

I booted using Disc 1 But can find no way to access Disk Utility to use the ERASE option. After selecting English there is no mention of UTILITIES, and everything else is greyed out until I agree to go to NEXT.

I eventually allowed the installation to go forward, thinking there might be an option to access Disk Utility along the way, but not so.

I am obviously missing something, but what? Do I need to use another of the four installation disks?

There is stuff on the HD that needs to be got rid of, so any suggestions or help will be appreciated.
Kate

You're asking about more or less ancient history here, but I'll take shot...

When you insert disc #1, I think you should see "Utilities" or some-such in the menu bar of the 1st screen, i.e. before you select your language; if so, one of the options offered should be Disk Utility.

You beat me to it by about five minutes.

First screen of the menu bar shows Disk Utility - after that all was well.

Thank you though, if your recollection had let you down the eMac would have become a paper weight.
Kate

Happy to have been able to help.

Don't forget that (I assume) you've got assorted erasure options from which to select depending on the sensitivity of the data you want to erase.

Good question, when I finally got to Disk Utility there was no options other than just ERASE.
I enabled that several times, but would feel happier if there had been choices as the HD has [had?]sensitive work related data on it.

Having written that I am wondering if there is any way to check?

Thanks for the heads up though.
Kate

Hmmm... Any time I've used Disk Utility to erase an HD my screen has displayed a "Security Options..." (or some-such) radio button (not a menu bar option) right in the middle of the GUI.

If you don't see the same it's time to ask which version of OS X your eMac discs install; the info won't help me, but it may enable somebody else to help you.

Also, it looks like all eMacs are FireWire enabled, so you should be able to use FireWire target disk mode to run "Erase" with "Security Options..." from a later version of OS X installed on another Mac. (Be sure your eMac's HD has been ejected from the desktop of the other Mac before you remove the cable.)

Note that one of the "Security Options..." will enable you to sleep better.

Edit: > Having written that I am wondering if there is any way to check?

If you mean check whether your data is still on the eMac's HD, there's no easy way for you to do it, but rest assured that if you only ran a standard "Erase" your data, while now invisible, is recoverable!

We are playing tag on this one.

When I booted from Disk 1 I could access DU from the menu drop down, but it offered only Erase & Install.

I back tracked and allowed the installation to run, filled in the required details and accessed DU via > Apps > Utilities >DU, but the erase option was greyed out.

I then rebooted from Disk 1 but instead of first choosing “English,’ I went straight to the drop down menu > DU > name of HD > and got the erase options. Seems odd to me, but...

The 8 way random write is running as I write this.

Thanks again - though I may be back.
Kate

Hmmm...

> When I booted from Disk 1 I could access DU from the menu drop down, but it offered only Erase & Install.

That doesn't sound correct; erase and install is an installation option, not an erasure option. I'm not certain what you were looking at.

> I back tracked and allowed the installation to run, filled in the required details and accessed DU via > Apps > Utilities >DU, but the erase option was greyed out.

That's because you can't run "Erase" on the volume into which you're booted.

> I then rebooted from Disk 1 but instead of first choosing “English,’ I went straight to the drop down menu > DU > name of HD > and got the erase options.

Isn't that how you got to run "Erase" the first time?

> The 8 way random write is running as I write this.

Sleep tight, Kate!

Some of the confusion may be due to a misunderstanding of how to find Disk Utility. This depends upon the OS version contained on the installation disk. For complete details, go to Mac OS X - Using Disk Utility to Repair a Disk and read the section under Repair Disk. For OS 10.2 and 10.3, you can get at Disk Utility from the Installer menu at the first screen. For OS 10.4 - 10.6, you get it from the Utilities menu at the second screen.

> Some of the confusion may be due to a misunderstanding of how to find Disk Utility.

That was cleared up earlier; the present confusion is about apparently conflicting, confusing, at the least, statements made by Kate.

My thanks to everyone who has offered help and advice.

I reviewed the notes I made as I worked through the process, and think it was the difference between reaching DU from the first and second screens depending on the OS version that stopped me in my tracks.

Lessons have been learned and remembered, my HD is securely wiped and the eMac is now in the hands of a very happy student.
Many thanks
Kate