Select a language, then your account, and enter the password for it.

On an M1 Mac: Turn off your Mac, and press the power button until you see the Options Menu. On an Intel-based Mac: Restart your Mac, then hold Command + R keys until the Apple logo shows up. That's because you can't erase the drive you are currently running from, and you need to boot into Mac Recovery mode to format the Mac startup disk. If you are trying to format the Mac hard drive or its volumes - Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD - Data, you will inevitably see the Erase button grayed out in Disk Utility. How to fix the Erase button grayed out in Mac Disk Utility? How to fix the 'Erase process has failed' error on Mac? What to do when Disk Utility can't erase Macintosh HD? Here, we will discuss solutions to solve these Disk Utility erase errors so you can format the disk. You may fail to erase APFS volume on your Mac hard drive or an external hard drive when the erase button is grayed out on Mac Disk Utility or when you receive the 'Erase process has failed' error message. The next user will be presented with the Setup Assistant when they turn on the computer just as it would if new out of the box.What to do when Disk Utility won't let you erase sd card s, USB drives, and other hard drives on Mac? At the completion of the installation do not restart the computer. After formatting has completed quit DU and return to the installer. This process will take 30 minutes to several hours depending upon the size of the hard drive. The Zero Data procedure will prevent others from getting access to your personal information.

If you choose to skip this part of the process then it is possible for others to recover data from the hard drive. Note: You can skip the Zero Data option if you are not concerned about removing sensitive personal data from the hard drive. Select the one pass Zero Data option and click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then click on the Options button. After DU loads select the startup volume from the left side list then click on the Erase tab. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. Boot from the OS X Installer Disc One that came with the computer.

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