What To Do When You Bring Your Laptop Home From The Repair Shop

Personal Tech | Keeping Data Secure When Your Laptop Is in the Shop

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/technology/personaltech/laptop-information-repairs.html

Tech Tip

Keeping Information Secure When Your Laptop Is in the Shop

Dec. half dozen, 2017

Q. I demand to take my laptop to become its expressionless bombardment replaced, just I'm worried nearly other people existence able to encounter my files. How can I make certain no ane working on the computer can get into my personal information?

A. Your computer repair shop probably has a checklist of things to do before you drop off the laptop, merely starting time by doing a total backup of your system and then you lot have a copy of all your files in case something inadvertently happens when the machine is open on the work table. Fixes like bombardment or keyboard replacement, memory upgrades and jack repair should non affect the data on the hard drive, but making a complete backup should provide peace of mind in instance of complications.

Equally for the security of the data on the drive, you can lock up personal folders that y'all would like to go on individual with encryption software — or encrypt the whole hard drive if yous do not think the technicians will need to log into the computer. Windows 10 Professional includes a utility called BitLocker, and macOS has a disk-encryption tool called FileVault yous can employ to lock upward the contents of your disk behind a password; 3rd-party encryption software like VeraCrypt is available for systems without built-in security features.

The FileVault tool is one option Mac users have for encrypting data on a computer's hard drive. — Credit... The New York Times

If you think a technician will demand to start up your calculator to verify the results or assist with the repair, you may want to take other privacy precautions, similar deleting browser history and stored passwords, and any files that contain financial or identity information. Unless the technician needs to use an administrator account, creating a guest or limited user business relationship can also keep the intrusions to a minimum. If an administrator account is needed, disabling the password or irresolute information technology temporarily lets you avert sharing the real one.