How do I delete files when I can only boot into Safe (single-user) mode I have a 9 year old MacBook Pro that has died. I want to recycle it, but I want to wipe any sensitive and personal data before it leaves my hands. I am only able to boot into safe (single user) mode using Cmd-S. I get the terminal prompt, but for some reason the file system is read-only. I need to change the file system to read-write so I can delete the Users files. I have exhausted my limited knowledge of commands, chown, chmod, etc. but the constant message I get is that files cannot be deleted because the file system is read-only. Is there a way to get the file system to a state where I can deleted files or even better wipe the drive completely?
Thanks,
To make the filesystem writable, you would use mount with the u and w options.

/sbin/mount -uw /