I'm planning to have my laptop chassis repaired, but I'm concerned about someone accessing the data on the internal drive while the laptop is at the shop. Would enabling BitLocker be enough, or is it safer to remove the drive? I trust that repair technicians are generally trying to help, but I'd still like to take reasonable precautions without risking damage to the laptop. I also need to know whether opening the laptop could affect a warranty.
1 Answer
If the repair only involves the chassis, the safest option is to remove the internal drive and keep it with you. That prevents anyone from accessing the files, though you should follow a reliable teardown guide or ask the technician to remove it for you so you don’t damage anything.
I’m not confident removing it myself, so I may ask the shop to take it out and return it to me before they start the repair.