Sending my MacBook Pro in for repair. Is my data safe?

My CD drive has failed and I am going to need to take my computer in to have it fixed. I have financial records and things of that nature that I don't want anyone to get there hands on. Is my data safe? Will Apple be going through the things on my hard drive? Should I back everything up and then do a secure erase on things?

I am a long time PC user and I am used to Dell who has you pull the hard drive before sending the computer off.
They say that it will take 3 to 5 days to fix it and they will most likely change the drive.

I am considering
1. backing everything up
2. secure erasing financial stuff
3. reformatting the drive
They did say that they can't give me the drive because they will need to run tests to make sure they have fixed the problem.

Recent MacBook spare part searches: how to secure info on macbook when sending in for repair, is it safe to give my mac to fix, is my data safe when repairing mac, macbook security sending in for repair

  1. Hi Kevin…Apple's repair facility usually reformats the hard drive without backing up any data. Generally as a rule of precaution with any computer including Mac's it's best to back up and remove any important sensitive data from your computer before sending it in for repair.

  2. Depends how much you trust the people who'll have access to it. Have you asked if you can pull your HDD before bringing it in? It seems to me if they're okay with you wiping the HDD, they could just as well let you pull it. Do you know what the problem is, i.e. if they just need to replace the CD drive do you have to hand it over to them, or can they just give you the replacement drive, or change it while you wait?

  3. Good question, I have feared sending in my pc for that very reason. not an answer though,

  4. I say back everything up just in case. they always state that they are not responsiable for any lost data. and there is a 50% chance that you may lose everything. so Back it up.

  5. CD drives normally don't get repaired because it is not economical to do so. So you will probably get a new one. Installing a new CD drive does not take that long and you can stand by while they do it. (If you are familiar with installing drivers you can just as well remove the hard drive and take your PC, let them install your new CD drive and you can install the drivers later)

    http://www.cybertopcops.com/

  6. Your data should be safe, but. I will just say three words.

    Backup – Backup – Backup. You never know when your computer will die. Get a USB External Hard drive that will fit EVERYTHING. They are cheap now, so there is no excuse. Visit http://www.newegg.com and look through their External Drive section. I have bought a number of these for my clients, and they are quick and easy.

  7. No need to do all of that! Come on, it's a Macintosh! :-) Your data is safe. Just add a password to your user account. If you're really paranoid, go to Security in your System Settings and enable File Vault, which will encrypt your data. You're safe with Mac.

  8. Tottly

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