Oh no! You damaged your laptop and you have to bring it into the repair shop!
Getting laptop repair can be inconvenient, and the unexpected expense can come as an unwanted surprise. But wait! There’s more! The person working on your laptop is a complete stranger!
In most situations, you’ll be okay bringing your laptop in to get fixed, but remember just because it’s an Apple Genius doesn’t mean you can instill all of your trust in this person.
Remember the following before you get your laptop repaired:
- If you don’t know your repair technician, you can’t necessarily trust them.
You might want to trust your repair techs if they demonstrate that they are experts, explain what your problem is, and show you they know how to fix your device. Just remember that this person is still a stranger who might not always treat your information with the respect and confidentiality it deserves.
As we said, most repair shops are reputable, but you never know if your repair tech is a complete rookie or a hardened criminal that moonlights as a computer repair person. Just because your tech knows their stuff doesn’t mean you should instill your trust in this person.
- If you don’t want anyone looking at your files, remove them or lock them up
If you have sensitive data, remember that you should remove it from your laptop to protect it from prying eyes. You can save this info to a DVD, flash drive, or sync it to the cloud. Files like this might include sensitive information, business data, and personal photos.
You might also opt to encrypt these files with a program like 7zip and put a password on them.
Either way, it’s best to secure your data from anyone with the technical prowess to uncover it.
- Keep things “G-rated”
The capacity to instantly take any selfie you like is a great thing. Just because you can use your laptop to take racy photos though, doesn’t mean that you should. Don’t do this in the first place! But if you have, you definitely don’t want to leave these photos out in the open.
Trust us, your computer tech does not need to get to know you up close and personal to be able to repair your laptop. For extra sensitive files like this, you’ll want to use a data-wiping program. This will securely erase the data from your hard drive to the point that it can’t be recovered.
- Remove software you’re not supposed to have
Make sure your software doesn’t breach any terms of use, say if your laptop is leased from your employer. This will likely include games and any programs that aren’t licensed. Murphy’s Law dictates that the software that will get you in trouble will always be the issue that is causing your laptop problem.
Are you ready to feel the heat from your employer if the repair tech reports that you have unauthorized programs on your laptop?
- Once you’ve sent your laptop to the repair shop, anyone that is hired to deal with problems will probably see it
So erase any personal information before you take your laptop in! We’re not saying that every repair shop technician is actively looking to violate your privacy, but they might end up seeing your personal information by accident or as part of the repair.
- Make your tech support guy’s life easier and you might get your hardware back earlier
In an ideal world, you’d get your laptop repaired in an instant, but laptop repair can take days or even weeks. There are some things you can do to speed up the process, like create a Microsoft account without a password for them to use and log on to if they need access to your operating system. You can remove any unnecessary software and files that might get in the way of the repair as well.
The Big Picture
Having to get laptop repair is a drag in the first place. Having sensitive or personal information stolen really stinks. Although in most shops you should be fine, it’s best to proceed with caution. Always wipe your computer clean before you drop by the shop, and make sure that you’ve left nothing embarrassing or incriminating on your device.