How to Safeguard Your Data During Computer Repair? Several Safety Tips!

Is It Safe to Take Your Laptop to a Repair Shop

Any device can have faults and a computer (laptop/desktop) is no exception no matter how carefully you use it. Sometimes, trying to fix the device by yourself can worsen the problem. If you don’t have much computer knowledge or have tried its first aid but failed, consider taking the computer to a repair shop to address software issues or component failures.

The questions arise: can computer repair shops steal your data without a password? How to safeguard your data during computer repair?

To be specific, sending a computer that contains treasured data and sensitive information to strangers feels akin to handing over a key to the home. Your privacy is subject to leak as malicious technicians access your data on purpose even though they don’t have a password. Moreover, a slight error during the repair process even damages your data.

Although it is a bit risky to take your PC to a repair shop, you can take robust precautionary steps to keep data safe before seeking repair services. Below, we will explore essential strategies and computer repair safety tips.

Tip 1: Back up Computer Data

How to protect data during computer repair? First, conduct a full backup of crucial data before sending your laptop or desktop to a repair shop.

Your data may be lost in some way during the repair process, although this is implausible. With a copy of valuable files and folders readily available, data recovery is an easy digging without costing much effort. Just as the old saying: “better safe than sorry” indicates.

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Furthermore, you should create a system image so that you can restore the machine to an earlier state if something goes wrong.

You can use an external hard drive, NAS, or cloud service to store your backups. Speaking of how to back up a computer to an external hard drive, we recommend the reliable and professional third-party backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker.

This software comes with rich features, allowing you to make backups for files, folders, disks, partitions, and Windows systems. In protecting data, MiniTool ShadowMaker lets you schedule a plan (every day, week, month, or on an event) to regularly back up files, as well as creates incremental backups & differential backups for new or changed data, meanwhile saving disk space by deleting old backup versions.

Moreover, it supports cloning HDD to SSD for a disk upgrade to gain the best performance.

Here is how to back up your data before computer repair.

Step 1: Download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Connect an external hard disk to your PC and launch the backup program.

Step 3: Under Backup, you find the system partitions for Windows to run are selected. To backup data, click SOURCE > Folders and Files to choose the files & folders you want to back up. Then, click DESTINATION to select an external drive to store backups.

Step 4: To make advanced settings for your backup such as automatic backup or incremental/differential backup, go to Options and use the proper option according to your needs. At last, hit Back Up Now to execute the backup task immediately.

If you wonder about online backup, consider uploading vital data to Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. For more details, refer to this guide on how to backup computer to cloud drive.

Tip 2: Wipe Your Data

No matter how reliable the computer repair shop is, there’s always a chance of employing a disreputable employee. Make sure nobody can access your confidential data such as photos, documents, movies, account information, etc.

To safeguard your data during computer repair, erasing is ideal. Simple deletion cuts no ice as data recovery software can retrieve your data. In this light, we suggest wiping your drive, which makes it impossible to recover any file. Remember to back up vital files before erasing them so that you can restore them after the repair.

MiniTool Partition Wizard, a free partition manager, has a feature to wipe your hard drive or partition by randomly writing zero or one. In this manner, the entire hard drive or drive is overwritten securely. No software can recover the wiped data, protecting data well.

Then how to protect your privacy when fixing your computer via wiping data? Take these steps.

Step 1: Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition on your computer. Then, launch it.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: Right-click on the partition that contains much sensitive personal data and choose Wipe Partition.

Step 3: Select a wiping method as per your preference and click OK > Apply.

MiniTool System Booster TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Tip 3. Encrypt Your Data

When it comes to “how to safeguard your data during computer repair”, you should also consider data encryption. If you don’t want to fully erase disk data but stop others from accessing sensitive data, especially after sending the PC to a repair shop, implementing strong data encryption techniques plays a vital role.

Data encryption can convert readable data to inaccessible. Only persons who have a decryption key can access it, avoiding privacy leaks. Even though unauthorized users obtain your device, your data remains protected.

Before sending a laptop or desktop to a repair shop, the Windows built-in encryption tool – BitLocker comes in handy. It provides encryption for entire partitions, guarding against the threats of data exposure or theft. By default, it uses the AES encryption algorithm.

How to keep data safe when fixing a computer via drive encryption using BitLocker? The steps are simple and let’s explore them.

Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer, right-click on the drive that you want to encrypt, and choose Turn on BitLocker.

Step 2: We recommend ticking the box of Use a password to unlock the drive, enter your password and reenter it, then click Next to proceed.

Step 3: Decide how you want to back up your recovery key.

Step 4: Choose how much of your drive to encrypt as per your needs.

Step 5: Select an encryption mode and start encrypting your drive.

Also read: Hard Drive Encryption | How to Encrypt a Hard Drive

Other Tips to Protect Privacy When Handing Over PC for Repair

When leaving your laptop or desktop to a repair shop, don’t blindly trust anyone who will repair it and how ethically an accendant will handle it.

In addition to the above three ways to safeguard your data during computer repair, you should take some precautions to ensure privacy safety.

• Never provide the login passwords. For the most part, technicians require a login password. You should ask the reason. If they insist, log out of your Microsoft account and create a local account instead. Moreover, remove admin rights of user accounts.
• Log out all the online accounts including social media, bank accounts, and other accounts. Otherwise, technicians access them to gain your sensitive information.
• Uninstall all the sensitive applications or software that contain user data, history, settings, etc.
• Clear all the browsing history, cache, and all the cookies in Microsoft, Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers. Besides, delete all the saved passwords to avoid leaks.
• Remove any peripheral device to avoid physical harm or misplacement, including HDDs, SSDs, USB flash drives, your mouse, keyboards, and more.
• Use strong passwords and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access.

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Further Tip: Matters Needing Attention

Choose a Reputable Repair Service

Which repair shop should you choose? This is an important thing you should consider when mentioning “how to protect data during computer repair”. Choose a reputable repair service, which fundamentally reduces data spill.

When searching for “computer repair near me” online, view the company’s past customer reviews and know if this service handles customer data securely.

Inquire About Data Privacy Policies

After deciding on the repair company, don’t hesitate to ask about the data privacy policies to know how the company handles customer data during the repair process and what measures will be taken to ensure data security. A reputable repair service always has strict protocols to protect customer information, ranging from accessing data to managing sensitive info.

Stay Vigilant Post-repair

While your computer is back in your hands, you had better keep an eye on your online accounts and monitor any unfamiliar and suspicious activity. Once anything unusual happens, take the necessary steps to keep accounts safe.

It is wise to change all the passwords of your accounts to defend against unauthorized access, especially when you are not sure about data integrity during the repair process.

The End

How to safeguard your data during computer repair or how to protect your privacy when fixing your computer? Everything you want is introduced in this tutorial. To keep data safe, you should back up crucial data to an external hard drive, wipe your data partition, encrypt a drive, etc. Furthermore, look for a reliable and reputable repair service, ask about privacy policies, and monitor your machine after the repair.

By following these computer repair safety tips, your sensitive data is under protection. When your laptop or desktop needs a repair, read through this comprehensive guide and take action.

Safeguard Your Data During Computer Repair FAQ