Laptop and desktop data wiping, at your office
Windows, Mac and ChromeOS machines wiped on your premises in Edinburgh and the Lothians, checked afterwards and recorded on a certificate for each drive.
What happens to each machine
- We note the make, model and serial number, and the drive inside it.
- The machine boots from our own erasure tool, not from your operating system.
- The drive is erased with the right method for its type: overwriting for traditional hard drives, the drive's built-in sanitize or secure erase command for SSDs and NVMe drives.
- The drive is read back to check the erase worked.
- You get a certificate for that drive, with the method, result and date.
Windows, Mac and ChromeOS
Most Windows laptops and desktops are wiped as above. Recent Macs with Apple silicon or a T2 chip use built-in encryption, so an erase destroys the key and makes the data unreadable; we run it, check it, and record it. Chromebooks are reset through recovery and recorded the same way.
Before we arrive
- Back up anything you still need. Once a drive is wiped, it's gone for good.
- Sign out of Microsoft, Apple and Google accounts, and turn off Find My Mac, so the next owner can set the machine up.
- If your IT provider manages the laptops (Intune, Autopilot or Apple Business Manager), ask them to release the devices.
Not sure about any of that? We'll talk you through it by email before the visit.
Afterwards
A wiped laptop is ready for a fresh install. You can reuse it, donate it, or sell it. We can also make you an offer for working machines and take it off your invoice.
Price
£15 per laptop or desktop, £12 each for 20 or more on one visit. No VAT, travel included. Full pricing.
Where we work
On site across Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian.
Questions
Do you need the laptop passwords?
Not for the wipe itself, as we boot from our own tool. If a BIOS or firmware password blocks that, we'll need it, or your IT provider can remove it. Macs with Activation Lock need the Apple ID signed out so the next user can set them up.
Can we keep using the laptops afterwards?
Yes. The wipe removes the data and the operating system, not the hardware. Reinstall Windows, macOS or ChromeOS and it's ready to use.
How long does each laptop take?
A modern SSD laptop usually takes a few minutes. Older laptops with spinning hard drives take longer, so we run several at once.
Other services
Got a cupboard of old laptops?
Most offices do. Tell us roughly how many and where you are, and we'll give you a fixed price today.